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/ 12 January 2007

Anyone for tenors?

The face, up on a grimy Edinburgh billboard, was not a pretty one, its pasty skin and flared nostrils giving him the look of a gigantic, severely constipated albino bat nursing its grievances in a sooty belfry. Closer inspection revealed that this specimen belonged to a crew known as the Arctic Monkeys, a rock posse of some renown.

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/ 12 January 2007

Jeppe shoot-out case postponed

The case against 16 murder accused — arrested after the Jeppestown shoot-out in Johannesburg last year — was postponed at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Six armed police officers surrounded the 16 men in the dock while magistrate Delize Smit postponed the case to March 2 to allow for further investigation.

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/ 12 January 2007

Yengeni: From iron bars to blue skies

Fraud convict Tony Yengeni looks set to receive a warm welcome when he is released on parole from Malmesbury Prison on Monday morning. The African National Congress in the Western Cape said on Friday several of its senior members will be there to greet their party’s former chief whip, including provincial secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha and chairperson James Ngculu.

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/ 12 January 2007

Australia cruise to victory in first one-dayer

Australia beat England by eight wickets in the first one-day tri-series match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. Set a target of 243, Australia chased down the total with 4.4 overs to spare after opener Adam Gilchrist struck a rapid 60 and skipper Ricky Ponting a steady unbeaten 82 in front of a boisterous home crowd.

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/ 12 January 2007

Fresh outbreak of bird flu suspected in Nigeria

A suspected fresh outbreak of avian influenza has been reported in northern Nigeria’s Katsina State with more than 5 000 birds infected, the agriculture commissioner said on Friday. ”We have detected an outbreak in three poultry farms in and around the state capital in the past week. We strongly suspect it to be bird flu,” Ali Hussein Dutsin-Ma said.

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/ 12 January 2007

Attackers fire rocket at US embassy in Athens

Suspected leftist guerrillas fired a rocket at the United States embassy in Athens on Friday but no one was hurt in the blast, police and government officials said. In the most serious attack against the mission in 10 years, the small rocket launched from across the street shattered windows and woke up nearby residents in the central Athens area at 5.58am.

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/ 12 January 2007

The Queen takes on Bond at British film awards

James Bond will take on Her Majesty at the British film awards, with Casino Royale garnering nine Bafta nominations on Friday, just one behind frontrunner The Queen. Stephen Frears was on the best director shortlist for The Queen, and Helen Mirren, an Oscar favourite in the leading role, was a best actress nominee for her portrayal of a confused monarch.