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/ 14 January 2008

Taylor lawyers attack credibility of witness

A defence lawyer for war-crimes suspect and former Liberian president Charles Taylor on Monday attempted to destroy the credibility of a key prosecution witness at his trial, accusing him of ”always hating” the accused. Completing three days of cross-questioning, lawyer Courtenay Griffiths said the witness had a ”personal history” of plotting against Taylor.

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/ 14 January 2008

US troops kill 60 in Iraq al-Qaeda offensive

The United States military said on Monday it had killed 60 militants during a week-long, US-led offensive in northern Iraq against al-Qaeda, a resilient foe that has resisted previous attempts to drive it from the region. The US military, which has declared al-Qaeda the single greatest threat to Iraq’s security, launched the offensive on January 8.

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/ 14 January 2008

Threatened flamingos breed on man-made island

Lesser flamingos have started breeding on a specially constructed artificial island at the Kamfers Dam, the Northern Cape department of tourism, environment and conservation said on Monday. The birds at Kamfers Dam are of historic significance because it is only the sixth breeding locality in the world for the near-threatened species.

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/ 14 January 2008

Visiting Irish leader concerned about Zim

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern expressed ”great concern” over the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe at the outset of a visit to South Africa on Monday.
”I would like to thank President [Thabo] Mbeki for his work as the SADC [Southern African Development Community] mediator in Zimbabwe,” Ahern said.

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/ 14 January 2008

EU to tighten controls on biofuels

The European Commission said on Monday it will propose tighter restrictions on biofuels next week amid mounting concerns that the energy source can cause unintended environmental and social problems. Biofuels are renewable and environmentally friendlier than fossils, but not completely clean.