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/ 25 January 2008

Remain level-headed in volatile markets

Six months ago, everything was rosy — robust global growth fuelled by seemingly limitless demand from China and India, strong corporate balance sheets, record prices across most asset classes, and enormous infrastructure spend anticipated in South Africa. Now appetite for risk has disappeared and any bad news stokes further panic.

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/ 25 January 2008

Regulating press freedom: a bad idea

Almost unnoticed amid the sound and fury of the leadership fight at the ANC’s Polokwane conference, the party ­fleshed out its proposal for a media tribunal to keep journalists in check. A policy conference last June first raised the idea in a brief reference calling for an investigation into media self-regulation and the desirability of establishing a tribunal.

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/ 25 January 2008

Traffic lights to go solar

Long queues of vehicles at traffic lights knocked out by power cuts may soon be a thing of the past. ”All traffic lights and public lights will be converted to solar power, with battery back-up,” Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said in Pretoria on Friday.

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/ 25 January 2008

Egypt begins closing Gaza border, tensions flare

Egypt began closing its breached border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Friday, using barbed wire and water cannons to keep Palestinians from crossing into Egypt in defiance of an Israeli blockade. Israeli air strikes overnight killed four Palestinian militants in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where Hamas blasted open the border wall on Wednesday.

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/ 25 January 2008

Lekota: Lohatla deaths were an accident

Investigations into the incident at the South African Army Combat Training Centre in Lohatla in which nine soldiers were killed have revealed that the tragedy was caused by a mechanical failure, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said on Friday. The nine soldiers died when a 35mm Oerlikon GDF MK-5 gun malfunctioned at the training centre on October 12 last year.

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/ 25 January 2008

India’s tail wags to post imposing score

Captain Anil Kumble fell short of a second Test century as India’s tail wagged strongly to help the tourists post a big score in the fourth Test against Australia on Friday. After winning the toss and electing to bat, India were dismissed for an imposing 526 just after tea on the second day, Sachin Tendulkar top-scoring with a majestic 153.

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/ 25 January 2008

Divided loyalties

When Fredi Kanoute decided to play for Mali he did so with the kind of talk that would make Frantz Fanon and other black thinkers sit up and take note. ”Though I am French, born in France, and I grew up there, I always took my holidays in Mali. And inside me, something always said, ‘You are of Malian origin.’ I am not just French, I am also Malian.”

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/ 25 January 2008

Soapie star’s comments anger ANC

The African National Congress (ANC) has lashed out at a popular soap opera actress for claiming the ANC murders its opponents, and is considering legal action against her. The actress, Winnie Ntshaba, who plays Khethiwe in the soap opera Generations, was speaking at an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) gathering.