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/ 13 January 2006

Net closes on African buccaneer

A dispute between business partners has exposed the continued involvement of fugitive business person Billy Rautenbach in the massive exploitation of mineral resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Rautenbach, who currently lives in Zimbabwe and the DRC, left South Africa in about October 2000 when a warrant for his arrest was issued on charges of fraud, theft and corruption.

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/ 13 January 2006

Prepare to repel boarders

The little Dutch family was translucently white where it stood gazing out to sea from the Promenade. They had swaddled themselves in linen to look like albino Touareg nomads, and submerged the child in the pram in some sort of heliocidal balm, but still they squirmed under the African sun.

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/ 13 January 2006

Gold Fields backed to control Bolivar Gold

World number-four gold miner Gold Fields on Thursday received sufficient backing from the security holders of Toronto-listed Bolivar Gold to take control of the company, Gold Fields spokesperson Willie Jacobsz said. Bolivar shareholders holding 76% of the company’s shares voted in favour of Gold Fields’ offer.

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/ 13 January 2006

Gold price expected to keep rising

The gold bull trend experienced last year is expected to remain intact throughout 2006, with the metal forecast to average $544 a troy ounce and to trade in a range between $490/oz and $620/oz in 2006, Switzerland-based MKS Finance senior vice-president Frederic Panizzutti said on Friday.

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/ 13 January 2006

US man jailed on assault charge after shaking hands

A man has been jailed on assault charges after a prosecutor, police officer and courtroom bailiff became seriously ill after shaking hands with him. During a December 21 court appearance on a traffic charge, John Ridgeway pulled out a vial of an unknown liquid, rubbed his hands with the contents and insisted on shaking hands with the three people, authorities said.

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/ 13 January 2006

Dangerous Liaisons down under

In the usual course of a day, there is very little about Graeme Smith to remind one of Uma Thurman or Michelle Pfeiffer. Smith is somewhat taller than both women, and is no doubt much more comfortable against short-pitched fast bowling. And yet this week the three seem indistinguishable.

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/ 13 January 2006

Cowboy country to miss out on Brokeback Mountain

It’s tipped for Oscar honours and stars one of the country’s biggest screen hunks — but gay western romance <i>Brokeback Mountain</i> is unlikely to be seen by those in Australia’s own "cowboy country". The film will not be shown in parts of north and central Queensland state when it opens later this month because it has "limited release" status.

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/ 13 January 2006

Time up for camera film? Nikon focuses on digital

Nikon, the iconic Japanese camera maker, has put another nail in the coffin of traditional photography with plans to stop selling most of its film models in favour of hot-selling digital cameras. Nikon said it will end production of all but two of its eight single-lens reflex analogue models and axe all of its non-digital compacts, signalling the end of its more than 50 year history of selling film cameras.

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/ 13 January 2006

You too can probe the mystery of the universe

Fed up with the daily grind? Eager for something different? A little glory, perhaps? Well, how about helping a quest to understand the life and death of stars? And how about the reward of making your name immortal? Scientists are looking for people with keen eyesight, lots of patience and spare time on their home computer to help them sift through the results from an extraordinary space mission.