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/ 15 September 2007
A Chinese journalist jailed while working for the New York Times was released on Saturday, ending a controversial prison term that highlighted the country’s tough media controls. Zhao Yan, looking noticeably thinner, was greeted by a small group of family and friends, including his daughter and sister, when he emerged from prison.
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/ 15 September 2007
Shanghai, a city which Taiwan has threatened to bombard in the event of conflict, held a major air raid drill on Saturday, a sign that China still views war as possible with the self-ruled island it claims as its own. The drill was scheduled for the same day as a rally in Taiwan where the ruling party aimed to mobilise one million people to support Taiwan’s bid for United Nations membership.
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/ 15 September 2007
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South Africa coach Jake White said his team played one of the best matches of his tenure to crush England 36-0 in their World Cup Pool A match on Friday. He added that one of the most pleasing aspects of their victory was that the world champions had few chances to score.
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/ 15 September 2007
Doug Taggart was determined to make the most of his last day of flying on Friday. He was up in the air by 6.30am and would not be back home until 7pm. That would give him up to seven hours solid searching for the man whom he had met once at a hot-air balloon festival in Albuquerque and for whom he had the ”greatest admiration”.
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/ 15 September 2007
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on Friday paid tribute to former president Nelson Mandela and the late Steve Biko at a South African Medical Association award ceremony. Tshabalala-Msimang said Mandela highlighted the importance of access to basic services such as water, food, housing and sanitation in determining the health status of a population.
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/ 15 September 2007
The South African Presidency on Friday rejected as untrue reports that the government had been secretly working to remove Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe from power. The Presidency said in a statement it wished to ”caution the media from falling victim of those who … peddle untruths which may impact negatively on the ongoing process of dialogue”.
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/ 15 September 2007
Worried customers were expected to keep withdrawing savings en masse on Saturday from embattled British bank Northern Rock after the Bank of England bailed out the lender. Customers formed lengthy queues outside branches on Friday after Britain’s fifth-biggest home-loan provider said it was facing severe difficulties raising cash to cover its liabilities.
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/ 15 September 2007
The head of an al-Qaeda-led group in Iraq offered 000 for the killing of Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks over his drawing depicting the Prophet Muhammad. ”From now on we announce the call to shed the blood of the Lars who dared to insult our Prophet,” said Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, in an audiotape posted on a website on Saturday.
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/ 14 September 2007
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South Africa humiliated world champions England in Paris on Friday as they inflicted a record World Cup defeat on them winning 36-0 to avenge their 2003 World Cup loss to the English. Two tries to JP Pietersen (taking his total to three), one from Juan Smith and 18 points from Percy Montgomery handed England defeat.
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/ 14 September 2007
The last day of testimony in the case of former spy boss Billy Masetlha in Pretoria on Friday ended with the defence applying to recall some of the witnesses who have already testified. Masetlha is charged with withholding information from Inspector General of Intelligence Zolile Ngcakani.