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/ 5 September 2007

Blanchett’s take on Dylan has critics raving

With hair teased into the familiar bird’s nest of frizz, Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of Bob Dylan is already being tipped for Oscar success. Yet as Todd Haynes’s surreal biopic I’m Not There was premiered at the Venice film festival on Tuesday, the director revealed that the Australian actor’s decision to take on the role had been far from instant.

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/ 5 September 2007

Boks take the pressure off Proteas

South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock believes the start of the Rugby World Cup in France on Friday has taken some of the pressure off the cricket team ahead of the ICC Twenty20 tournament. ”We’re a sports mad country, but I think a lot of the expectations are focussed on the Springboks,” Pollock said at a press conference on Wednesday.

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/ 5 September 2007

Mandela, Chirac discuss charity work

Former French president Jacques Chirac on Wednesday discussed his plans to set up a foundation with Nelson Mandela, who is on a private visit to France to raise funds for his charity institutes. Chirac is, in the coming months, to launch a foundation devoted to the environment and promoting understanding among cultures.

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/ 5 September 2007

DA loses Morkel, Brynard to ANC

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape suffered a further blow on Wednesday with the defection of two of its senior MPLs to the African National Congress (ANC). The defecting members are DA provincial chairperson Kent Morkel and Kobus Brynard, who is a member of the provincial executive.

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/ 5 September 2007

Court finds Staggie not guilty

Reformed Hard Livings gang leader Rashied Staggie was on Wednesday found not guilty of the revenge murder of taxi driver Mogamat Ryklief. Staggie appeared in the Cape High Court before Judge Nathan Erasmus, who labelled the only state witness, Donavan Richards, as a ”good liar who manipulated words to suit himself”.

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/ 5 September 2007

Suspect linked to nine ATM bombings

South Africa’s most wanted ATM suspect has been linked to nine ATM bombings across the country so far, police said on Wednesday. Police spokesperson Captain Thulani Zwane said he had been linked to nine bombings in areas including Vereeniging and Soweto in Gauteng and northern KwaZulu-Natal.

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/ 5 September 2007

Casio tailors digital cameras for YouTube

Japanese electronics maker Casio said on Wednesday it will launch a series of digital cameras specially designed for YouTube, the blockbuster video-sharing website. The new Exilim series has four models, all installed with a function to shoot and save videos in the best form to upload on YouTube, the company said.

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/ 5 September 2007

Rafsanjani election ups political stakes in Iran

One of Iran’s most illustrious politicians, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, dramatically increased his influence on Tuesday by winning control of a powerful clerical body in a development that could change the course of the country’s leadership. Rafsanjani was elected head of the experts’ assembly after overcoming a determined right-wing effort to block him.