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/ 15 October 2007
De Beers group managing director Gareth Penny on Monday called on diamond traders in Europe, the United States and Israel to back Africa’s efforts to cut and polish its own gemstones. The head of the South African miner — which controls 40% of the world’s diamond trade –it w said as not altruism to stabilise the diamond business by creating jobs in African democracies.
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/ 15 October 2007
Victims who filed suit for $400-billion against United States businesses allegedly complicit with the former South African apartheid regime have found new hope following a federal court ruling in the US. "The appeal court decision is a major victory," said Michael Hausfeld, a lawyer for the victims on the heels of Friday’s decision by a Manhattan federal court.
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/ 15 October 2007
Police dispersed a group of Zimbabwean asylum seekers outside the Department of Home Affairs refugee offices in Cape Town on Monday. The group of about 100 Zimbabweans were protesting against the department’s reluctance to issue them with refugee-status documents.
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/ 15 October 2007
The European Union should tell British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to ”shut up” on democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe ahead of an Africa-EU summit in December, Zimbabwe’s information minister said on Monday. Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said that Brown had no right to lecture Zimbabwe when he himself was ”running away” with power.
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/ 15 October 2007
Investigations into fraud, corruption and maladministration in South Africa’s social-grant system have saved the government about R7,7-billion since inception, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said on Monday. ”There has been a dramatic turnaround in the social-grant system,” Skweyiya said.
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/ 15 October 2007
The new National Lottery operator, Gidani, has recorded eight million ticket transactions despite all the hiccups that saw the game suspended for more than seven months. "This was clearly a sterling performance," Gidani’s public affairs corporate executive Thembi Tulwana said Monday.
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/ 15 October 2007
The Congress of South African Students on Monday expressed shock at African National Congress chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota’s stance against singing liberation songs outside court buildings during criminal cases. The student body was also disturbed at Lekota’s view on the wearing of T-shirts bearing certain political slogans.
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/ 15 October 2007
Winger Josh Lewsey has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup final with a hamstring tear, England officials said on Monday. Lewsey, who played in the 2003 final victory over Australia, was forced off with the injury near the end of the first half of Saturday’s 14-9 semifinal win over France.
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/ 15 October 2007
Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been invited to attend next weekend’s World Cup final between the Springboks and England. South Africa coach Jake White said the current president Thabo Mbeki had already confirmed he would attend the match and there was a chance Mandela might also come to Paris if he was healthy enough to make the trip.
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/ 15 October 2007
Northern Rock’s bosses face their toughest grilling since the British bank was engulfed in a funding crisis a month ago when lawmakers quiz them on Tuesday on their strategy and assessment of risk. Northern Rock CEO Adam Applegarth faces a Treasury Committee panel that last month accused the Bank of England of being asleep at the wheel during the crisis.