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/ 28 October 2004

Cleric charged over Bali bombings

An Indonesian cleric appeared in court on Thursday accused of leading the militant Islamist group responsible for a series of attacks including the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people. Prosecutors read out a 65-page indictment accusing Abu Bakr Bashir of running Jemaah Islamiyah, a south-east Asian terror network, and of using his ”religious charisma” to incite followers to carry out attacks.

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/ 28 October 2004

IFP MP dies on the golf course

A member of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in the National Council of Provinces, Nelson Raju, died while playing a round of golf on Wednesday. Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said in a statement that it was with ”profound sorrow and a sense of loss” that he had received the news that Raju had passed away.

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/ 28 October 2004

Cholera outbreak hits Ugandan refugee camp

A cholera outbreak has killed two people and affected about 50 others in the largest camp for people who fled their homes to escape an 18-year insurgency in northern Uganda, the United Nations said on Thursday. UN investigations have shown that all household domestic water pots are contaminated with faeces.

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/ 28 October 2004

Police target SA’s most wanted

A total of 272 of South Africa’s most-wanted criminals have been arrested since President Thabo Mbeki’s State of the Nation address in May, Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula said on Thursday. He said the police had a long list of most-wanted criminals but Mbeki urged the country’s security agencies to arrest at least 200 of them.

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/ 28 October 2004

Flush new look for Philippines’ airport loos

Stinky and dingy toilets in the Philippines’ premier international airport will soon get a facelift under a massive renovation programme, officials said on Thursday. A total of 42 restrooms at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International airport will be renovated under the project, according to the Manila International Airport Authority.

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/ 28 October 2004

Ethiopia looks to a time beyond food aid

She became the face of famine, yet no one knew her name. Birhan Weldu’s emaciated face became the despairing image of Ethiopia in 1984 and was beamed to TV screens all over the world. Now Birhan, who miraculously survived the 1984 disaster that claimed the lives of one million Ethiopians, has become a symbol of hope for her country.

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/ 28 October 2004

No more eyedrops

Scientists in Singapore have invented a contact lens capable of releasing precise amounts of medication to treat glaucoma and other eye diseases so doing away with eye drops, the developers said on Thursday. The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology is now looking for partners to commercialise the product, which also minimises the harmful seepage of drugs to other body organs.