Staff Reporter
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/ 30 May 2006

US faces new challenge after riots in Kabul

An early morning traffic accident in Kabul involving a United States military vehicle rapidly degenerated on Monday into the worst upheaval in the Afghan capital since the fall of the Taliban, as angry protesters burned vehicles and buildings, ransacked shops and aid agencies and hurled rocks and invective at American soldiers.

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/ 30 May 2006

Eagles, birdies — crocodiles!

Townsville Golf Club president Terry Walsh thought golfers reporting crocodiles on the course were hallucinating — until he saw them himself. "For the last two years, the people I play golf with have been saying there were crocs on the course and I thought they were on drugs," Walsh told the Australian Associated Press in the tropical northern city.

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/ 30 May 2006

Daewoo founder sentenced to 10-year jail term

Daewoo Group founder Kim Woo-Choong was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for fraud and embezzlement relating to the collapse of the firm under heavy debts. The Seoul Central District Court said Kim, aged 69 and in poor health, was also ordered to repay 21,4-trillion won ($22,5-billion dollars) in restitution, along with a fine of 10-million won.

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/ 30 May 2006

Viagra blamed for STDs in pensioners

By day, residents of The Villages enjoy all the respectable pursuits of a healthy old age — a hand of cards, a tea dance and perhaps a round of golf before happy hour. But doctors are reporting a sharp rise in sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes and human papillomavirus among pensioners at the retirement community and say the growing popularity of Viagra is to blame.

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/ 30 May 2006

China to ban smoking for duration of Olympics

It is going to come as a shock to tens of millions of lungs, but the Chinese government is planning a tobacco-free Olympics when the world’s heaviest smoking nation hosts the event in 2008. ”Let a smokeless games provide healthy competition, a healthy environment and a healthy lifestyle,” the Health Ministry said in a news release.

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/ 30 May 2006

ANC raps youth league over Zuma

The African National Congress Youth League must retract its calls for the party’s next president to be Jacob Zuma, ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe said on Monday. Motlanthe said the youth league ought to be guided by the policies of the party, which gave it the same status as each of the nine provinces in terms of nominations.

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/ 30 May 2006

Vodacom’s profits keep on rising

South African cellular operator Vodacom on Tuesday reported a group-wide customer increase of 51,9% to 23,5-million for the year ended March. Revenue was up 24,6% to R34-billion, while profit from operations rose by 36,9% to R8,9-billion. Vodacom reported net profit after taxation up 32% to R5,1-billion.