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/ 1 November 2004

Police checkmate chess grandmaster

On the rugby field, certainly. On the football pitch, probably. But on Sunday, the usually genteel game of chess was embroiled in its own version of the soup scandal when a grandmaster was arrested at the closing ceremony of the chess olympiad for allegedly headbutting a policeman.

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/ 1 November 2004

Arafat’s potential successors take control

Yasser Arafat’s grip on power appeared to be slipping on Sunday after his subordinates assumed control of the major Palestinian organisations at the weekend and some politicians predicted that his domination was at an end. The leaderships of the major Palestinian organisations met at the weekend to agree a transfer of powers.

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/ 1 November 2004

Last desperate days of US campaign

<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/140248/USA2.GIF" align=left>The three words that were on everyone’s mind did not escape John Kerry’s lips when the soaring notes of the gospel choir faded away and he rose before the congregation. With just 48 hours to go before his fate is decided, the Democratic candidate was determined to return to the closing message of his campaign — his promise of better jobs, health care and education.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?cg=BreakingNews-InternationalNews&ao=124699">Republicans battle to the last</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?cg=BreakingNews-InternationalNews&ao=124677&t=1">Bush wins boost from terror tape</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?cg=BreakingNews-InternationalNews&ao=124657">Bin Laden’s warning to the US</a>

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/ 1 November 2004

Into the storm

Last Tuesday’s vote, in which the Knesset approved Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip, is only the start of a long process. The numerous opponents of the disengagement — principally from the right — are lying in ambush, and it is far from certain that the programme will be carried out. While the pull-out may be traumatic for those forced to leave, it could be a first step towards peace with the Palestinians.

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/ 1 November 2004

Changing of the elephant guard

"There is a Shangaan proverb that says the elephant is ours," claims Michael Masuluke, a representative from a community living next door to the Kruger National Park. "It means that if there is a job to be done, it must be done by all of us." His words echoed the sentiments of about 200 serious-minded environmentalists gathered at the Great Elephant Indaba in the Kruger recently.

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/ 1 November 2004

SA’s reserved bank

Recently, Professor Basil Moore pointed out the extraordinary economic and social punishment meted out by the Reserve Bank’s very high real interest rate policy, amid desperate unemployment. The current singular aim of inflation targeting is the mirror image of the International Monetary Fund’s narrow market fundamentalism. There is so much more the government could be doing than merely managing inflation.