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/ 19 December 2005

Cosatu: Unemployment a challenge in 2005

The levels of unemployment in South Africa continued to be one of the biggest challenges of 2005, together with the growth of casualisation and a reduction in the quality of jobs, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says. Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said that the income gap, unemployment, casualisation and a reduction in the quality of jobs were among the reasons for a number of strikes in 2005.

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/ 19 December 2005

Tension in Zanzibar as ruling party tightens control

Tanzania’s Revolutionary Party cemented its four-decade grip on power on Sunday when presidential election results confirmed victory for its candidate, Foreign Minister Jakaya Kikwete. Kikwete took 80% of the vote in Wednesday’s polls, demolishing nine challengers in the country’s third elections since the introduction of multiparty politics in 1992.

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/ 19 December 2005

Coming months critical for Bush Iraq policy

As United States President George Bush appealed on Sunday for patience with his Iraq policies, analysts agreed the coming months were crucial to his hopes of getting out of an increasingly unpopular war. In a prime-time television speech, Bush went to extraordinary lengths to win backing for his efforts to quell an insurgency still raging 33 months after the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

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/ 19 December 2005

‘Evo’ vows to help poorest of South America’s poor

Evo Morales, Bolivia’s president-elect, wears sneakers but never a jacket and tie. And that is not the only aspect about the fiery left-winger that is going to shock the world. Bolivia’s first native Indian president, who is simply known as ”Evo” across the country, wants to rein-in United States influence and end restrictions on the coca crop that he made his life from before entering politics.

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/ 19 December 2005

Villarreal moves into third place in Spanish League

Juan Roman Riquelme and Diego Forlan scored a goal each on Sunday, and Villarreal rallied to beat Getafe 2-1 and move into third place in the Spanish league. Villarreal trailed at El Madrigal stadium when striker Ivan ”Riki” Sanchez-Rico scored in the 20th minute with an overhead kick, but Riquelme levelled in the 45th with a curling free kick that crossed the line via the crossbar.

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/ 19 December 2005

Zim opposition leader suspends five members

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has suspended five senior members of his party, deepening serious splits in the party. Nelson Chamisa, the spokesperson for Tsvangirai’s faction of the Movement for Democratic Change said a disciplinary committee had decided to suspend five senior party officials, including Secretary General Welshman Ncube and the party’s President, Gibson Sibanda.

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/ 19 December 2005

‘Modest’ WTO deal better than nothing

A deal at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in Hong Kong was a distinctly modest achievement which kept the Doha round of trade talks ”on life support”, although this was better than nothing, British newspapers said on Monday. ”World trade accords are like sausage. It’s sensible not to look too closely at how they are made,” The Times noted in its editorial.