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/ 8 August 2005

Mauritanian junta names new prime minister

Mauritania’s self-declared head of state named a new prime minister to replace the former premier who resigned along with his Cabinet after last week’s coup. A judge also freed 21 people who had been detained for plotting against the ousted regime. Junta leader Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall named Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar as prime minister.

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/ 8 August 2005

Markgraaff: Will he stay or will he go?

Has Andre Markgraaff already resigned from his post as South African Rugby Union deputy president, or not? This was the question being asked late on Sunday amid conflicting media reports earlier in the day. While some of these suggested the controversial Markgraaff had already left his post, others reported he would make his final decision only on Monday.

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/ 8 August 2005

Hopes fade for 100 trapped miners in China

Rescuers were on Monday scrambling to save more than 100 workers trapped deep underground in a flooded coal mine in southern China as their chances of survival faded and water levels continued to rise. The accident happened on Sunday afternoon at the Daxing coal mine about 265km northeast of the provincial capital Guangzhou in Guangdong province.

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/ 8 August 2005

Ibrahim Ferrer dies at 78

Ibrahim Ferrer, who achieved fame late in life as the singer of the Buena Vista Social Club, died on Saturday in Havana at the age of 78. Ferrer, known for his trademark cap and greying moustache, was a devotee of traditional styles of Cuban music such as son and bolero.

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/ 8 August 2005

SA hit by massive gold-mining strike

South Africa’s leading mining union hit the world’s top gold producer with its largest strike in 18 years as workers walked off the job on Sunday evening. The National Union of Mineworkers, with about 80 000 members in the gold mining sector, started a national strike at 6pm after it declared a wage dispute with employers last week.