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/ 12 April 2005

Schoolchildren taken hostage in German town

A man armed with two knives pulled several schoolchildren off a public bus in a north-west German town on Tuesday and forced at least four of them into a nearby house. Police quickly surrounded the home. The mother of one of the children who escaped from the bus said the man told them he wants to bring his family to Germany from Iran.

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/ 12 April 2005

Dog saves dog after accident

It was one of those heartwarming Lassie moments. Lacey the golden Labrador survived a 30m fall down a cliff when her friend Sheena, a black Labrador, raised the alarm, coast guards in Wales said on Tuesday. Lacey became trapped after slipping down a rocky slope near South Stack, in Holyhead, north Wales, on Monday.

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/ 12 April 2005

Tshwane ‘correctly registered’

The Tshwane Metropolitan Council followed due process in registering the name Tshwane with the South African Geographical Names Council, says the body. Meanwhile, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa found the South African Broadcasting Corporation has done nothing wrong by referring to the area as Tshwane in its bulletins.

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/ 12 April 2005

Striking police officers face court action

Criminal charges are being laid against Johannesburg metro police who embarked on an illegal strike about overtime pay last week, metro police chief Chris Ngcobo said on Tuesday. Ngcobo made the announcement after the Johannesburg Labour Court on Tuesday confirmed as valid an interim interdict declaring the strike illegal.

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/ 12 April 2005

Liberty to restructure after merger

The Liberty Group said on Tuesday it believes the merger process with Capital Alliance provides the ideal opportunity to restructure the two businesses to obtain maximum synergies. The group has communicated some of its thinking on the proposed post-merger structure for the combined group.

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/ 12 April 2005

Thatcher pops into lap-dance club

Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister, has made a rare public appearance for her beloved Conservative Party — at a glitzy London lap-dancing club. Thatcher (79), toting her trademark handbag, turned up on Sunday at Stringfellow’s for a Tory fund-raising event ahead of the May 5 general election.

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/ 12 April 2005

Kenya seeks $1m compensation for oil spill

Authorities in Kenya are seeking -million in compensation from the Indian owners of an oil tanker that spilled 140 tonnes of crude into Mombasa harbour last week. Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (Nema) asked the owners of the MV Ratna Shalini to pay 76-million shillings (-million) for the spill that forced a frantic clean-up effort.