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/ 4 September 2007
South African banking group FirstRand plans to reduce its stake in health insurer Discovery Holdings, giving its shareholders a direct stake in the company, it said on Tuesday. The unbundling, for which FirstRand will seek shareholder approval, will improve Discovery shares’ liquidity on the Johannesburg bourse.
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/ 4 September 2007
South African international midfielder Gift Leremi (22) was killed after he lost control of his car and was flung out of his vehicle, Ekhuruleni Metro police said on Tuesday. Spokesperson Inspector Jimmy Maboko said Leremi was driving his BMW along the R556, between Vaal Road and Brackendowns, Alberton, at 9pm on Monday, when he lost control.
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/ 4 September 2007
Gaz de France and Suez on Monday agreed to create the world’s third-largest listed power and gas company after President Nicolas Sarkozy stepped in to prevent the 18-month old deal from collapsing. The politically charged ”merger of equals”, delayed by disputes over valuation and control, will be on the basis of 21 Gaz de France shares for 22 Suez shares.
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/ 4 September 2007
Stinky tofu, a south China delicacy loved by some and detested by others, finally wore out its welcome in one Taiwan neighbourhood. Environmental authorities got the high court’s permission on Monday to fine a suburban Taipei restaurant for exceeding the stench limit by three times, a county official said on Tuesday.
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/ 4 September 2007
United States President George Bush paid a surprise visit to a US military base in Iraq on Monday, in a piece of stagecraft intended to bolster support in Congress for the administration’s war strategy, only days before a crucial report on the success of the American troop ”surge”.
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/ 4 September 2007
Justine Henin and Serena Williams will square up in a battle of former champions at the US Open on Tuesday, while Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic headline the action in the men’s event. ”I’m going in feeling like I don’t have anything to lose,” said eighth seed Williams, who won her eighth grand slam title at the Australian Open in January.
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/ 4 September 2007
The Gauteng branch of the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) will go to the police to find out whether Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya applied for amnesty over political activities during apartheid, the organisation said on Monday. Earlier this month, Sanco asked the National Prosecuting Authority whether Makhanya had applied for amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
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/ 4 September 2007
The opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) appeared to win power in a cliffhanger election on Monday but the ruling party, facing the end of an 18-year reign, served notice it would likely challenge the result. Election officials said the JLP won 31 of the 60 seats in Parliament in a preliminary vote count.
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/ 4 September 2007
Tens of thousands of people hunkered in storm shelters on Tuesday as Hurricane Felix roared toward Central America, but transport shortages left many facing the storm’s whipping winds and rain in their homes. The category-four hurricane, due to make landfall around mid-morning, charged toward Honduras and Nicaragua with top sustained winds of 215km/h.
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/ 4 September 2007
Peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur’s rebel groups could begin next month, according to senior United Nations officials. The UN Security Council agreed in July almost to triple the number of foreign troops and police in Darfur with the aim of protecting the millions of displaced people.