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/ 21 January 2008

Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in first ODI

Pakistan established a new record in crushing Zimbabwe by 104 runs in the first one-day international (ODI) in Pakistan on Monday. Pakistan piled up a total of 347-5 and then restricted the visitors to 243-7 in 50 overs. It was the first time in 2 662 one-day internationals that five batsmen scored half centuries in an innings.

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/ 21 January 2008

Gaza endures fourth day of Israeli blockade

Gaza endured a fourth day of hardship on Monday as Israel vowed to maintain a punishing blockade in response to rocket fire from the Hamas-run territory, despite increasing international concern over a developing humanitarian crisis. The European Union slammed what it termed the ”collective punishment” of impoverished Gaza’s 1,5-million residents.

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/ 21 January 2008

Dark times ahead for South Africa

South Africa was set on Monday to ration electricity in a bid to stem a spiralling crisis that has dealt a severe blow to its status as the continent’s economic powerhouse. After mounting anger over daily power cuts that have cost business hundreds of millions of rands, the government said it was drawing up plans that could see consumers fined if they exceed set quotas.

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/ 21 January 2008

Federer on track as Venus gathers steam

It was back to business as usual for Roger Federer on Monday as he clinically moved into an Australian Open quarterfinal against James Blake, with Venus Williams also working up a head of steam. The world number one rebounded from his uncharacteristic five-set scare in the third round to resume his sprint towards a 13th Grand Slam title.

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/ 21 January 2008

Chilean man wakes up at his own wake

An 81-year old man in the small Chilean village of Angol shocked his grieving relatives by waking up in his coffin at his own wake, local media said on Sunday. When Feliberto Carrasco’s family members discovered his body limp and cold, they were convinced that the octogenarian’s hour had come, so they immediately called a funeral home, not a doctor.

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/ 21 January 2008

DRC govt, rebels to sign ceasefire

Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) government and warring rebel and militia factions will sign a deal on Tuesday to end fighting in the country’s conflict-torn east, government officials and diplomats said on Monday. The agreement, which will include a ceasefire, was announced following more than two weeks of talks.

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/ 21 January 2008

Obama blasts Bill Clinton ahead of debate

Barack Obama lashed out at rival Hillary Clinton’s husband, Bill, on Monday, calling the former president’s role in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination ”pretty troubling”. ”You know, the former president … has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a level that I think is pretty troubling,” Obama said.

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/ 21 January 2008

Waterkloof murder case postponed

The case against the three men accused of killing British citizen Fred Picton-Turbervill was postponed in the Pretoria Regional Court on Monday. Petro Morkel and Rasel Thembe — both from Mozambique — as well as Thokozane Nhlapo made a brief court appearance and their case was postponed to January 28.

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/ 21 January 2008

DRC peace conference prolonged amid dissent

A conference aimed at ending conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was prolonged on Monday as rival sides sought agreement, organisers said. The gathering at a university in Goma, the main town of Nord-Kivu province near some of the conflict zones, was due to end on Monday, but its president said another day would be needed.