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/ 11 January 2006
Kim Jong-Il has no chance to see it, but thousands have flocked to an exhibition in Tokyo of happy family photos of a Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korea, fuelling anger against his regime. Megumi Yokota was snatched away in 1977 when the then 13-year-old schoolgirl was on her way home.
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/ 11 January 2006
South Africa recorded average house-price growth of 21,9% in 2005, down from the rapid 32,2% average growth seen in 2004, according to the latest Absa house-price index, released on Wednesday. Banking group Absa is expecting house-price growth to slow further in 2006, to between 10% and 12% year-on-year.
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/ 11 January 2006
India go into the first Test against arch-rivals Pakistan in Lahore on Friday struggling to find a place in the playing eleven for former captain Sourav Ganguly. Sacked as captain in October after a damaging row with coach Greg Chappell and struggling to find his best form with the bat, Ganguly has created a selection headache for the team management.
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/ 11 January 2006
Clearly those who hailed the African Nations Cup draw as a godsend for Bafana Bafana when it was made in Cairo in November 2005 were barking up the wrong tree — and South Africa can expect three testing opening-round matches against Tunisia, Zambia and Guinea.
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/ 11 January 2006
A Zimbabwean judge who had ruled in favour of President Robert Mugabe’s opponents has been found guilty of corruption, local reports said on Wednesday. High Court Judge Benjamin Paradza was arrested in February 2003 for allegedly trying to persuade a fellow judge to release the passport of a white business associate who was awaiting trial on murder charges.
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/ 11 January 2006
"It would be great if we could all buy the most expensive tyres for our cars every time we needed them, but for most of us that’s impossible. Most cars are used as simple commuting tools, driven by ordinary people who live on a tight budget," writes Gavin foster.
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/ 11 January 2006
Listed clothing and food retailer Woolworths has reported a 16,3% rise in sales for the six-months to end-December 2005 compared to the same period a year earlier. In a trading statement released on Wednesday, Woolworths said trading over the festive season had been in line with expectations.
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/ 11 January 2006
Cup holders that chill drinks, interior lights that turn into flashlights and sound systems that hook up to iPods are just some of the new perks car makers are unveiling at this year’s Detroit auto show. Americans are spending more and more time on the road and many treat their vehicles like a second home.
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/ 11 January 2006
China’s foreign minister began a six-nation African tour on Wednesday, which analysts say will focus on boosting energy ties and forging stronger global political alliances to counterbalance United States dominance. Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will visit Cape Verde, Senegal, Mali, Liberia, Nigeria and Libya during the trip, set to end on January 19.
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/ 11 January 2006
Among the many mysteries in the world of British crime writer Agatha Christie is how she came to be the biggest-selling fiction author of all time. Thirty years after her death on January 12 1976, British linguistics experts reckon they have solved part of the puzzle as to how she came to sell an estimated two billion books worldwide.