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/ 16 October 2007

A tale of two writers

William Gumede and Ronald Suresh Roberts, who have both written books on President Thabo Mbeki, were given the same brief – to explore where the president’s relationship with the media went wrong. Here are their different takes on the issue. Their articles were written independently from each other.

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/ 16 October 2007

A return to the old ways

Conservation experts are to reverse five centuries of British history and deliberately allow rising sea levels to flood a huge stretch of reclaimed Essex coastline. In the most ambitious and expensive project of its type, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) intends to puncture sea defences around Wallasea island, near Southend in southern England.

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/ 16 October 2007

Elephants wary of buzzing bees

It might seem the epitome of a David versus Goliath mismatch — up to 12 tonnes of heavily armoured mammal flesh versus a few hundred milligrams of irritating insect — but despite their thick skins and size advantage, elephants turn tail and flee at the sound of a swarm of bees, according to research in Kenya.

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/ 16 October 2007

The media interview

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa has announced five new pay-TV channels – e.SAT, MultiChoice Africa, On Digital Media (ODM), Telkom Media and Walking on Water. The Media will speak to each of these players before they take to air. In the first instalment, ODM director Vino Govender talks about the new channel’s plans to cash in on an untapped market.

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/ 16 October 2007

Will the UN occupy Darfur?

Significant changes are currently taking place on the ground in Darfur. The peacekeeping forces of the African Union (AU) are being replaced by a hybrid AU-UN force under overall UN control. The assumption is that the change will be for the better, but this is questionable. The balance between the military and political dimensions of peacekeeping is crucial.