Staff Reporter
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/ 24 March 2004

Warning over child soldiers

Burundi’s warlords are recruiting thousands of child soldiers despite a peace accord which was supposed to end a decade of conflict, according to a report published on Wednesday by Amnesty International. ”The prospects for a lasting peace will be seriously threatened as those who have known only violence are re-recruited … or turn to violent crime,” the report says.

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/ 24 March 2004

‘Everyone is in our sights’

The Israeli government has approved the elimination of the entire leadership of Hamas and other militant groups following the assassination of the Islamic resistance movement’s founder and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Israel’s internal security minister, Tsahi Hanegbi, said the government had given a green light to the army to kill ”the worst terrorists”.

  • Israel ‘targeting Hamas leadership’
  • ‘Israel has opened the gate to hell’
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    / 24 March 2004

    White House in row over September 11 evidence

    The White House was facing a crisis in confidence on Wednesday over its handling of the al-Qaeda threat prior to September 11, as a public inquiry into the attacks demanded to question George Bush’s national security adviser. The standoff with the inquiry could damage the White House’s popularity in a tightly contested presidential campaign.

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    / 24 March 2004

    A roving we will go

    MG Rover has increased its range in South Africa with the arrival of the Rover Streetwise, aimed at youthful buyers and the young at heart. For this model the Poms invented the catch-phrase "Urban Tough." Is this Streetwise finger-licking good? Motormouth Gavin Foster puts it to the test.

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    / 24 March 2004

    Keeping rural towns alive

    The Karoo dorp of Beaufort West is a curious mix. It is the birthplace of heart surgeon Christiaan Barnard and has a museum in his honour. It is the place where anti-apartheid activists downed a helicopter in the 1980s. Unemployment stands at an estimated 60% among the about 60 000 Central Karoo residents. Taking the Central Karoo from bust to boom needs more jobs that will stay.

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    / 24 March 2004

    Something to chew on

    DIY sex scandals, spaced out testimonies from astronauts on UFO sightings, nun target practice games, poking fun at Pokémon, handicapped kittens, competitive eating, and sideburns for sale online — Ian Fraser does what you don’t have time to do and brings you the bizarre on the net.

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    / 24 March 2004

    A world-class myth

    In 1973, when the Organisation for African Unity held its conference in Addis Ababa, Emperor Haile Selassie threw a splendid banquet for the media. At the time Ethiopia was in the grip of its most famous famine. Not a callous man, the emperor was simply going along with normal protocol that requires heads of state to deliver what we now call "world-class" hospitality.