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/ 28 January 2008

Public Protector declines to report on reopening Oilgate

The Public Protector, Lawrence Mushwana, has written to the Democratic Alliance to explain that he will not release a report on the merits of the case for reopening the Oilgate investigation because it is still the subject of a court case. Last week, DA spokesperson Motlatjo Thetjeng said it had been nine months since the DA first wrote to Mushwana about the issue.

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/ 28 January 2008

Call for recognition of independent state of Biafra

A protest held by the Biafra National Congress outside the Nigerian high commission in Pretoria on Monday called for the for ”immediate and unconditional” release of Ralph Uwazuruike, leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra. This was in addition to a call for recognition of the independent state of Biafra.

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/ 28 January 2008

Private hospitals dispute claims of exorbitant profits

Private hospitals have disputed claims that they make exorbitant profits. ”The private hospital sector … offers the lowest returns on invested capital in the healthcare chain system,” the Hospital Association of South Africa said on Monday. Chief executive Kurt Worrall-Clare said the profitability of a business could not be evaluated by looking at its income alone.

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/ 28 January 2008

Global equities deep in gloom

Asian and European stock markets fell sharply again on Monday as investors worried about possible recession and a forthcoming interest-rate call in the United States, analysts said. The Paris market fell amid anxiety and tension after an alleged -billion fraud was unearthed last week at French bank Société Générale.

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/ 28 January 2008

Mining losses could hit GDP by R5,6bn

South Africa’s mining industry could lose up to R9,2-billion in revenue and the country’s GDP could take a knock of up to R5,6-billion as a result of the power restrictions imposed on mines by Eskom last week. T-Sec economist Mike Schussler estimates that the mining industry is losing about R330-million in revenues a day.

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/ 28 January 2008

Parreira looks to the future

South Africa’s Africa Cup of Nations fate is out of their hands after Sunday’s crushing 3-1 loss to Tunisia, prompting coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to look to the future. South Africa came to Ghana intent on showing the world and their continental neighbours they could put up a stout showing when the World Cup comes to town in 2010.

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/ 28 January 2008

Militants hold up to 250 Pakistani children

Gunmen took hostage up to 250 Pakistani schoolchildren in the north-western town of Bannu on Monday after taking refuge in the school following a clash with police, officials said. Violence has spread across Pakistan in recent months, seeping out of remote tribal regions that are sanctuaries for al-Qaeda and Taliban militants and into cities and towns.