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/ 20 January 2006
The worsening humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is making children more vulnerable to abuse, according to child rights NGOs. "For instance, because of the hike in schools fees many children are visiting schools — it makes them more vulnerable at the hands of teachers who exploit them," said Witness Chikoko.
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/ 20 January 2006
Journalist Yazeed Kamaldien is aghast at his treatment at an Israeli border post but finds it is an everyday occurrence for Palestinians who try to make the crossing. "When I first arrived, I was hauled out of the queue by a short young female Israeli security official. She gunned questions at me: ‘Where are you from? Are you Muslim?’", writes Kamaldien.
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/ 20 January 2006
Earlier this month the Global Fund to Fight HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria withdrew its financial support of the loveLife campaign, saying the programme "was deemed not to have sufficiently addressed weaknesses in its implementation". The costly, youth-targeted prevention campaign has ignited controversy since its inception.
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/ 20 January 2006
At first sight, it could be a job ad for a company, a charity or even an army playing up its peacekeeping role: "Looking for something different? Enjoy contact with people from all over the world?" But there’s a giveaway: "Will you commit body and soul for the security of the pope?"
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/ 20 January 2006
The future of humanity may soon rest deep in a frozen mountain on a remote Norwegian island. The Norwegian government plans to build a ”doomsday vault” to house two million seeds that represent the entire agricultural diversity of the planet. The idea is to safeguard the world’s food supply against threats such as nuclear war, climate change and rising sea levels.
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/ 20 January 2006
In a country where sunshine is about as common as wild haggis, it is probably not surprising that many Scots seek artificial help to rid themselves of pasty complexions. But such is the desire to have a tan among Scottish schoolchildren that schools are calling in beauty experts to offer advice on how to apply fake tan to stop pupils nipping out for a sunbed session in their lunch break.
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/ 20 January 2006
Africa needs China. As in other parts of the developing world, China’s insatiable appetite for natural resources is creating unprecedented demand for commodities, pushing prices to new highs and fuelling economic growth across the continent. But China’s relations with Africa have stirred a polarised debate from Cape to Cairo.
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/ 20 January 2006
Five people were killed and hundreds of United Nations peacekeepers forced to abandon their base as anti-UN protests swept government-held southern Côte d’Ivoire for a third straight day. After repeated attacks on UN compounds, vehicles and offices, a UN official said civilian personnel were being concentrated in central locations.
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/ 20 January 2006
The day after becoming the first woman ever to win a presidential election in South America, Michelle Bachelet shared breakfast with current Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, marking a political transition and cultural shift that has inspired high hopes and expectations.
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/ 20 January 2006
Only a few weeks into the new year and already three contenders for the prestigious 2006 Gobbledegook of the Year Awards have published their submissions. Since Goya’s inception a few years ago, the level of incoherent, garbled, and generally incomprehensible public utterances and publications has risen to a bewildering degree.