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/ 3 December 2007
More than 400 Palestinian prisoners came home to a heroes’ welcome on Monday after the latest Israeli release aimed at boosting President Mahmoud Abbas during the revived peace process. Thousands of singing and dancing well-wishers waving Palestinian flags gathered to greet the buses filled with the smiling ex-detainees.
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/ 3 December 2007
The introduction of prepaid water meters in Phiri, Soweto, was unlawful and violated the residents’ constitutional right to equality, the Johannesburg High Court heard on Monday. Court 6F was filled with members of the Inner-City Resource Centre and the Coalition against Water Privatisation — all in support of the Phiri residents.
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/ 3 December 2007
Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, wary of the repercussions of Iran’s nuclear programme, opened a two-day summit on Monday at which they were joined by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He was the first Iranian president to attend the gathering of the neighbouring bloc of wealthy Gulf Arab oil producers.
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/ 3 December 2007
Pakistani authorities on Monday banned former premier Nawaz Sharif from standing in next month’s general election, further damaging the credibility of a vote that the opposition may yet boycott. The ruling came as Sharif prepared to hold crunch talks with fellow opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
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/ 3 December 2007
South African President Thabo Mbeki and his arch-rival, Jacob Zuma, have both officially confirmed they are candidates for party chief of the African National Congress (ANC), their offices said Monday. ”Mr Jacob Zuma signed the ANC nomination form over the weekend in London,” Zuma’s spokesperson, Ranjeni Munusamy, said.
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/ 3 December 2007
Thieves who stole 16 metric tonnes of ham and bacon from a warehouse in Australia left behind a message taunting the business just weeks before the holiday season. ”Thanks … Merry Christmas,” the crooks daubed on a wall of the Zammit Ham and Bacon Curers warehouse in suburban Sydney as they made off with their haul.
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/ 3 December 2007
The press council, the press ombudsman and the press appeals panel on Monday jointly announced the publication of the South African Press Code booklet. The booklet is intended ”for use by journalists and the public in pursuit of excellence in journalism”.
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/ 3 December 2007
The man accused of taking five people hostage at a Hillary Clinton campaign office in the United States desperately wanted help with a drinking problem, but lacked insurance and money to pay for it, his family said on Monday. ”It was an act of desperation to try and get help,” said his stepson.
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/ 3 December 2007
Drivers in much of the American Northeast navigated a treacherous mix of rain, sleet and snow on Monday as a storm blamed for at least 11 deaths blanketed the region after glazing roads in the Midwest. Schools cancelled or delayed classes from New York to Maine as highways turned slippery and wind gusted to 64km/h.
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/ 3 December 2007
Ali al-Nuaimi, the Oil Minister of Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) kingpin Saudi Arabia, said on Monday that it was premature to talk about a possible increase in crude production by the cartel. "Right now it will be very premature to tell you what the assessment is" of oil data, he said.