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/ 14 December 2005
Two houses were set on fire on Wednesday during protests in Khutsong outside Carletonville as thousands of residents protested the proposed incorporation of Merafong municipality into North West from Gauteng. They took to the streets in a mobilisation march after a clash with the police.
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/ 14 December 2005
Christine Ramon has resigned from her position as chief executive of gaming and entertainment group Johnnic Holdings Limited. "It is with great sadness that I have taken this decision, but with the change in effective control of Johnnic, I believe it is appropriate," she said.
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/ 14 December 2005
Iran’s firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh attack against Israel on Wednesday, dismissing the Holocaust as a ”myth” and saying the Jewish state should be moved as far away as Alaska. The outspoken president also vowed Iran will not compromise ”one iota” on its nuclear programme.
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/ 14 December 2005
South Africa once again extended the deadline for Jacques Kallis to prove his fitness for the opening Test against Australia starting on Friday, even though the brilliant all-rounder couldn’t lift a bat during a net session in Perth on Wednesday. Veteran fast-bowler Shaun Pollock said the team will adapt if Kallis is unavailable.
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/ 14 December 2005
A Cape Town regional magistrate on Wednesday rejected a bid by former Western Cape premier Peter Marais and co-accused David Malatsi for their discharge on two counts of corruption totalling R400 000. Magistrate Andre le Grange did, however, discharge Malatsi on a third corruption count that he alone faced.
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/ 14 December 2005
The National Council of Provinces gave the final green light to controversial legislation doing away with cross-boundary municipalities on Wednesday. The changes have sparked vehement protests, particularly in Khutsong — a part of Merafong municipality — where residents have been staging violent protests.
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/ 14 December 2005
A British man who is fed up with hearing <i>Jingle Bells</i> in October has launched a bitter one-man war on Christmas overkill, sparking a counter-attack that he is behaving like Scrooge. He has created a website aimed at getting Britain to tone down the annual extravaganza of decorations and tired Yuletide songs.
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/ 14 December 2005
Piracy is a hot topic at this week’s World Trade Organisation summit in Hong Kong — so hot that the city’s notoriously vibrant pirate DVD businesses have decided to shut up shop during the talks. The huge security crackdown surrounding the six-day talks was blamed for driving out the pirates.
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/ 14 December 2005
The pen probably isn’t mightier than the sword — and sometimes it runs out of ink as well. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi got a helping hand on Wednesday from an unlikely source, rival Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, when his pen didn’t work as the two leaders signed the inaugural declaration of the East Asia Summit.
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/ 14 December 2005
Africa’s fabled grasslands could vanish due to climate change, causing huge changes to both the economy and the ecology of much of the continent, say researchers on the Science and Development Network website, <i>SciDev.Net</i>. Savannahs are both economically important and ecologically unique.