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/ 21 September 2007
Commodity-rich African countries should act wisely in order to benefit from the prevailing global boom for the sector, because it will not last, South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has warned. Manuel said in a speech at the University of Namibia that the upswing in commodity prices would ”stay in the short-to-medium term”.
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/ 21 September 2007
Pakistan’s General Pervez Musharraf appointed a new military spy chief and made several other promotions on Friday, days after announcing his plan to step down as head of the army. Appointments are closely watched in Pakistan, as generals have ruled for more than half of the 60 years since the country was founded.
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/ 21 September 2007
Thailand is seeking to block clips on YouTube that accuse the chief royal adviser of masterminding last year’s bloodless coup. The government, which lifted a five-month ban on YouTube in August after it agreed to block clips deemed offensive to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was seeking a court order to block two video clips.
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/ 21 September 2007
Strong winds damaged a high-tech zeppelin that diamond giant De Beers was using to explore for diamonds in Botswana, the firm said on Friday. Gusting winds detached the airship from its moorings on Thursday near the huge Jwaneng mine and injured a South African crew member inside, a statement said.
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/ 21 September 2007
Former South African president Nelson Mandela is alive and well after comments on Iraq by United States President George Bush appear to have been misunderstood, the Nelson Mandela Foundation said on Friday. On Thursday Bush was quoted as saying: ”I heard somebody say, ‘Now where’s Mandela?’ Well, Mandela is dead. Because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.”
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/ 21 September 2007
A 13-year-old teenager and a 23-year-old man, described by police as the teenager’s friend, were arrested for armed robbery early on Friday, Captain Manyadza Ralidzhivha of Tembisa police said. The two accosted a 22-year-old woman on her way to work and robbed her of her cellphone at gunpoint.
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/ 21 September 2007
South African captain Graeme Smith dismissed renewed barbs of ”chokers” after his team crashed out of the Twenty20 World Championship, saying it was the tournament format that did them in.
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/ 21 September 2007
A sixth suspect wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of Mfundo Ntshangase, a pupil at King Edward VII School, was arrested on Thursday night, the South African Police Service (SAPS) reported on Friday. The suspect was arrested in Berea, Johannesburg, said SAPS spokesperson Director Govindsamy Mariemuthoo.
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/ 21 September 2007
Lawmakers in crime-ridden South Africa approved a Bill on Thursday making it harder for rapists to argue for reduced sentences. The Criminal Law Sentencing Amendment Bill bars judges and magistrates from considering a rape victim’s sexual history or an apparent lack of physical injury to justify lessening minimum jail terms.
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/ 21 September 2007
A request by the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for an official tour of Ground Zero while he is at the United Nations next week met a collective response that was classically New Yorker: Fuhgeddaboutit!