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/ 24 October 2005

The oil impact: A train smash or just a dampener?

The average oil price for 2006 is forecast to be in excess of $55 per barrel, however the impact of global growth will not be as dramatic as the 1970’s says Mark Appleton, chief investment officer at Barnard Jacobs Mellet Private Client Services. This is evident in the United States GDP growth forecasts which have only been pulled back marginally from 3,8% to 3,5%, Appleton says.

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/ 24 October 2005

Japanese zoo proves hit with walk on wild side

Surrounded by a crowd of admirers, 24-year-old Jack has no idea how close his home came to being shut down a decade ago as he dangles from a rope, scratching his shaggy red fur. The orangutan plays happily at a zoo in northern Japan that was saved from the brink of closure and redesigned as a playground for animals that is now the country’s top wildlife attraction.

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/ 24 October 2005

New suburbs for farm workers

The Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs is exploring the possibility of creating "agricultural suburbs" in rural towns to provide permanent housing for farmworkers. Glen Thomas, director general in the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs, admitted to Parliament’s land affairs and agriculture committee that the Labour Tenants Act and the Extension of Security Act had not done enough to give farm workers security of tenure.

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/ 24 October 2005

Nigeria mourns dead from Flight 201

Nigeria will begin three days of national mourning on Monday after an unexplained plane crash killed 117 passengers and crew flying from Lagos to the capital Abuja, the federal government announced. South African television producer Adele Lorenzo was among the dead, media reports said on Monday.

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/ 24 October 2005

Investment council says SA can achieve 6% growth

South Africa could achieve six percent economic growth before the government’s target date if its policies were rapidly implemented, the International Investment Council said on Sunday. Council members suggested that remaining barriers to growth, such as skills shortages, regulations and infrastructure, should be dealt with more quickly.

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/ 24 October 2005

Wilma barrels toward Florida

A strengthened Hurricane Wilma barrelled toward the United States state of Florida early on Monday as officials urged residents to leave the coastal area or move to shelters. Wilma was upgraded late on Sunday to a category three storm after it displayed sustained winds of 185kph, which qualified it for category three status, said US National Hurricane Centre forecaster Jamie Rhome.

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/ 24 October 2005

Syria faces more pressure over Hariri killing

The United States and Britain stepped up pressure on Syria on Sunday, calling for foreign ministers of the United Nations security council countries to meet to consider urgent measures that might include demanding that senior Syrian officials give face-to-face evidence on the murder of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafiq Hariri.

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/ 24 October 2005

‘Chemical condoms’ on trial again

The world’s biggest trial of "chemical condoms" will start in Johannesburg on Monday, and researchers hope to have the anti-HIV product generally available in South Africa in five years. Meeting that target would revolutionise women’s lives. They would control the use of microbicides, also known as "chemical condoms", without the consent or even knowledge of their sexual partners.