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/ 16 January 2006
The Retail Motor Industry (RMI) has moved to end what it calls confusion in the fuel sector, saying on Monday it has taken steps to help drivers choose proper fuel for their cars. "An alarming 60% of motorists up until the end of last year had still not made the switch to unleaded," RMI CEO Jeff Osborne said in a statement.
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/ 16 January 2006
A faulty digital television receiver sparked a helicopter rescue mission after sending out a rogue distress signal, Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) said on Sunday. The "freeview" box normally allows television viewers access to dozens of digital TV and radio channels via a standard, rooftop aerial.
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/ 16 January 2006
Richard, a 14-year old grey-and-black gorilla, was declared the winner of the Prague zoo’s alternative reality show on Sunday and can look forward to a first prize of 12 melons (<i>melon</i> meaning million in Czech slang), the zoo said. Richard is the dominant male in the group of four gorillas.
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/ 16 January 2006
It may be the Year of the Dog, but in Japan man’s best friend has seen better days with a bitter winter leaving the canine population suffering indoors, veterinarians said on Monday. Dogs have suffered a greater number of cases this winter of cystitis, a bladder inflammation, since the snow has kept them from going for walks.
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/ 16 January 2006
A Maori cultural performer who head-butted a Dutch tourist during a traditional indigenous welcome was on Monday ordered to do 150 hours of community work. Richard Minarapa Mitai-Ngatai (40) pleaded guilty last month to assaulting Dutch tourist Johannes Scheffers, because he thought Scheffers was laughing at the ceremony.
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/ 16 January 2006
Ariel Sharon blinked his eyes on Monday as a tape of his grandson was being played, but medics treating Israel’s coma-stricken premier said it is too early to assess the significance of the development. Meanwhile, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was officially named interim chairperson of Sharon’s Kadima party on Monday.
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/ 16 January 2006
A fire broke out in an office building in the Russian Pacific coast city of Vladivostok on Monday, killing nine people and injuring at least 15 others as trapped victims jumped from windows to escape the smoke and flames. Officials said that some stairwells in the building were blocked by gates, hampering rescue efforts.
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/ 16 January 2006
Scores of river-dwelling hippos are dying in Kenya’s famed Maasai Mara National Reserve due to a searing drought that threatens the country’s renowned wildlife and has put millions of people across East Africa at risk of famine, officials and witnesses said on Monday.
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/ 16 January 2006
When researching the now famous Rusconi report, actuary Rob Rusconi had no idea what his findings would show — and he certainly never envisaged the furore that would follow. In 2003, he spent six months conducting detailed analyses of the life and pension industries in South Africa, and his findings shocked industry and the government.
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/ 16 January 2006
Seventy percent of young people feel there is no good reason to vote in the upcoming municipal elections, a survey revealed on Monday. Cynicism and ambivalence among potential voters suggests voter turnout could be as low as 41%, compared with an average of 48% in the last two local elections, the survey found.