By: MARC LACEY, The New York Times, November 3, 2005
Ethiopian security forces clashed with protesters on the streets of Addis Ababa on Wednesday, killing at least two dozen people and wounding 150 in an escalation of the discord over the results of the May parliamentary elections. Witnesses described hundreds of police officers and soldiers sweeping through the streets, rounding up young men believed to be tied to the opposition that is challenging the governing party's victory.
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By: The Associated Press, November 1, 2005
More than half of respondents in a recent nationwide poll said they did not trust a single branch of government in Russia, according to findings released Monday. The survey of 1,600 people conducted by the independent ROMIR polling company in October highlighted low public respect for authorities widely viewed as corrupt and dishonest.
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By: Yigal Schleifer, The Christian Science Monitor, November 3, 2005
Taking inspiration from the "Orange Revolution" - the movement that galvanized Ukraine after a fraudulent election last November - members of Azerbaijan's opposition are sporting orange ties. In the offices of the Azerbaijan Popular Front party, workers in white shirts and the bright accessory buzz around in preparation for this Sunday's parliamentary poll.
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By: South African Mail and Guardian, November 2, 2005
Clashes between police and protesters erupted in gunfire and grenade explosions on Wednesday, with police killing at least 33 people during a second day of renewed demonstrations against Ethiopia's disputed elections, a rights group said.
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By: Reuters, November 1, 2005
Ethiopia's largest opposition party on Monday called for a consumer boycott of products controlled and sold by the ruling party, officials said.
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By: Reuters, November 1, 2005
Former Zambian Finance Minister Edith Nawakwi led thousands of protestors in a peaceful march to parliament on Tuesday to demand a new constitution that trims the president's powers before the next general election in 2006.
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By: The New York Times, November 3, 2005
President Eduardo Rodríguez of Bolivia has announced that presidential and congressional elections will be held Dec. 18, resolving a stalemate that had threatened to cause paralyzing street protests and paving the way for Bolivia, an isolated Andean country, to make a political transformation.
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By: Jens Gould, Christian Science Monitor, November 1, 2005
The Venezuelan leader speeds up land reform, sparking fresh concerns for investors. SAN FELIPE, VENEZUELA - Beyond the gates of his farm, Alfonso Puche sees sunburnt farmers slashing his young sugar-cane crop with machete blades. He hears the motor of his own tractor uprooting seedlings at nightfall to make way for new vegetable crops. "There is no rule of law here," said Puche, who accuses state officials of encouraging land grabs by declaring his and dozens of other farms state land.
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By: The Miami Herald, October 31, 2005
A Brazilian news magazine published allegations over the weekend that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had received as much as $3 million in secret campaign donations from Cuban President Fidel Castro.
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By: BBC News, November 2, 2005
China says it is considering ending a controversial residency permit system that makes a legal distinction between urban and rural residents. The proposed reform would give migrants to the nation's fast-expanding cities the same health, education and security rights as people born there.
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By: Nicholas Blanford, The Christian Science Monitor, November 2, 2005
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad faces the starkest test of his five-year presidency following an ultimatum from the United Nations that he cooperate with an international probe into the murder of a former Lebanese prime minister.
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By: Reuters, November 2, 2005
Iran's novice President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad named an obscure figure as oil minister on Wednesday, risking a domestic political storm after already stirring one abroad with his call for Israel's destruction.
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By: Amnesty International, Public Statement, November 1, 2005
Amnesty International is calling on the Egyptian government and candidates contesting Egypt's forthcoming parliamentary elections to put human rights at the center of their agenda and to commit to promote long-needed reform once in office. The organization said this was vital for tackling long-standing human rights violations.
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By: The Christian Science Monitor, November 1, 2005
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments last week that Israel should be "wiped off the map" stirred controversy across the globe.
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By: Reuters, November 1, 2005
Yemeni journalists are voicing concerns over diminishing press freedoms after two newsmen were beaten by police for reporting on a civil demonstration over pay arrears.
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By: BBC News, November 1, 2005
The international pressure group Human Rights Watch has urged Uzbekistan to provide immediate medical help for jailed opposition leader Sanjar Umarov. "We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being," said Holly Cartner, a spokeswoman for the US-based group.
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By: BBC News, November 1, 2005
An Algerian court has sent four men to jail for eating lunch in a restaurant during the holy month of Ramadan.
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By: The Shadowland Journal, October 31, 2005
The Associated Press is reporting that Iran's ruling class is split over the wisdom of President Mahmoud Ahmadi'nejad's boilerplate diatribe against Israel. It's "a disgraceful blot" that ought to be "wiped off the map," he said last Wednesday. After a general uproar at the United Nations, including calls that Iran be expelled for advocating the obliteration of a member state, Ahmadi'nejad claimed his line was exactly the same as the Ayatollah Khomeini's -- as if that made it better. Persian blogwatcher Nasrin Alavi sends this impassioned note: Hello Chris, Just when I thought it was impossible, Ahmadi'nejad has again outdone his hostile stance with vile comments that Israel "must be wiped out from the map of the world".
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By: Socialist Worker Online, November 2, 2005
A huge series of demonstrations and occupations in Italy over the last few weeks has seen the return of the student movement. Students across the country have been protesting against the new university bill recently introduced by the ministry of education.
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By: The BBC, November 2, 2005
Across the former republics of the dead Soviet Union, elections have long been a regular feature of political life. But for anyone accustomed to the pre-arranged elections of former years, with their predictable victories for the president's party, the past two years have seen an unexpected development - elections have become a catalyst for political change.
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