Staff Reporter
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/ 29 February 2008

PSL tills ring with moolah

The worst Premier Soccer League side will, at the end of this season, have made at least R12,7-million in revenue. And if one club were to be dominant and win all the trophies on offer, it would bank at least R32-million — and that is excluding revenue from sponsors and gate takings.

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/ 29 February 2008

Iraq council approves ‘Chemical Ali’ hanging

Iraq’s presidency council has cleared the way for the long-delayed execution of Saddam Hussein’s cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majeed, known as ”Chemical Ali”, to be carried out, Iraqi officials said on Friday. The execution of Majeed has been delayed for months by a legal wrangle over who has the authority to green light the hangings.

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/ 29 February 2008

Army prepares to evacuate Harry after blackout fails

Army commanders were making frantic arrangements on Thursday night to bring Prince Harry back from Afghanistan after an American website disclosed that he had been serving with other British troops fighting the Taliban. The prince, who is 10 weeks into a 14-week tour, was believed to still be in the country on Thursday night among British soldiers in the southern Helmand province.

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/ 29 February 2008

Means test axing is good for savings

The abolition of the means test for the payment of old-age pensions, mooted in last week’s budget, might be an incentive to save, says Elias Masilela, chief strategist of Sanlam Employee Benefits. The means test is a complicated calculation that penalises those who have saved for retirement by reducing the grant amount if the individual is already receiving a retirement income.

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/ 29 February 2008

But do they think?

Incredulity: how else was one to react to the news that an American think tank had recently dished out a series of awards to other think tanks — including the locally based Institute for Security Studies (ISS). On a little reflection it is easy to see how this is possible. As political philosopher Hannah Arendt once remarked: "The trouble with think-tankers is that they don’t think!"

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/ 28 February 2008

Scientists warn of new plague of jellyfish

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, scientists in Spain are warning that the plagues of jellyfish that have been the scourge of Mediterranean swimmers in recent years will return this summer. Global warming has also brought about the ideal conditions for jellyfish to breed: mild temperatures, little rain and a lack of the usual winter rainstorms.

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/ 28 February 2008

Manto looks to law to curb healthcare costs

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang is to seek changes to legislation in a bid to contain spiralling private healthcare costs. She made the announcement at a meeting in Cape Town on Thursday with representatives of the country’s leading private hospital groups. She also held a separate meeting with medical-aid industry representatives.