Staff Reporter
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/ 8 November 2007

Slain Ethiopian soldier dragged through streets

Civilians dragged the body of an Ethiopian soldier through the streets of Somalia’s capital on Thursday after fighting with insurgents killed a second soldier and civilian, witnesses said. In the grisly incident, more than 100 civilians stepped and spat on the scarred body as they dragged it for several kilometres on a pot-holed asphalt road.

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/ 8 November 2007

Nigerian leader among those to forfeit land

Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua has ratified revocation of Abuja plots allocated to him and other top citizens by former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, newspapers said here on Thursday. The country’s highest ruling body cited ”overriding public interests” for the revocation of the choice plots in the federal capital city.

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/ 8 November 2007

Rio Tinto rejects BHP Billiton bid

BHP Billiton has made a long-awaited bid approach to Rio Tinto in a move aimed at creating a $350-billion-plus mining giant, but Rio rejected the all-share proposal as too low. Rio shares leapt as much as 30% in London to a record high on Thursday after it said BHP had proposed offering three of its shares for every one Rio share.

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/ 8 November 2007

Rainy weather grounds fireworks

Cold, rainy conditions are expected to lessen the number of firework injuries on animals and people during Diwali this year, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said on Thursday. ”It seems the weather is not conducive for setting off fireworks,” said the SPCA’s spokesperson for Pietermaritzburg, Maureen Vida.

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/ 8 November 2007

Boy in hospital after Strand shark attack

A 14-year-old boy was recovering in hospital on Thursday after he was attacked by a shark in Strand, Cape Town, the National Sea Rescue Institute said. Spokesperson Craig Lambinon said Andrew Smith — who lives in the area — was surfing at about 5.30pm on Wednesday when he felt something pulling him by the legs.

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/ 8 November 2007

Defence demands postponement in Motata trial

The drunken-driving case of Judge Nkola Motata was on Thursday postponed to allow magistrate Desmond Nair to rule on whether the defence could submit a request for a high court review of one of his rulings. The ruling allowed the court to listen to recordings of Motata’s alleged drunken diatribes following a car accident earlier this year.