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In the auditorium of the Goethe Institut, Johannesburg, a movie is being shown, but it is running late. Moments before 9pm, the screen goes black and film fans are told they are welcome to borrow the film to watch the ending at home. It’s time for the Soccer World Cup, and the big screen comes alive again just in time for the German national anthem.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday urged rival factions to reach an agreement that would allow his people to break the international isolation that has gripped them since Hamas took office. Abbas said he was optimistic the various parties would reach an agreement on a statehood document during a new round of talks in Gaza.
Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change will be ”trashed” if it attempts to overthrow the government of President Robert Mugabe, a ruling party spokesperson was quoted as saying on Thursday. Nathan Shamuyarira accused the Brussels-based International Crisis Group of urging the opposition to organise a coup, said the official Herald newspaper.
Burundi’s last active rebel group shelled the capital, Bujumbura, overnight, injuring at least eight civilians, officials said on Thursday. This was the second such attack in less than a month. Both have occurred since the rebel group and the government began peace talks in Tanzania.
Striking security guards will bring business operations in Sandton to a standstill, the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) said on Thursday. ”They cannot be working and enjoying lunch while workers are hungry,” said union spokesperson Jackson Simon.
The British government said on Thursday that it was willing to jail former Liberian president Charles Taylor if he is convicted of war crimes. Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said that the decision, which breaks an impasse that has stalled Taylor’s trial, demonstrated ”through concrete action the United Kingdom’s commitment to international justice”.
Zimbabwean churches trying to address the worsening political and economic crises are being thrust into the unfamiliar role of political activism, and are perceived as split along party lines. Church groups perceived to support President Robert Mugabe and those who favour a faction of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change have been attacking each other.
The JSE was roaring ahead in noon trade on Thursday, benefiting from the three perks of stronger world markets, higher commodity prices and buying related to the futures close-out, which had just got underway, dealers said. Trade was brisk and about R5-billion worth of shares had already changed hands.
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Substitute Oliver Neuville scored a stoppage-time winner as host nation Germany moved to the brink of qualifying for the last 16 of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Poland on Wednesday. Germany had spurned countless chances, with their Polish-born strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski the main guilty parties.
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Thai police were on Thursday hunting for a gunman who shot dead two noisy World Cup fans at point-blank range after they ignored his request to be quiet, a police official said. The gunman was sitting next to 10 Thai football fans who watched Monday’s Italy-Ghana match on TV at a restaurant in the popular seaside resort of Pattaya, 70km south-east of Bangkok.