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/ 20 October 2006

African sky the key to tourism

A new research report, which was prepared by Genesis Analytics for regional development initiative the ComMark Trust, says that if the Southern African region is to benefit from the huge number of tourists who will be visiting South Africa for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, countries have to start liberalising their air transport routes now.

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/ 20 October 2006

Aid groups forced to stop work in Russia

On Thursday scores of foreign humanitarian aid groups and charities that failed to meet a deadline for registration under a controversial new law had to suspend their work in Russia. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Danish Refugee Council are among those obliged to cease their activities.

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/ 20 October 2006

Is Israel using a lethal new weapon?

Doctors in Gaza have reported previously unseen injuries from Israeli weapons that cause severe burning and leave deep internal wounds, often resulting in amputations or death. The injuries were first seen in July, when Israel launched operations in Gaza following the capture of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants.

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/ 20 October 2006

Iran bans fast internet

Iran’s Islamic government has opened a new front in its drive to stifle domestic political dissent and combat the influence of Western culture — by banning high-speed internet links. In a blow to the country’s estimated five million internet users, service providers have been told to restrict online speeds to 128 kilobytes a second.

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/ 20 October 2006

DG report card: We rate the state

Vacant: Sometimes impossible job with often impossible boss at under R1-million a year. This is an apt description of the post of director general (DG), the mandarins who sit atop national departments. The overriding theme of our first directors general report card is that it is a hard job to do. In the blushes of freedom, straight after 1994, these were coveted posts at the apex of a negotiated revolution.