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/ 7 December 2006
British police said on Wednesday they were now treating the death of poisoned former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko as murder, raising the stakes in an investigation that has extended from London to Moscow. Litvinenko, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, began complaining of feeling ill on November 1.
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/ 7 December 2006
United States ambassador John Bolton, whose temporary appointment ends shortly, was back at the United Nations on Tuesday, his wit and prickly relationship with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan intact. Just hours after he made clear he would not seek a renewal on Monday, Bolton and his wife Gretchen attended a White House dinner in honor of Annan.
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/ 7 December 2006
Manchester United could be nine points clear at the top of the Premier League by the time champions Chelsea host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. United should continue more than 30 years of Old Trafford domination against Manchester City in Saturday’s lunchtime derby, leaving the stage clear for the two London clubs to renew their fractious rivalry.
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/ 7 December 2006
The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday endorsed African peacekeepers to help prop up the interim government in chaotic Somalia but also urged the authorities to pursue peace talks with their Islamist rivals. A resolution adopted by the 15-nation council said Somalia’s transitional federal government offered ”the only route to achieving peace and stability”.
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/ 7 December 2006
Alex Ferguson thanked Benfica goalscorer Nelson for bringing his Manchester United side to life in their 3-1 Champions League victory on Wednesday. Ferguson’s men trailed to Nelson’s superb 27th-minute strike before hitting back with Nemanja Vidic’s equaliser just before halftime and second-half goals from Ryan Giggs and French striker Louis Saha to reach the knockout phase.
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/ 7 December 2006
A parade of prostitutes by police aimed at naming and shaming sex workers in southern China has sparked a backlash by an unusual coalition of lawyers, academics and the All-China Women’s Federation. Public security officers hauled about 100 women and some of their male customers through the streets on November 29.
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/ 7 December 2006
Draft legislation aimed at regulating the sale of coastal land has been approved by the Cabinet, and is now set to be published for public comment. Briefing the media on Thursday, government communications head Themba Maseko said the Cabinet was worried about the proliferation of housing estates along South Africa’s coast that limited public access to the sea.
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/ 7 December 2006
The United Nations Security Council congratulated Joseph Kabila on Tuesday on his election to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) presidency but expressed ”serious concern” over fighting by a renegade force in the lawless east of the country.
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/ 7 December 2006
South Africa’s economic confidence rebounded in November on forecasts of a firmer rand currency and faster economic growth. A survey of 14 economists released on Thursday showed the Reuters econometer, a confidence measure of six weighted indicators, rose to 249,9 in November from 245,99 in October.
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/ 7 December 2006
A South African couple who emigrated to New Zealand 10 years ago were robbed within 18 hours of arriving back for their first holiday here since leaving, News24 reported on Thursday. Ruti and Naomi van der Merwe were asleep at the Cape Town home of friends when thieves made off with their travel documents, a new laptop, a camera and more than R1 000 in cash.