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/ 2 October 2006

Canadian school teacher leaves millions to charity

A Canadian teacher who lived a frugal life but gave large, anonymous donations to people in need, has left a C,3-million (,8-million) fortune to an environmental charity. Roberta Langtry (89) kept her wealth a secret until her death last year. The Toronto woman had worked as an elementary school teacher and speech therapist for 55 years, quietly amassing millions.

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/ 29 September 2006

Egypt whitewash SA at squash champs

The top four seeds in the Women’s World Team Squash championships — England, The Netherlands, Malaysia, Egypt — took their allotted places in the semifinals when the completed easy 3-0 wins over their respective opponents in the first round of the knockout play-offs in Edmonton, Canada.

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/ 26 September 2006

SA cause surprise at world squash champs

South Africa, seeded 12th, caused a major surprise in the first round of the Women’s World Squash Championships in Edmonton, Canada, when they defeated defending champions Australia, the fifth seeds, 2-1. Australia drew first blood when Kasey Brown outplayed Tenille Swartz in four games. South African captain Claire Nitch evened matters by defeating Melissa Martin in straight games.

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/ 18 September 2006

NZ rugby women win World Cup

New Zealand won a third straight Women’s Rugby World Cup crown when they held off England 25-17 in the final on Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium. Lock Monalisa Codling scored the only try of the first half moments before the break for New Zealand’s Black Ferns to lead 10-3.

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/ 5 September 2006

England too strong for SA’s rugby women

England captain Sue Day scored four of her side’s 12 tries on Monday evening as they proved too strong for South Africa in their IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup match at Ellerslie Rugby Park in Edmonton, Canada. The 2002 runners-up started the match full of life with flyhalf Shelley Rae pulling the strings.

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/ 21 August 2006

SA swimmer strikes gold in Canada

Another two world records lit up the final night of the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, Canada on Sunday. But it was also a night in which Suzaan van Biljon bagged South Africa’s first gold medal of the competition. Michael Phelps was the first to break his own world mark, set in 2003, in the 200m individual medley after reaching the wall in 1:55,84.

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/ 20 August 2006

SA swimmers in fine form in Canada

South Africa’s Lyndon Ferns cruised through the heats of the 100m butterfly at the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, Canada, on Saturday morning. South Africa’s 800m silver medallist at these championships, Troyden Prinsloo, meanwhile, qualified for the 400m freestyle final.

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/ 19 August 2006

SA govt under fire at Aids conference

South Africa will ”never achieve redemption” for its HIV/Aids policies, the United Nations special envoy to Africa told the closing session of the International Aids Conference in Toronto on Friday. Stephen Lewis accused the government of expounding HIV/Aids theories ”more worthy of a lunatic fringe”.

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/ 17 August 2006

Manto should resign, Aids conference hears

Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang should resign over her lack of leadership on HIV/Aids, the Aids Law Project told a conference in Toronto, Canada, on Thursday. ”I believe our minister of health should resign,” head of the project Mark Heywood said to shouts of approval from a packed session room at the International Aids Conference.

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/ 17 August 2006

TAC members slam Aids conference

South African Aids activists have slammed the International Aids Conference for being a show of celebrities and philanthropists, instead of people living with HIV/Aids who could raise the real issues they face. Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) members protested at the South African stand at the conference.

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/ 16 August 2006

More doctors, nurses needed in Aids fight

A shortage of about four million doctors and nurses in 60 poor, primarily African countries has become a major obstacle in fighting HIV/Aids, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. In the announcement made on Tuesday at the International Aids Conference in Toronto, WHO said sub-Saharan Africa has been the worst affected by the shortage.

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/ 16 August 2006

How Aids could threaten SA’s security

The safety and security of the country could be at risk if HIV/Aids among police in South Africa is not addressed and large numbers of them start dying, the International Aids Conference heard in Toronto on Tuesday. A preliminary report shows police work in an environment that increases their risk of HIV infection.

