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/ 8 October 2004

Heard this before?

If the truth be told, President Thabo Mbeki did not need to go on the imbizo that ended in Mpumalanga’s Ga-Manoke village last week, to understand the concerns of his people. This is not to say that the president wasted his time. Nor does it mean that it is a futile exercise for people to meet their elected public officials. Each village and town has its own nuances and idiosyncracies, and the country’s number-one citizen can surely learn a thing or two by paying them a visit.

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/ 8 October 2004

Soros scales back empire

Billionaire investor George Soros is giving greater control of his business to his sons, Robert and Jonathan, and at the same time scaling back his empire by spinning off several divisions. For years Soros (74) has devoted an increasing amount of time to philanthropy and is engaged in a concerted effort to unseat United States President George W Bush.

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/ 8 October 2004

Blind in Iraq, eyeless in the Gaza Strip

At first glance the violence in Jabaliya in Palestine and in the Iraqi town of Samarra appear to be unconnected. The Israeli army’s incursion into northern Gaza looks like just another deadeningly familiar episode in the unending conflict between Palestinians and Jews. The United States-led weekend assault on insurgents in mainly Sunni Samarra seems to be broadly typical of the continuing turmoil in Iraq.

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/ 8 October 2004

Crumbs for Bush and Blair

The Iraq Survey Group, after 17 months of hunting through Iraq and interviewing hundreds of members of Saddam Hussein’s regime, last week delivered a verdict unhelpful to George W Bush or Tony Blair: that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction when they went to war and that there was no imminent threat. The two leaders will have to justify the war in Iraq in terms of Hussein’s intentions rather than the reality.

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/ 8 October 2004

Fans have good reason to fear

A billionaire is hardly ever mistaken for an innocent abroad but you have to wonder if Malcolm Glazer understands just what he is getting into. The septuagenarian seems set to attempt a takeover of Manchester United. He must be one of the few men left who believe there are riches to be had in British football. It might look as if a fortune awaits, but others who mounted a raid discovered that the vault was booby-trapped.

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/ 8 October 2004

Nigerian petrol hike fuels strike threats

Like the traffic fumes slowly rising above the potholed streets of Lagos, tensions are running high throughout Nigeria over recent petrol price increases. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), supported by up to 30 civil-society groups, including students and lawyers, have threatened to go on strike on October 11 if the pump price of fuel is not reduced to pre-September levels.

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/ 8 October 2004

Darfur threatens Sudan peace

The latest round of talks to secure a lasting peace in southern Sudan began at Naivasha in Kenya on Thursday, amid fears that ”delaying tactics” would result in their suspension — an outcome analysts predicted would have ”tragic consequences” for the entire war-ravaged region. An estimated two million people have died, and about four million have been displaced, in more than two decades of conflict.

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/ 8 October 2004

A game we have to win

The time has come for the Bafana Bafana players to show the nation what they’re made of. The team needs to produce some winning performances to ensure qualification for the 2006 World Cup and African Cup of Nations. This must start on Sunday with the crucial qualifier against Uganda in Kampala.

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/ 8 October 2004

Glazer woos Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson will be offered a beefed-up role at Old Trafford by Malcolm Glazer as part of the American tycoon’s attempt to reverse fans’ hostile reaction to his takeover plans. Glazer and his advisers are understood to have been shocked by the level of opposition from groups such as Shareholders United to their ambition to buy Manchester United.

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/ 8 October 2004

Zim aim to bounce back in tri-series

Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu was hoping his makeshift side would draw inspiration from a strong recent showing against Sri Lanka when they take on the Asian champions here on Saturday. Zimbabwe, looking to bounce back after two defeats to Pakistan in the ongoing tri-series, would take heart from their performance against Sri Lanka at the ICC Champions trophy in England last month, he said.