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/ 22 October 2007

Seeking closer ties

The new geography of trade is the basis for the cooperation between India, Brazil and South Africa, says the Brazilian ambassador, Lucio Pires de Amorim. ”The similarities between the three countries make it mutually beneficial for them to work with one another on key areas that include trade and development. They are three countries with large populations.”

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/ 22 October 2007

Never had it so good?

President Hu Jintao on Tuesday spoke like Harold Macmillan, the British prime minister of the 1950s, who famously told his people that they had never had it so good. Under Hu’s leadership in the past five years, he said, ”China’s overall strength grew considerably and people enjoyed more tangible benefits. China’s international standing and influence rose notably.”

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/ 22 October 2007

Rating the impact of Aids

The measure of devastation wrought by HIV/Aids may be impossible to quantify in human and financial terms but, using tools such as the Household Vulnerability Index, it is possible to begin measuring the effects of the epidemic on households and communities.

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/ 21 October 2007

At Wits, nostalgia and amnesia

Indeed, ”varsities are not islands of privilege” as Wits University vice-chancellor Loyiso Nongxa tells us (October 12). However, the ”success stories” of both Wits and the professor himself have prominently proved the contrary. This does not cease to amuse those who have been closely observing the university’s desperate search for vindication where there is none to be found, writes Motsoakgomo Nkoli.

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/ 21 October 2007

… and another one for nose studs

Several weeks ago the Constitutional Court ruled in a landmark case on religious and cultural expression in public schools. In 2004, Sunali Pillay, then a learner at Durban Girls’ High School, pierced her nose and inserted a small gold stud. The school objected to the stud on the basis that it contravened the school’s code of conduct.

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/ 21 October 2007

Raikkonen storms to F1 title

Kimi Raikkonen seized his first Formula One title by a single point after a stirring victory in Brazil that shattered Lewis Hamilton’s dreams. The Finn’s unexpected title triumph, leading Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa in a one-two finish, ended Briton Hamilton’s bid to become the youngest champion in his debut season.

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/ 21 October 2007

US forces kill 49 in Baghdad Shi’ite stronghold

United States forces killed 49 ”criminals” in fierce fighting with militants in Baghdad’s Shi’ite stronghold of Sadr City on Sunday during a raid targeting an Iranian-linked insurgent. Medics at four hospitals confirmed 17 dead, including a boy and a girl, but US military spokesperson Major Winfield Danielson said there were no civilian casualties and no reports of American losses.

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/ 21 October 2007

DRC army warns militia to disarm, thousands flee

Democratic Republic of Congo’s army on Sunday gave pro-government militia fighters 48 hours to disarm or face military action as thousands more people fled renewed fighting in the eastern province of North Kivu. Explosions and gunfire rang out before dawn in the hills around Rugari, a town of tin-roofed houses near the Rwandan and Ugandan borders.