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South Africa power grid holding up during World Cup

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:15:23 +0000

legio09

Fin24.com reports, “South African power utility Eskom on Tuesday said the power system was expected to continue to perform well despite increased electricity demand.

The utility, which has been closely watched in case it drops the ball during the World Cup, said it had experienced increase demand due to the recent bout of cold weather.”

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South African ministers may begin receiving cheaper cars

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:22:44 +0000

The South African government is considering purchasing cheaper cars for government ministers to save money.

News24 reports, “Downgrading the cars would, he stressed, be only one option. But he is prepared to consider others, including one suggested by a participant in the press conference who wanted to see ministers drawing a car from a government pool.”

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Davinci77

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British couple held captive by Somali pirates

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:39:38 +0000

A British couple are believed to have been taken to Somalia and held for ransom, reports the BBC.

“A pirate called Hassan told the Reuters news agency: ‘The British couple are in our hands now. We captured them as they were touring in the Indian Ocean.’

The two captives were healthy and ransom demands would follow, he added.”

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Schabir Shaik seen playing golf

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:04:59 +0000

Schabir Shaik, who had been released from a South African prison on medical grounds, was spotted playing golf, violating his parole terms.

Times Live reports, “DA shadow minister of correctional services James Selfe today said if this is true, then it further undermines the criminal justice system in the eyes of South Africans. ‘There is now no doubt that Shaik was indeed released for political reasons and not on medical grounds’.”

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Davinci77

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Mogadishu attacks kill 17 civilians

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:12:14 +0000

Battles between insurgents and African peacekeepers killed 17 civilians and wounded 58.

News24 reported, “An alliance of the al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab group and the more political Hezb al-Islam group on May 7 launched a countrywide military offensive aimed at toppling Sharif, who has largely owed his survival to Amisom’s protection.”

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Scoobycentric

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China contemplating military action against Somali pirates

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:48:18 +0000

From the Mail & Guardian, “China has not ruled out military action to rescue the crew of a coal ship hijacked by Somali pirates, although it is also pursuing negotiations, a Chinese military spokesperson said.”

China will based its decision on whether to use a military option on “will depend on developments.”

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Rwandan militia leader commanding Congo violence from Germany

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:26:08 +0000

In spite of an international arrest warrant, Ignace Murwanashyaka lives free in Germany. By telephone, he leads FDLR, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.

A Deutsche Welle article states, “In 1994 Rwanda was the site of one of the worst genocides in history. More than 800,000 people – mostly Tutsi – were killed over three months by the army and Hutu militias. Today, there’s peace in Rwanda but on the other side of the mountain range, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, many of the Hutu militiamen continue their fight. Organized as the FDLR, they bring havoc over the eastern Congo – turning 1.5 million people into refugees.”

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Dumped waste ‘likely cause’ of West African illness

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:04:07 +0000

This from a story out of the Telegraph: “The study commissioned just weeks after the incident in West Africa concluded that the dumping would have been illegal under European pollution laws and suggests that the “likely cause” of the illness reported by locals was the “significant release” of potentially lethal gas.”

The oil trading firm Trafigura “admitted their approach may have been ‘heavy-handed’…”

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Axe

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Libya frees 88 Islamists, to demolish prison

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

[Times Live]– Libya on Thursday freed 88 Islamists and announced it will demolish Abu Slim prison, notorious for what human rights groups say was a 1996 massacre in which more than 1,000 prisoners were killed.

The Gaddafi Foundation, headed by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam, confirmed the planned closure of Abu Slim, saying the remaining inmates would be transferred to another jail.

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Strike Shuts Down Guinea’s Capital

admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:15:55 +0000

[VOA News]– Guinea’s capital has been shut down by a strike called to mourn opposition demonstrators killed by government troops two weeks ago.

Labor leaders called the strike as a day of prayer to remember what they say are the “martyrs for democracy in Guinea.”

full story–>

Haypo

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