Staff Reporter
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/ 27 November 2007

Ethiopia ups military budget, blames Eritrea threat

Ethiopia has boosted its defence budget by more than -million to gird for a possible resumption of hostilities with Eritrea over their disputed border, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Parliament on Tuesday. ”Our military budget has been raised proportionally from three billion to 3,5-billion birr [a rise of 16,7%, equivalent to ,3-million],” Meles said.

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/ 27 November 2007

Union gets go-ahead for mine-safety strike

South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Tuesday it had been given the go-ahead by authorities to stage a one-day nationwide strike on December 4 to highlight the issue of safety at mines. ”Yes, we are going on strike on December 4, we have been given the go-ahead,” NUM spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka said.

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/ 27 November 2007

Fossett’s wife asks court to declare him legally dead

The wife of American adventurer Steve Fossett has asked a court to declare him legally dead, nearly three months after his small plane vanished over the Nevada wilderness, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. Peggy Fossett filed a court petition in Cook County, Illinois, on Monday asking that the millionaire aviator’s assets be distributed according to his will.

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/ 27 November 2007

China ‘deeply concerned’ over threats in Darfur

China on Tuesday voiced deep concern about the safety of its peacekeepers in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region after rebel groups boycotting the peace process declared they were not immune from attack. ”Up to now there has been no incident, but we are deeply concerned about the matter,” the Chinese ambassador to Khartoum, Li Cheng Wen, said.

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/ 27 November 2007

SA GDP growth increases in third quarter

South African third-quarter growth rose to an annualised 4,7%, beating forecasts and backing the case for another interest-rate hike. Statistics South Africa on Tuesday said the annualised quarter-on-quarter growth in real gross domestic product (GDP) has increased to 4,7%, compared with a downwardly revised 4,4% in the second quarter of 2007.

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/ 27 November 2007

Mozambique hit by new cholera outbreak

Health authorities in the central Zambezia province in Mozambique were on high alert after the deaths last week of two people out of more than 20 reported cases of cholera, the daily Noticias reported on Tuesday. In October this year health authorities reported the death of two people in the same province while another six were hospitalised in the same district.

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/ 27 November 2007

DA highlights problem of stock theft

More than 28 000 animals were stolen from farms around the country over the past 18 months, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday. Less than 40% of the stock — including game, cattle, sheep and goats — was recovered, DA rural safety spokesperson Ryno King said in a statement.

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/ 27 November 2007

Richtersvelders to celebrate return of land

After a decade-long struggle in the courts, Richtersvelders will on Saturday celebrate the return of their land in a handing over ceremony in Alexander Bay. Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin and Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Lulu Xingwana will hand over to the community the deeds to 194 600ha of land.