Staff Reporter
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/ 29 October 2007

Minister says aviation key to tourism growth

Aviation is the key to boosting growth in South Africa’s tourism industry, says the Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Marthinus van Schalkwyk. A total of 27,6% of all tourists arrived in the country by air, he said in a speech prepared for delivery at his department’s sixth annual tourism conference.

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/ 29 October 2007

SA stars set for Mandela Aids concert

Former president Nelson Mandela was at the Ellis Park stadium on Monday to greet the South African artists who had agreed to perform in his fifth 46664 concert aimed at fighting HIV/Aids. Johnny Clegg, Arno Carstens, Loyiso, the Parlotones, Prime Circle and the Soweto Gospel Choir are just some of the local stars scheduled to appear at the 46664 concert later this year.

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/ 29 October 2007

Body-parts accused pleads guilty

A KwaZulu-Natal woman accused of stealing a placenta pleaded guilty to the crime at the Durban Regional Court on Monday. Hloniphile Sokhela was charged with theft and contravening the Human Tissue Act. The mother of two stole a placenta from a storage room at Parklands Hospital on October 6.

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/ 29 October 2007

Russia’s ‘chessboard killer’ given life in prison

A judge handed out a sentence of life in prison on Monday to Russia’s ”chessboard murderer”, who was convicted last week of killing 48 people. The sentence was read out by the judge as Alexander Pichushkin, a 33-year-old former supermarket worker, looked at the ground, a reporter in court said. Asked if he understood, Pichushkin replied: ”I’m not deaf. I understood.”

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/ 29 October 2007

Oil hits record high above $93

Oil prices jumped to fresh historic highs on Monday, breaching $93 for the first time on mounting concerns about tight energy supplies worldwide, analysts said. Investors pushed up crude futures to new peaks as more bad news in the shape of Mexican production cutbacks came on top of already serious tensions in the Middle East.

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/ 29 October 2007

DA: Deal with taxi violence before 2010

Concrete moves are needed to address conflict in the Johannesburg taxi industry ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, following the shooting of a passenger and a driver on the West Rand, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday. Proper enforcement of laws and a body ”with teeth” would contribute to passenger safety, said Barnes.