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/ 8 December 2004

Italians strike over fiscal restrictions

Millions of Italians stopped work last Tuesday in protest at the economic policies of their government. The half-day stoppage crippled public transport and shut factories and banks. Alitalia cancelled more than 100 flights. Government departments were shut and medical staff staged an eight-hour strike.

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/ 8 December 2004

Bittersweet night for Abramovich

Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich suffered two rare defeats on the football pitch on Tuesday as reigning champions FC Porto downed his Chelsea side 2-1 to ensure they avoided the ignominy of becoming the first titleholders to exit in the first round. Benni McCarthy’s late goal for Porto also denied the Russian a second interest in the knockout phase.

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/ 8 December 2004

Monogamy: The ideal lives on

The key to a lifelong marriage? Avoid boredom, agree over sex, and weather the infidelity years, because there’s a higher chance for lifelong marriage than we might suppose. The testimonies of those who have got there suggest that given the will there’s almost no crisis that cannot be survived together.

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/ 8 December 2004

The heat is turned on Third World air polluters

Some of the most important issues to be addressed in the climate change talks that opened in Buenos Aires is how Brazil, China and India can be persuaded to tackle global warming. Also high on the agenda, is getting the delegates to agree on a comprehensive ”road map” for what happens after the Kyoto Protocol commitment period ends.

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/ 8 December 2004

Tiger finally figures it out

Winning the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan last month for his first stroke-play title of the year wasn’t the only thing that made Tiger Woods excited about the 2005 season. He finally had an epiphany with his new swing. Woods has spent nearly nine months retooling his golf swing under the direction of Hank Haney, and it all came together on the practice range in California before leaving for Japan.

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/ 8 December 2004

US evolution textbook row

A suburban American school board found itself in court last month after it tried to placate Christian fundamentalist parents by placing a sticker on its science textbooks saying evolution is “a theory, not a fact”. Atlanta’s Cobb County school board, the second-largest board in Georgia, added the sticker two years ago after a 2300-strong petition attacked the presentation of “Darwinism unchallenged”.

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/ 8 December 2004

Venue named for Coke Cup final

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Wednesday announced that the Coca-Cola Cup final between Kaizer Chiefs and Supersport United will take place at Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein on December 18, starting at 8pm. Chiefs qualified for the final after beating Moroka Swallows in the semifinal in Pretoria on Saturday.

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/ 8 December 2004

New home for Hall

South Africa all-rounder Andrew Hall will play for Kent in the 2005 season, the English county announced on Tuesday. Hall (29) was released by Kent’s domestic rivals Worcestershire after two seasons with the Midlands county and he lost his place in the South Africa team towards the end of their tour of England last season.