By BILLY HEAD
The Associated Press
Monday, December 8, 2008; 12:59 PM

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar -- An incurable crop disease has spread widely
in Madagascar's vanilla-producing region, government scientists said Monday.

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• Islamist leader warns of increase in armed attacks
• $10bn given to Pakistan to fight war on terror 'wasted'

* Saeed Shah in Islamabad, Richard Norton-Taylor and Simon Tisdall
* The Guardian, Monday December 8 2008

Pakistani employees inspect burned-out trucks outside the northwestern
city of Peshawar

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Cholera victims in Zimbabwe may be 10 times more likely to die than
those who contract the disease elsewhere, aid agencies believe.

By Sebastien Berger and Peta Thornycroft in Johannesburg
Last Updated: 7:56PM GMT 07 Dec 2008

Children collect contaminated water for use at home in Harare

In a normally functioning country, around one in every 100 cholera
patients dies. But in President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, the chances of
survival are far lower. Oxfam is planning for 60,000 cholera cases by
the end of January –with perhaps 6,000 deaths –indicating a possible
fatality rate of 10 per cent.

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Reuters
Monday, December 8, 2008; 2:59 AM

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will never halt its nuclear work and expects the
United States to change its "failed" carrot-and-stick approach to
solving the atomic row with Tehran, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

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