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/ 11 November 2005
Bon vivant and raconteur Robert Mugabe has dazzled his fans once again. The famous revolutionary and drama queen has always had a way with words, but it took something just a little bit special on Tuesday to rhyme ”Dell” (the surname of the American ambassador in Zimbabwe) with ”hell”. Of course, some of the lustre was dulled by Mugabe’s admission that he has the spelling ability of a seven-year-old.
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/ 11 November 2005
Is there growing scepticism in the world about the very possibility of contemporary South Africa — a unitary state composed of peoples who have nothing in common except that they live in the same territory? Is the cosmopolitan project in -crisis? This is how the burning Paris hinterland is interpreted — the consequence of trying to integrate diverse cultures and religions in a single polity.
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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.