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/ 25 October 2006
Hospital costs are now almost 70% higher than they should be, because of the increased market dominance of a few private hospitals. This is the argument of the Council for Medical Schemes, which, along with Netcare, is opposing Medi-Clinic’s proposed takeover of four hospitals in the Vaal Triangle. Competition Tribunal hearings into the matter were held recently.
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/ 24 October 2006
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) turned 10 last week — on October 19, a noteworthy date that is also the anniversary of the banning of two national newspapers in 1977. What makes this significant is that Sanef is an amazing, even perplexing, phenomenon.
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/ 24 October 2006
Expropriation notices have been issued on four pieces of land in Limpopo, the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights announced on Tuesday. ”The notice for expropriation is our last resort following lengthy negotiations with the land owners, which to-date have yielded no results,” said chief land claims commissioner Thozi Gwanya.
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/ 24 October 2006
Shaun Pollock took two early wickets as he set up South Africa’s 78-run victory over Sri Lanka in a low-scoring Champions Trophy Group B match on Tuesday. Pollock dismissed Sanath Jayasuriya for three and Kumar Sangakkara for nought. He then ran out skipper Mahela Jayawardene for 36 as Sri Lanka were reduced to 78-5 before being bowled out for 141 in 39.1 overs while chasing 220.
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/ 24 October 2006
While expectations are that Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel will use his ”mini-budget” on Wednesday to provide details on 2010 Soccer World Cup spending, hopes are also high he will give attention to business and jobs. In his February budget speech, Manuel said government would spend up to R5-billion in dedicated infrastructure for the competition.
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/ 24 October 2006
The case against four men arrested in connection with a shoot-out and robbery in central Johannesburg on October 10 was postponed on Tuesday, police said. Senior Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht said one of the four suspects arrested on October 11 committed suicide while in police custody. Another suspect was arrested a week later on October 18.
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/ 24 October 2006
The number of miners dying in South African mines is totally unacceptable, Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica said on Tuesday. Her statement came after five miners went missing in a rockfall at AngloGold Ashanti’s Tautona mine near Carletonville on Monday.
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/ 24 October 2006
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Tuesday Ethiopia was ”technically” at war with Somalia’s Islamists because they had declared jihad on his nation. ”The jihadist elements within the Islamic Court movement are spoiling for a fight. They’ve been declaring jihad against Ethiopia almost every other week,” Meles told Reuters in an interview. ”Technically we are at war.”
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/ 24 October 2006
An earthquake measuring 5,2 on the Richter scale hit north-western Turkey on Tuesday and was felt in Istanbul, just days after another quake of the same size in the area, Turkey’s earthquake monitoring centre said. No injuries or damages were reported. The quake’s epicentre was in the Sea of Marmara, which lies alongside Istanbul.
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/ 24 October 2006
Iran is unlikely to be able to develop a nuclear bomb before 2015, the chief of Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency said on Tuesday. His estimate falls within the three to 10 year range of forecasts given by most international experts. ”It is difficult to give an exact estimate of the time,” BND head Ernst Uhrlau told a security conference.