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/ 12 October 2004

Economists: High oil prices unsustainable

The current record high crude oil prices are unsustainable, according to economists surveyed by I-Net Bridge, but a return to last year’s Opec basket of seven crude oils’ average of $28,10 per barrel is also unlikely, mainly because of the depreciation of the dollar against other currencies.

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/ 12 October 2004

Shell oil fire angers Nigerian community

A pipeline carrying crude oil across the unruly Niger delta region to Nigeria’s main export terminal has burst and is on fire, the Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell and a local leader said on Tuesday. Shell said it had already moved in to control the fire and the leak, but a local ethnic leader insisted that the firm’s engineers had not yet arrived.

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/ 12 October 2004

HIV rife among health workers

The prevalence of HIV among health workers in South Africa is ”very high” and they need to be targeted with anti-retroviral treatment as part of a multipronged approach to augment the sector, the South African Medical Journal warns. The journal said the high prevalance of HIV in the health sector had serious implications for the health system, with increased absenteeism and non-infected workers becoming overloaded with work.

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/ 12 October 2004

Body snatchers target life insurers

A growing number of fraud scams are being run by organised crime syndicates where criminals take out policies on fictitious people and then submit claims in respect of these policies using fake identity documents and unclaimed corpses from mortuaries, according to Cape Town-based insurance underwriter Desmond Smith.

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/ 12 October 2004

Arch Equity builds up BEE profile

Black economic empowerment (BEE) financial services group Arch Equity is rapidly building up its asset base to become one of the largest BEE players in the Western Cape, with plans to list on the JSE Securities Exchange before year-end. CEO Desmond Lockey said the company has already started the process to list the company on the JSE.

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/ 12 October 2004

For the sixth time, no whaling, Japan!

Members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) on Tuesday in Bangkok voted down — for the sixth time in a row — Japan’s proposal to legalise trade in minke whales. The 13th Cites conference of parties voted 67 against, 55 in favour and 14 abstentions on Japan’s proposal.

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/ 12 October 2004

Bush, Kerry gear up for final debate

With polls showing the United States presidential race too close to call, the incumbent George Bush headed for the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado on Tuesday to shore up his Republican base there while preparing for his last nationally televised face-off with Democrat John Kerry.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?cg=BreakingNews-InternationalNews&ao=123541">TV channels to rubbish Kerry</a>

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/ 12 October 2004

Iraq mosque raids anger residents

Iraqi forces backed by United States soldiers and marines raided mosques on Tuesday in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi and detained a prominent cleric following fierce clashes that hospital officials said killed at least four people. Angry residents accused Americans of disrespecting the sanctity of city mosques.

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/ 12 October 2004

Mozambique limits election observers’ access

Mozambique’s National Elections Commission has announced it will not give observers access to all stages of the vote counting in December’s presidential and parliamentary elections. The decision has prompted an angry objection from the European Union, which plans to send one of the largest observer missions to the election.