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/ 15 August 2006

Good news in the fight against Aids

New technologies for HIV prevention could have a huge impact on the epidemic, possibly averting millions of new infections in the coming years, the International Aids Conference in Toronto heard on Tuesday. Gita Ramjee, of the HIV prevention research unit in South Africa, said there is a range of new and promising prevention technologies in advanced clinical trials.

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/ 15 August 2006

Aids: Don’t patronise the poor, Clinton warns

Studies showing that people in the poorest African villages take their medicines at a ”stunningly” high percentage are evidence that the poor ”will live if you give them the tools to live”, former United States president Bill Clinton said in Toronto on Monday. Clinton and Microsoft head Bill Gates discussed Aids issues at the International Aids Conference.

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/ 14 August 2006

Labour migration, gender inequities help spread Aids

Gender inequities and labour migration in Southern Africa have been pinpointed as factors contributing to the spread of HIV/Aids in the region by an epidemiologist at the International Aids Conference in Toronto, Canada, on Monday. Chris Beyrer told the opening plenary session that migrant men were 26,3 times more likely to be infected by ”outside concurrent” partners.

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/ 14 August 2006

Federer rallies to take Toronto Masters title

World number one Roger Federer captured his seventh title of the season, rallying to beat France’s Richard Gasquet 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday in the final of the ,45-million Toronto Masters. The Swiss superstar was pushed to three sets in his three prior matches but reached his 17th consecutive final, one shy of Ivan Lendl’s ATP record.

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/ 14 August 2006

Empower women to fight Aids, says Gates

The power to prevent HIV should be put in the hands of women, who depend on men to use a condom and can’t always choose to abstain, Bill Gates told thousands of delegates to the International Aids Conference in Toronto on Sunday. ”We need tools that will allow women to protect themselves,” Gates said.

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/ 13 August 2006

Federer joins Gasquet in Toronto final

World number one Roger Federer fended off a tenacious challenge from Fernando Gonzalez on Saturday, downing the 15th-seeded Chilean 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 to reach the Toronto Masters Series final. It wasn’t exactly the Federer Express, but the top-seeded Swiss finally chugged into his 17th straight ATP final — a streak dating back to his semifinal exit at Roland Garros in 2005.

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/ 12 August 2006

Federer battles into Toronto semifinals

Roger Federer battled through to the Toronto Masters semifinals with a 7-6 6-7 6-3 win over Xavier Malisse on Friday. Playing his first event since claiming his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title, the world number one has yet to slip into a comfortable rhythm and for the second consecutive night was taken to three sets.

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/ 11 August 2006

‘Hungry people can’t eat Aids messages’

Good nutrition could be the only available life-prolonging alternative to people living with HIV/Aids in rural areas, a senior officer for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation said on Thursday. He said the South African Department of Health can ”do more and do better” when it comes to fighting HIV/Aids.

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/ 10 August 2006

Federer eases through in Toronto

Top seed Roger Federer and number four Ivan Ljubicic swept through into the third round while American James Blake fell flat to exit on an off-day at the Toronto Masters on Wednesday. Federer, playing his first event since winning his fourth straight Wimbledon title a month ago, rolled over Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-3.

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/ 2 August 2006

Buffalo take over northern Canada town

Wild buffalo have taken over a small town in Canada’s far north, but unlike stray cats, pigeons, and other nuisance animals, these massive bovine pests can smash a truck, a local official said on Tuesday. The so-called wood bison wandered into Fort Providence in the North-west Territories in May.

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/ 27 July 2006

Red-faced spellcheck firm corrects own spelling

A company that sells software to correct irritating internet spelling mistakes has reissued its latest news release to correct a minor snafu. ”It’s very embarrassing,” said Pat Brink, public relations consultant for the Toronto-based company. ”I made the mistake, not TextTrust — they do a much better job, It’s certainly egg on the face of this public relations person.”

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/ 6 July 2006

Boeing nears multibillion-dollar Canada deal

United States aerospace giant Boeing is well placed to win a multibillion-dollar deal to provide strategic transport aircraft and helicopters to Canada. The Canadian government last week announced plans to purchase 16 helicopters for Can,7-billion (,2-billion), and 21 military transport planes for Can,3-billion (,4-billion).