Staff Reporter
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/ 2 March 2007

Waratahs and Force share the spoils

The New South Wales Waratahs and the Western Force played out a 16-16 draw in the fifth round of the Super 14 at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday. The Waratahs had a last-minute chance to win the Australian derby when they were awarded a penalty near the right touchline, but replacement Sam Norton-Knight took a quick tap and lost possession.

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/ 2 March 2007

Bad news for motorists as petrol price set to rise

South Africa’s retail petrol prices will rise by 24 cents a litre from March 7 after a spike in global fuel prices over the past month, the government said on Friday. The retail price of 95 unleaded petrol in Gauteng province, which includes the financial hub of Johannesburg, will increase to R5,99 a litre, the Department of Minerals and Energy said in a statement.

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/ 2 March 2007

Rules force man to urinate in bottle in exam

Exam supervisors at a German university stuck to rules so rigidly that a man with a bladder dysfunction had to urinate in a bottle in front of 120 fellow students because they would not let him go to the toilet. Overseers at the University of Freiburg told the man that he would be failed if he left the room during the exam.

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/ 2 March 2007

Khutsong residents call on Zuma to intervene

The Khutsong Anti-North West Forum on Friday called on African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Jacob Zuma to mediate in the ongoing violent protests that have rocked the Merafong Community near Carletonville, west of Johannesburg. ”This is an ANC vs ANC fight,” said the forum’s organiser, Paul Ncawane.

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/ 2 March 2007

The US religious right’s answer to Wikipedia

It has been attacked many times in its short life, most notably by a former aide to Robert F Kennedy and the editor of <i>Encyclopaedia Britannica</i>. But now the online reference site Wikipedia has a new foe: evangelical Christians. A website founded by United States religious activists aims to counter what they claim is "liberal bias" on Wikipedia.

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/ 2 March 2007

The devil in the detail

This year’s budget was a little more tempered for individual taxpayers. We may have become used to having loads of money put back into our pocket each year, but this year Finance Minister Trevor Manuel held back, covering only for inflation adjustment and the impacts of changes to car allowance and medical aid contributions last year.

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/ 2 March 2007

Planning ahead for retirement

Tumi is now 35 years old, with only four years of retirement savings in her kitty as she cashed in her retirement fund when changing jobs at the age of 31 to buy a car. Her pension fund is only valued at R67 000. She has recently received a 9% increase in salary as a reward for her hard work. Sophia Swartz, a business development manager from Sanlam Financial Advisors, discusses Tumi’s options

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/ 2 March 2007

Parreira sees Bafana future for Benni

South Africa soccer coach Carlos Alberto Parreira expects in-form star striker Benni McCarthy to end his long boycott of the national team after finding his feet in the English Premiership. McCarthy, who has refused to play for Bafana Bafana since 2005, took his tally for new club Blackburn Rovers to 16 when he scored an outstanding winner against Arsenal in the FA Cup in midweek.

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/ 2 March 2007

Blues down Otago to stretch Super 14 lead

The Auckland Blues extended their lead at the top of the Super 14 standings to five points with a 28-9 win over the Otago Highlanders at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues scored three unanswered tries in the second half to run away with the match after Otago had led 6-3 at the break and held their advantage until the final 20 minutes.