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/ 9 September 2005

State allowed to reopen Basson case

The state was given the go-ahead on Friday to reopen its prosecution of apartheid-era germ-warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson on six charges of conspiring to commit offences abroad. But the principle of double jeopardy — shielding a person from being tried on the same charge twice — might yet preclude a retrial.

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/ 9 September 2005

Islamic clerics dismiss Somali president as just a warlord

Islamic clerics in the Somali capital on Friday dismissed President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as another warlord and said they would not recognise him as the leader of the country’s transitional government in the shattered African nation. The Union of Islamic Courts blamed Yusuf for attempting to spark new fighting in Somalia by deploying hundreds of fighters allegedly trained and armed by Ethiopia in his base in Jowhar.

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/ 9 September 2005

Britain pushes for Turkey EU talks to go ahead

Britain and the United States pressed on Thursday for talks on the accession of Turkey to the European Union to begin as planned on October 3 in spite of increasing opposition from France and Cyprus. The intervention of the US will help persuade some of the waverers but could be counter-productive in France, which has emerged as one of Turkey’s main opponents.

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/ 9 September 2005

WFP sounds alarm over Mozambique famine

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday warned that hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in Mozambique will go hungry unless the international community steps into the funding void and helps tackle the agency’s dramatic shortfall. Southern Mozambique is particularly hard hit by the food shortages.

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/ 9 September 2005

Bargain-hunting lifts JSE

The JSE was firmer just before noon on Friday as players looked to pick up stock following Thursday’s pullback. The gains came on light volumes, however. By 11.55am, the all-share and all-share industrial indices added 0,52% and 0,54% respectively. Financials climbed 0,38% and the banks index gained 0,56%.

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/ 9 September 2005

Sports minister attends rugby crisis meeting

Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile and his deputy Gert Oosthuizen put in an unexpected appearance on Friday at the South African Rugby Union (Saru) president’s council meeting at the Johannesburg International airport. The meeting which was called to discuss the future of Saru president Brian van Rooyen.

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/ 9 September 2005

Constitutional Court to rule on Basson

Apartheid-era chemical and biological warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson is to know on Friday whether he will be re-tried for crimes he was acquitted of more than three years ago. The Constitutional Court is to pass judgement in an appeal bid by the state aimed at paving the way for Basson’s re-prosecution.