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/ 8 July 2005

London sucked into terror maelstrom

At least 33 people have been killed in a series of explosions that ripped through London’s transport system on Thurday morning, and more fatalities are expected to be announced as the situation develops. Russell Smith of the London ambulance service confirmed the deaths in a coordinated series of attacks on tube trains and a bus that left many more people wounded and plunged the capital.

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/ 8 July 2005

Explosions ‘mirror Madrid’

The explosions in London look like an attempt to recreate the Madrid bombings and would have been planned for months, a leading terrorism expert said on Thursday as the capital began to come to terms with an apparently coordinated attack. It’s believed that six bombs would mean at least 24 people involved in planting them in a targeted operation.

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/ 8 July 2005

Mashile new Icasa chair

Paris Mashile, a former Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) councillor, has been named the new chairperson of the authority, replacing Mandla Langa, whose tenure as chairman expired on 30 June. Mashile’s appointment was made yesterday by President Thabo Mbeki for the term of office from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2010.

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/ 8 July 2005

The horror of terror

A survivor’s account of an underground train bombing in London, broadcast by the BBC World Service, did more than any casualty statistic to evoke the horror of Thursday’s coordinated wave of terror attacks in the British capital. The woman, deathly pale beneath a mask of soot, spoke haltingly of a deafening bang, showers of glass and a blackout as the disabled train ground to a halt.

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/ 8 July 2005

The big Transnet fire sale

The unveiling of Transnet’s results this week highlighted how South Africa’s privatisation programme has been reshaped by sensible compromise and a convergence of interests between the government and labour. In his Budget vote in May, Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin announced the government expected to raise R8-billion from privatisation proceeds over the next 18 months.

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/ 8 July 2005

Bank becomes a BEE player

Standard Bank is emerging as a key player in the black economic empowerment landscape, with significant investments in two of the country’s top empowerment groupings, Shanduka and Safika. The companies are led by Saki Macozoma and Cyril Ramaphosa respectively.

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/ 8 July 2005

Nu Metro to drop video prices

Nu Metro says it will be taking court action against video rental outlets that continue to flaunt copyright laws by renting DVDs and videos without a licence. It says it is aware that some video stores have been renting unlicensed products that they have purchased at retail stores. Nu Metro intends dropping its prices from August 1, a move it says is intended to combat piracy.

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/ 8 July 2005

G8 deal looks a slender prospect

Every now and then helicopters have been flying towards the Gleneagles Hotel, carrying one or another of the G8 leaders whose three-day summit began on Wednesday. But through the three days of talks little agreement is looking likely. And just as unlikely is any sweet agreement to agree to disagree.

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/ 8 July 2005

ANC should be bigger than Mbeki and Zuma

In the world of political miscalculations, none has been as dramatic recently as the African National Congress leadership’s belief that ordinary ANC members would accept the resignation of Jacob Zuma from organisational activities. It was a stupendous mistake that nearly derailed the national general council.

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/ 8 July 2005

Weapons still coming into DRC ‘too easily’

The continuing flow of arms from neighbouring countries into the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo threatens the fragile peace in that region, Amnesty International recently. Also, the International Court of Justice in The Hague began hearing a case brought by the DRC, accusing Rwanda of armed aggression between 1998 and the present. Rwanda has rejected the allegations.