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/ 11 November 2005
Alarm bells have been raised over the safety of hundreds of Zimbabwean workers, trade union leaders, students and civil society activists detained during a wave of protests in the country recently. Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions information officer Mlamuleli Sibanda said that at least four HIV-positive workers have been denied access to medication or medical assistance since their arrest.
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/ 11 November 2005
Palaeontologists excavating a dump outside Barcelona have found a skull dating back 14-million years that could belong to a common ancestor of apes and humans. The nearly intact skull, which has a flat face, jaw and teeth, may belong to a previously unknown species of great ape, said Salvador Moya, the chief palaeontologist on the dig.
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/ 11 November 2005
Black women in South Africa are no strangers to photography. In years gone by, however, they have typically found themselves in front of the lens — often portrayed as ”’mother of the nation’, ‘black sex object’ or ‘poor, black victim without agency’,” in the words of gender activist Janine Moolman. Now this situation is changing. Black women are making up a growing list of photographers finding success behind the camera.
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/ 11 November 2005
Britain’s Financial Services Authority is asking insurance companies about their ability to withstand a deluge of claims on life insurance policies if the country were hit by a bird flu pandemic. The regulator has also asked financial firms to prepare plans to continue operating in the event of their staff being struck by the flu.
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/ 10 November 2005
British Prime Minister Tony Blair faced growing doubts on Thursday about how long he will last as Britain’s prime minister, even as he vowed to forge ahead with controversial health and education reforms despite a stinging defeat on an anti-terrorism proposal. The Financial Times suggested in a front-page article that Blair had suffered ”a devastating blow to his political authority”.
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/ 10 November 2005
The United States trade deficit exploded to a new record high of ,1-billion in September after hurricanes battered the world’s biggest economy, the Commerce Department said on Thursday. A strike at aviation giant Boeing in September also contributed to the gap between US imports and exports widening from August’s deficit of ,3-billion.
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/ 10 November 2005
A shouting match on Thursday between a senior United States envoy and a Darfur government official illustrated the difficulties of peacemaking in the restive region of western Sudan. The United Nations estimates that 180 000 people have died, mainly through famine and disease.
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/ 10 November 2005
A retired Elvis Presley impersonator helped police nab a man suspected of stealing more than 000-worth of memorabilia from the Elvis-a-Rama museum in Las Vegas, authorities said on Wednesday. Duke Adams said he was approached while in line at a pharmacy by a man offering to sell him items once owned by Presley.
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/ 10 November 2005
The United Nations mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (Unmee), monitoring the disputed border between the two countries, reported on Thursday that the buffer zone along the border ”remained tense and potentially volatile”. Recently imposed restrictions on Unmee’s activities have also ”considerably increased” during the week.