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/ 21 January 2008

A country sick of water

Fears of more rain in the coming days have sent aid agencies into a panic as the humanitarian disaster caused by the floods in Mozambique unfolds. The United Nations says the floods could turn out to be the worst in recent memory. Seven people have died and up to 70 000 have been displaced by the floods that have come earlier than forecast.

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/ 21 January 2008

Musharraf: I would quit

When you’re talking about Bin Laden, any action against him will be free, if we know where he is, if we have good intelligence. The methodology of getting him will be discussed together and we’ll attack the target together.Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf speaks to Anthony Paul about Bhutto, the Taliban and the country’s upcoming elections.

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/ 21 January 2008

Gold soars to all-time high

Gold surged above $910 on Monday, setting another historic high as the continuing slide in the dollar and expectations of sharp interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve prompted investors to snap up the metal. Spot gold leapt to an all-time high of $914 an ounce, charging past the record of $900,10 set at the end of last week, before settling lower in later trading.

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/ 21 January 2008

The elusive president

Where is Thabo Mbeki? This is the question many ANC members have been asking since he failed to attend the important first meeting of the party’s new national executive committee, as well as the party’s birthday celebrations in Atteridgeville last weekend. Speculation abounds. Despite secretary general Gwede Mantashe’s insistence that no sleep is being lost, the rank and file is not impressed.

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/ 21 January 2008

‘Now we really have a crisis’

The diplomatic stand-off between the United Kingdom and Russia entered a dangerous new phase on Wednesday as British officials denounced ”a pattern of intimidation” by Russia’s security services against British Council staff. The UK Foreign Office complained of unacceptable behaviour, after Russians working at British Council offices in St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg were called in for questioning by the FSB

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/ 21 January 2008

The scandal of prisoner 345

It is an image that has become associated with George W Bush’s so-called war on terror: terrorist suspects in orange jumpsuits, hands and feet shackled, kneeling in a prison yard, miles from home. Last week marked the sixth anniversary of so-called terrorist detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. Since January 2002, 775 detainees have been held at the controversial camp, and approximately 355 remain.

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/ 21 January 2008

History will not absolve us

Post-Polokwane, our country has lost its standing. I realised this as ANC president Jacob Zuma fell backwards on his arse during his fourth wedding celebrations. He laughed good-naturedly, as he does, as his loincloth rose to reveal a set of legs toned by his dance routines.