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/ 8 November 2004

Gibson Kente dead at 72

Famous South African playwright Gibson Kente, who told the world he had HIV/Aids in early 2003, died at his Soweto home on Sunday, a close relative confirmed. Kente’s cousin, Nomathemba Kela, said that the playwright, called a ”living treasure” by the National Arts Council, died in his sleep at about 2.30am.

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/ 8 November 2004

Palazzolo: Stressed police officer unfit to testify

Stressed former police officer Abraham Smith is unfit to give evidence at the Palazzolo inquiry, a clinical psychologist said on Monday. Psychologist Petrus Roux was called to testify at the hearing in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court after Smith broke down in the stand last week and was admitted to a clinic.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?cg=BreakingNews-National&ao=125069">Italian judge criticises SA magistrate</a>

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/ 8 November 2004

Sappi declares higher earnings

South African global pulp and paper producer Sappi on Monday reported headline earnings per share of 26 United States cents for the quarter ended September 30, from 18 cents in the June quarter. This brought headline earnings per share for the year ended September 30 to 45 US cents.

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/ 8 November 2004

JSE off early highs despite rand

After starting higher, the JSE Securities Exchange was lower on Monday morning as investors took profits from the exchange’s strong recent run. However, with the rand weaker, the JSE is likely to move higher later in the morning. At 9.19am, the all share index was down 0,07% and the industrial index lost 0,19%. Resources gained 0,14%, while the gold mining index was up 2,41%.

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/ 8 November 2004

Schoolboy sues mom for not buying him a computer

An 11-year-old boy in central China took his mother to court for breaking a promise to buy him a computer if he did well at school, a news report said on Monday. The woman had told her son she would buy him a computer if he scored average marks of more than 94% for his school work, the Hong Kong edition of the China Daily reported.

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/ 8 November 2004

Suicide after US poll

A man, apparently distraught at the outcome of last week’s United States presidential election, climbed into the pit marking the spot in New York where the twin towers once stood, and shot himself, authorities said at the weekend. The body of Andrew Veal (25) of Athens, Georgia, was discovered in the restricted area around the wreckage of the World Trade Centre on Friday night with a shotgun and a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey by his side.

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/ 8 November 2004

Leaders’ visit adds to Arafat confusion

The Palestinian leadership is to travel to Paris on Monday to visit Yasser Arafat, who is gravely ill and possibly on life support, in a French military hospital. Officials said the Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurei, the acting head of the main Palestinian political organisations, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Foreign Minister, Nabil Shaath, were to consult with doctors at the Percy military hospital, where Arafat remains in intensive care amid conflicting reports about his health.

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/ 8 November 2004

Left-wing looters raid shops

A group of 200 left-wing protesters wearing balaclavas, carnival masks and bandanas over their faces, went on a ”proletariat shopping spree” in a Rome hypermarket at the weekend, carrying off goods and handing them out. They swarmed into the Panorama hypermarket on the outskirts of the Italian capital on Saturday shouting ”free shopping for all”.