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MANCHESTER – Sir Alex Ferguson believes today’s tribute to the Hillsborough victims and their families should mark the end of “beyond the pale” animosity that brings Manchester United and Liverpool into disrepute. United are Liverpool’s first opponents at Anfield since the Hillsborough Independent Panel revealed the extent of the establishment cover-up following the 1989 disaster….

JOHANNESBURG – Julius Malema’s lawyer confirmed that a warrant for his arrest had been issued. “We have received confirmation from the authorities that there is an arrest warrant issued for Mr Malema,” Nicqui Galaktiou of Brian Kahn Attorneys told City Press. She said they had not seen the warrant as yet but were busy discussing…

JOHANNESBURG – South African police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters near a mine owned by Anglo American, a day after a deal ended a strike in Marikana. “We are not tolerating any illegal gatherings,” a police spokesman said. Workers at the Lonmin-owned Marikana platinum mine ended their six-week strike after…

KABUL – Up to 12 people are reported to have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on a minibus carrying foreigners near the Afghan capital, Kabul. Eight South Africans were killed in the attack which took place on a major road leading to the international airport. Afghan insurgent group Hezb-e-Islami has claimed responsibility for…

JOHANNESBURG – Firebrand politician Julius Malema has been barred by police from addressing striking miners at South Africa’s Marikana mine. Some 2,000 miners had gathered at a stadium near the mine, some 60 miles (100km) north-west of Johannesburg. Strikes have already halted production at several gold and platinum mines in the resource-rich country. South African…

LAGOS – The spokesman for Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been killed by Nigeria’s military, reliable sources have told the BBC. However, Boko Haram has not confirmed that Abu Qaqa has been killed. A military spokesman told the BBC that two militant suspects had been arrested, one of whom later died but his identity…

CAIRO – Outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, riot police sporadically clashed with protesters for a fourth straight day after a failed attempt to disperse them early Friday. Officers armed with shields and batons, backed by an armed personnel carrier, rushed a group of several hundred protesters shortly after dawn to quell a violent demonstration…

JOHANNESBURG – Expelled ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema seemed bent on turning soldiers against the state, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says. “You can’t just go on and on and on, and be going around mobilising funeral gatherings and agitating people to become ungovernable,” she told the SABC. She was reacting to Malema’s plans to…

NAIROBI – At least 30 people have been killed in renewed ethnic clashes in south-east Kenya. Children and policemen were among those killed in an attack on a village by hundreds of people. Nearly 100 people have now been killed in the clashes in the eastern Tana River district since last month. Rival ethnic groups…

HARARE – In the aftermath of Finance minister Tendai Biti’s state of the economy address Thursday, one cannot help but sympathise with the man due to the dire numbers and situation this country finds itself in. On one hand, the feisty lawyer is under pressure to find money for civil sector bonuses and fund agriculture,…