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/ 22 January 2008

Everest conqueror Hillary makes last journey

Saffron-robed Buddhist monks, Nepali Sherpas and grey-bearded mountaineers paid homage on Tuesday to Sir Edmund Hillary, the man who conquered Everest, as thousands gathered in New Zealand to watch his state funeral. ”His loss to us is bigger and heavier than Mount Everest,” Ang Rita Sherpa told the service in a small church in Auckland.

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/ 22 January 2008

Floods wreak havoc in Zambia

Jerry Mweemba, an 82-year-old farmer, stoically chews on his pipe as he surveys the line of grass-thatched huts waist-high in brown rainwater in Zambia’s impoverished Mazabuka region. ”Initially, we thought it was the usual rains until we realised that water was entering into our homes,” says Mweemba from under the shade of a large acacia tree.

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/ 22 January 2008

Kenya opposition leader remains defiant

Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga vowed on Monday to step up his challenge against President Mwai Kibaki as political unrest re-opened ethnic conflicts across the country. The tribes that voted for Kibaki in the December 27 election disputed by Odinga were being increasingly targeted by rival groups with long-running grievances.

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/ 22 January 2008

World markets plunge as recession fears grow

Stocks plummeted across the world on Monday amid fears of a global recession, with markets in Europe suffering their biggest one-day losses since the September 11 attacks on the United States. Dealers said a major new plan by President George Bush to prevent a United States recession was not enough to offset the stream of bad news from banks.

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/ 22 January 2008

Surviving Eskom

As someone who works from home, I’ve lost two days of productivity over the past week. Like many small businesses, that means a serious drop in income. My stress levels are soaring because when the cuts come I do not know if they will be for a couple of hours or the whole day, writes Maya Fisher-French.