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/ 9 July 2007

Argentina’s first lady eyes presidency

President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina will not seek a second consecutive term in office in order to let his wife, Cristina, run as the ruling party’s candidate in an election later this year, it was announced this week. Cristina Kirchner (54), a senator and veteran politician, is favoured to win the October poll and become one of the most powerful women in Latin America.

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/ 9 July 2007

Do we really want to forget?

You cannot change your past, but what if you could alter the way you remember it? What if you could even delete some memories entirely? Many people who have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder seek psychological help to do just that. In North America, scientists are going further, looking for ways to alter memories neurochemically.

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/ 9 July 2007

A government on its way out – Moyo

In most supermarkets in the sprawling township of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, empty shelves and butcheries with no meat in the cold rooms tell of a desperate reality. Even chickens are hard to come by. The government’s crack price monitoring teams will soon have no jobs, because “there will be nothing to monitor as all commodities have disappeared from shelves”, says Mercy Tiripo (32) of Mabvuku township, about 20km east of Harare.

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/ 9 July 2007

The richer they come …

Recently Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Putin’s most implacable enemy, goes on trial in Russia for corruption, accused of stealing millions of dollars from Russia’s state airline, Aeroflot. If convicted, the former mathematics professor faces 10 years in jail. But he was not in court to face his accusers, and will not be there to hear the verdict weeks from now.

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/ 8 July 2007

Xstrata has a mining licence

In the article "Landowners haul miners over the coals" (22 June) Mr Koos Pretorius is quoted as saying that the Department of Water Affairs ordered Xstrata’s Onverdacht Colliery to stop operating as it did not have the necessary permits or a water license. This statement is factually incorrect. Xstrata has a valid mining licence for its mining activities at Onverdacht Colliery.

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/ 8 July 2007

A bump on the road to Polokwane

Last week’s ANC policy conference brought to mind a traditional proclamation: The king is dead. Long live the king! However one interprets the minutiae of ANC pronouncements on the next leadership selection, three things can be said. First, Thabo Mbeki will not be South Africa’s president come 2009; second, the internecine war for the presidency of the ANC will continue right up to the last moment.

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/ 8 July 2007

Raikkonen wins British Grand Prix ‘at last’

Kimi Raikkonen confirmed his and Ferrari’s return to form with a dazzling triumph in Sunday’s British Grand Prix as home hero Lewis Hamilton struggled home third. The 27-year-old Finn took full advantage of Ferrari’s excellent strategy and tyre problems that slowed both Hamilton and his McLaren Mercedes-Benz teammate and defending champion Fernando Alonso.

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/ 8 July 2007

Plan to peg Zim dollar to the rand

A plan to rescue Zimbabwe’s flailing economy by pegging the Zimbabwe dollar to the South African rand is being put together by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). SADC’s Zimbabwe rescue package would see the Reserve Banks of South Africa and Botswana pump money into the Reserve Bank in Harare.

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/ 8 July 2007

Federer beats Nadal to equal Borg record

Roger Federer emulated the legendary Bjorn Borg when he captured his fifth successive Wimbledon title with a 7-6 (9/7), 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-2 win over Rafael Nadal in a thrilling final on Sunday. It was Federer’s 11th career Grand Slam title, taking him within three of Pete Sampras’s record of 14 and his 54th consecutive grasscourt win.