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/ 25 February 2005
A suicide car bomber dressed as a policeman tricked his way into a police base in Iraq on Thursday and blew himself up, killing at least 12 people. The bomber wore a lieutenant’s uniform and maximised the casualties by timing his explosion as the day shift was taking over from the night shift at the base in Tikrit.
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/ 25 February 2005
United States President George Bush on Thursday night delivered a coded but pointed criticism of Vladimir Putin, questioning the Russian leader’s commitment to democratic values. The US president emerged from a two-hour summit with Putin to state that the rule of law, a free press, a viable opposition and protection of minorities were central and universal attributes of democracy.
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/ 25 February 2005
The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) was firmer at noon on Friday, buoyed by a weaker rand and strong performances by heavyweight dual-listed stocks offshore. Volumes were light, however, with value traded well below the R1-billion mark. At 11.56am, the all-share index was up 0,32% at 13 351,3. It touched a highest-to-date 13 370,67 at the opening.
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/ 25 February 2005
From the moment, two weeks ago, when Jose Mourinho decided to let his players go suitless to the Millennium stadium, we knew Sunday’s League Cup final was going to be something of a dress rehearsal. Despite often fielding below-strength sides, two of the Premiership’s biggest clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea, have struggled to the final.
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/ 25 February 2005
England started the week with a unique four Champions League contenders out of a star-studded 16 survivors from the group stage. Okay, they didn’t have half a chance of lifting the European Cup once dominated by Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, but they had a quarter of a chance on paper.
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/ 25 February 2005
Concern is mounting over Ethiopia’s flagship ”safety net” policy set up to end dependency on aid for five million people, the United Nations said. Paul Herbert, head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the needy have still not received any food or cash under the scheme.
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/ 25 February 2005
Sacked Zimbabwean information minister Jonathan Moyo has been linked to a new coalition of independent candidates that will contest the March general election as a united front. Independent candidates expelled from both the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and the ruling Zanu-PF party have formed a network that is likely to transform into a political party.
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/ 25 February 2005
The Basic Income Grant (BIG) Coalition on Friday said that Finance Minister Trevor Manuel should get his facts and figures straight. The coalition was responding to the remarks made on Thursday that it will cost the country an estimated R90-billion per year to provide an income grant to all South Africans as a means of poverty alleviation.
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/ 25 February 2005
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/197779/special_rep_icon_template.gif" align=left>Thanks to an unexpected increase in revenue of more than R11-billion this year, Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel again played Mr Nice Guy and cut individual taxes by a further R6,8-billion. This bonanza is aimed at the lower-income earner, with 62,8% of the benefit going to people who earn less than R200Â 000 a year.
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/ 25 February 2005
"Going once at R27 000, twice at R27 000, gone!" That’s the price paid at auction this week for Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel’s 2005 Budget speech and neckwear. The speech and the red-and-cream striped tie fetched about half of last year’s price at the traditional African National Congress post-Budget fund-raiser.