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/ 19 January 2004
Comedian Marc Lottering admitted at the scene of a car crash in Sea Point, Cape Town, that he had had ”too much to drink”, a Cape Town magistrate heard on Monday. Lottering was arrested then for alleged drunken driving and reckless or negligent driving.
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/ 19 January 2004
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder began an African tour on Monday with a pledge of more aid for Ethiopia and an announcement of funds for the African Union (AU) to set up an African peacekeeping training centre in Ghana. Schroeder’s trip is also scheduled to take in South Africa, Kenya and Ghana.
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/ 19 January 2004
They say only two things are sure in life, death and taxes, but rarely do they come together as in the case of the Finnish taxman who last week died at his desk and went unnoticed for two days. The 60-year-old auditor died last Tuesday, but it took his colleagues until Thursday to notice his demise.
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/ 19 January 2004
The rand’s near-18% move between a best level of R6,2348 a dollar on January 6 and R7,5750 on January 16 makes it unlikely that the rand’s volatility this year will be less than 30%, but the very stable year of 1999 started equally poorly, as the rand traded between R5,665 and R6,31 in January 1999.
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/ 19 January 2004
Sudanese authorities closed two clubs of the Eritrean community in Khartoum after finding out that activities harmful to Sudan’s national security were being conducted there, a press report said on Monday. An ”informed source” said ”espionage and other activities irrelevant to the nature of the clubs were being practised”.
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/ 19 January 2004
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, accused of plotting to ”eliminate” President Robert Mugabe, on Monday stood on the witness stand for the first time since his trial began last February. He denied allegations that he plotted to assassinate Mugabe, saying Mugabe was ”hero of the liberation struggle”.
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/ 19 January 2004
The official opposition Democratic Alliance has submitted written parliamentary questions to the presidency requesting a breakdown of costs incurred by the South African taxpayer for President Thabo Mbeki’s recent visit to Haiti. Mbeki recently attended Haiti’s bi-centenary celebrations.
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/ 19 January 2004
A seemingly intractable dispute is under way in Sierra Leone between hawkers and those who are tired of weaving their way through the teeming roadside markets that have sprung up in the capital. Authorities recently launched a programme called Operation Free Flow to clear Freetown’s streets of vendors.
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/ 19 January 2004
Splits emerged in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s inner circle on Monday over possible changes to the path of the controversial West Bank barrier as Israeli police went on high alert for attacks in Tel Aviv. A police spokesperson said there had been warnings of a series of planned attacks by Palestinian militants in Israel’s largest city.
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/ 19 January 2004
Three strong earthquakes shook mountainous areas in central and southern Iran early on Monday, causing fearful residents to spend a freezing night outdoors, the official Irna news agency reported. The tremors struck less than a month after an earthquake devastated the city of Bam and killed at least 41Â 000 people.