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/ 10 December 2007

UN: Child mortality drops to historic lows

The number of children who die before their fifth birthday fell below 10-million in 2006, but much more still needed to be done, said a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) released on Monday. The Unicef report attributed the progress in children’s mortality rates largely to improvements in healthcare.

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/ 10 December 2007

De Beers’s R1bn sale of mine moves forward

De Beers Consolidated Mines’s R1-billion sale of its Cullinan diamond mine in Pretoria to the Petra Diamonds Cullinan Consortium has taken an important step forward with Monday’s announcement that the Department of Minerals and Energy has agreed to convert the old-order mining right held by De Beers into a new-order mining right.

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/ 10 December 2007

Oprah brings star quality to Obama’s camp

It was, if you stopped to think about it, a rather incredible event. A woman born in Mississippi to a poor, unmarried mother who rose to huge fame and fortune, standing on stage beside a fellow African-American who was largely unknown a year ago but is now vying to become the 44th president of the United States.

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/ 10 December 2007

Serbs prepare for Kosovo showdown

Kosovo is again the front line in a showdown between Serbs and ethnic Albanians and in a wider dispute between Russia and the West. Mediators are to tell Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary General, on Monday that they have failed to forge a deal between Serbian leaders and Kosovan Albanians over the fate of the province.

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/ 10 December 2007

Explosive Selebi allegations revealed

Startling revelations of allegations forming the basis of the Scorpions’ case against, among other people, police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi have come to light in a lengthy document acquired by Beeld newspaper. The 141-page document was compiled from sworn statements handed to the Scorpions.

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/ 10 December 2007

Media24 shuts down two magazines

Magazine publishing giant Media24 has shut down two of its magazines that, three months ago, were caught up in a massive sales-figures scam, media reports said on Monday. It has closed down InStyle SA and the Wisden Cricketer because ”the magazines were no longer considered to be commercially viable”.

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/ 10 December 2007

Pre-poll mayhem takes hold in Kenya

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Sunday appealed for calm as pre-election mayhem that has killed dozens gripped the country ahead of elections later this month. At least 16 people were killed, dozens of huts razed and 16 000 people displaced in the Molo district, about 170km north-west of Nairobi, police said.