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/ 21 November 2006

Zimbabwe sees kindred spirit in Iran

Iran and Zimbabwe ”think alike” and ”should fight against Western superpowers and their evil systems”, President Robert Mugabe was quoted as saying on Tuesday. The Zimbabwean leader said his country and Iran had to come together and work out ”mechanisms for defending ourselves”, according to Zimbabwe’s state-controlled Herald newspaper.

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/ 21 November 2006

Sanef: Squires misquote ‘regrettable’

The frequent and widespread misquoting of Schabir Shaik trial Judge Hilary Squires was ”a most regrettable error”, the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) said on Tuesday. ”Sanef was of the view, however, that the error was not deliberate and did not indicate any pervasive lack of professionalism,” it said in a statement on Monday.

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/ 21 November 2006

Pandor warns against violence, drugs in schools

If violence, abuse and drug use are allowed to become a familiar and accepted part of schooling, the future is lost, Education Minister Naledi Pandor said on Tuesday. She was speaking at a school-safety colloquium in Pretoria. ”All of us must act and act in unison to indicate that these objectionable forms of conduct have no place in education,” Pandor said.

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/ 21 November 2006

Rome airport reopens after bomb threat

Rome’s second-largest airport, Ciampino, briefly closed early on Tuesday following an anonymous telephone call claiming that a bomb was on board a cargo plane, airport officials said. Inspections of aircraft found no evidence of a bomb and Ciampino was reopened about an hour later, officials said. Six flights had been rerouted east to the city of Pescara.

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/ 21 November 2006

JSE higher as platinum flies

Platinum stocks were setting the pace on the JSE just after noon on Tuesday after renewed talk of a platinum exchange-traded fund sent the metal to a record high. However, a stronger rand kept a bit of a lid on the local bourse. Platinum was last quoted at $1 390/oz from $1 249,50/oz when the JSE closed on Monday. It earlier touched a record high of $1 415,50/oz.

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/ 21 November 2006

Vaughan laughs off prospect of playing in Ashes opener

Michael Vaughan arrived in Brisbane, Australia, unannounced on Monday and laughed at suggestions he will play for England in Thursday’s first Ashes Test against Australia at the Gabba. The sidelined England captain told reporters at the airport he was in Brisbane only to receive treatment from England’s medical staff on his knee, reports said on Tuesday.

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/ 21 November 2006

West Ham United agree to takeover bid

English Premiership club West Ham United announced on Tuesday that it has accepted a takeover bid from an Icelandic group, which values the team at £85-million. WH Holding Limited, controlled by Eggert Magnusson, president of the Football Association of Iceland, and investor Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, offered 421 pence per share for the east London club.

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/ 21 November 2006

McGrath defends Australia’s oldies

An indignant Glenn McGrath says Australia doesn’t need an all-rounder to ease the workload on his 36-year-old body in Thursday’s Ashes Test opener against England at the Gabba. There have been suggestions that the selection of all-rounder Shane Watson, now in doubt with a hamstring injury, was made to reduce the bowling burden on McGrath and 37-year-old leg-spinner Shane Warne.