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/ 19 January 2006
The British government is to co-host an international summit in London at the end of the month to agree a five-year plan to speed up the reconstruction of Afghanistan and confront an upsurge in violence. The announcement came as a Taliban commander said his guerrillas are ready to launch suicide attacks across Afghanistan.
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/ 19 January 2006
Amazon.com plans to broadcast on its website an original show hosted by Bill Maher and featuring performers and authors touting new releases — which will be for sale at the online retailer. The webcast series is the first offering in what the company says is a plan to add more original programming to its website.
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/ 19 January 2006
An offensive by troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against militia armies in the volatile east has driven 122 000 people from their homes, the United Nations mission in the DRC (Monuc) said on Wednesday. ”A new wave of 46 000 people has been displaced since November 2005,” Monuc said.
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/ 19 January 2006
Unions representing about 85 000 workers at Transnet are considering strike action as management at the parastatal is ”steamrolling” negotiations over restructuring. ”There’s a very big possibility of strike action within the next month,” a South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union spokesperson said.
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/ 19 January 2006
South Africa has appealed to all parties involved in the Iranian nuclear programme to refrain from any action that could further increase tension and confrontation. This followed a meeting between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad and Iran’s acting Foreign Minister, Mehdi Mostafavi, on Wednesday.
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/ 19 January 2006
As many as 60 Zimbabwean border jumpers could have drowned in the flooded Limpopo River last week, Zimbabwe’s Herald newspaper reported on Thursday. It said on its website police could neither confirm nor deny this figure.
The border jumpers are believed to have perished last Friday night in the Dite area.
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/ 19 January 2006
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on Wednesday night took time out from the controversy surrounding her flight to the United Arab Emirates to open the Women’s World Cup of Golf, to be played at Sun City from Friday to Sunday. Mlambo-Ngcuka emphasised the role women have played in post-apartheid South Africa.
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/ 19 January 2006
Although a growing number of media directors and marketers are developing a newfound respect for the reach, frequency and inventiveness of the outdoor medium, some key obstacles will need to be carefully negotiated if growth trends are to continue. Can the industry and municipal authorities sideline renegade operators and entrench credibility? Kim Novick reports.
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/ 19 January 2006
Last year, there was a dramatic escalation in the number of pirate raids off the 3Â 008km Somali coast, from two in 2004 to 35. Pirates are currently holding a cargo ship and four fishing trawlers hostage. The attacks threaten trade and humanitarian aid — the Semlow was carrying sacks of rice for emergency food aid in Somalia.
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