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/ 3 September 2004

Curfew in Nepal as murders spark riot

A curfew was imposed on Kathmandu this week, with orders to shoot people on sight, after thousands of demonstrators ransacked a mosque and fought pitched battles with police to protest against the killing of 12 Nepalese hostages by insurgents in Iraq. The rioters attacked the capital’s main mosque and set fire to offices of Arab airlines, among other acts of vandalism.

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/ 3 September 2004

Soft target shows Hamas weakness

The Palestinian armed response was a long time coming. When the Hamas founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, was killed in an Israeli rocket attack in Gaza in March, the organisation responsible for most of the suicide bombings in Israel vowed that it would ”open the gates of hell”. Last week the Palestinians finally succeeded in getting two suicide bombers through, blowing up two buses. But these attacks are likely to backfire.

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/ 3 September 2004

Bafana can take heart from Tunis

With two crucial World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifiers coming up, Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter will have to find himself a consistent squad. Starting on Sunday against the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Bafana Bafana must get maximum points to keep them on top of the table.

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/ 3 September 2004

Trophy hunting

Next Sunday South Africa will play Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy, and unless the cosmos is controlled by an excitable Bollywood screenwriter, an 11th consecutive one-day loss will be averted by Graeme Smith’s team, a ghastly record dodged, and perhaps a moment of clarity achieved.

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/ 3 September 2004

Wayne’s new world

So there he is, the 18-year-old Wayne Rooney. Looking uncomfortable in a suit and tie. Struggling to string two words together in true young footballer fashion, with the microphones ganging up on him. A £20-million move to Manchester United and the lad from tough Croxteth in Liverpool is definitely history at Everton.

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/ 3 September 2004

Gunners could reach half-century

No sooner had Arsenal first equalled and then broken Nottingham Forest’s 26-year-old record of going 42 league matches without defeat, than doubts were being expressed about the likelihood of such an achievement ever being repeated. The longer the present run lasts the stronger this feeling will become.

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/ 3 September 2004

Slippery slope to the exit door

Marseille likes to bill itself ”a shock as much as a city”, but it was the predictability of Newcastle United’s defeat in the Stade Velodrome in the Uefa Cup semifinal second leg on May 6 — and the shocking reaction it provoked from fans — that ultimately resulted in Sir Bobby Robson reaching a dead end on Tyneside on Monday morning.

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/ 3 September 2004

Weapons case postponed for bail application

A director of a Vanderbijlpark engineering company arrested for allegedly breaking laws on the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction will remain in custody until his bail application next Wednesday. Johan Andries Muller Meyer, dressed in a dark blue suit, said nothing during his brief appearance in court on Friday.

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/ 3 September 2004

Schumacher unhurt in crash

Seven-time formula-one champion Michael Schumacher escaped uninjured on Thursday after a high-speed crash during a testing session. Schumacher’s Ferrari was seriously damaged in the crash, which was attributed to a problem with the back left tire.