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/ 1 November 2007

Govt to pump R100-million into fish farms

The government is to invest R100-million next year in six marine fish-farming projects, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk announced on Thursday. ”There are huge opportunities in marine aquaculture, which will not only reduce the pressure on wild stocks, but provide new economic opportunities,” he said.

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/ 1 November 2007

Mickelson, KJ Choi in the hunt at Singapore Open

Phil Mickelson made a smooth transition to the rigours of Asian golf on Thursday to lurk two off the pace alongside KJ Choi after the opening round of the Barclays Singapore Open. The world number two, in a rare outing to the region, fired five birdies in his three-under-par 68 to remain in touch with a trio of overnight leaders.

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/ 1 November 2007

Africa rallies to Mugabe over summit

A failed British bid to exclude Robert Mugabe from an upcoming European summit played straight into the hands of the Zimbabwean president, who gained instinctive support from his African peers, analysts said. Portugal said on Wednesday that invitations would be issued to all African states who would be free to decide themselves on the composition of their delegation.

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/ 1 November 2007

More cops not the answer to crime, seminar hears

Tackling crime required community involvement and could not merely be solved with more police officers, a seminar on policing in Pretoria heard on Thursday. ”Because crime is a social problem, [there] has to be a social solution, involving more players than just the police,” Temba Mathe of the National Secretariat for Safety and Security said.

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/ 1 November 2007

Mogadishu violence displaces 88 000 people

Three days of fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, displaced 88 000 people from their homes, adding to hundreds of thousands who fled violence earlier this year, the United Nations said on Thursday. In an unprecedented statement, 39 aid agencies also said they could not respond effectively to Somalia’s unfolding ”humanitarian catastrophe” due to insecurity.

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/ 1 November 2007

PMI jumps to 56,1 as new sales rise

South Africa’s purchasing managers index (PMI) rebounded sharply to 56,1 in October, as robust demand pushed new sales orders up, sponsor Investec said on Thursday. The index, which measures underlying manufacturing activity, leapt from a near two-year low of 51,6 in September and snapped a two-month decline.

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/ 1 November 2007

Rice tries to close gap in Israeli-Palestinian talks

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets Israeli and Palestinian leaders this weekend to craft a joint document ahead of a peace conference but she has intentionally set expectations low. US officials expect Rice’s visit will result in a document filled with principles to kick off negotiations on a Palestinian state.

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/ 1 November 2007

Hollywood studios, writers hit stalemate in talks

With hours to go before their contract was set to expire, Hollywood screenwriters and studios deadlocked on Wednesday in talks aimed at averting the first major strike against the film and TV industry in 20 years. It was unclear what would happen next, but leaders of the Writers Guild of America have ruled out declaring an immediate walkout.

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/ 1 November 2007

Japan pulls out of Afghanistan coalition

Japan ordered its naval ships on Thursday to withdraw from a refuelling mission in support of United States-led operations in Afghanistan as a political deadlock kept the government from meeting a deadline to extend the activities. The Pentagon said that Japan’s withdrawal would not affect its patrolling of the Indian Ocean.