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/ 5 August 2005

Chevron ‘knew about attacks’ in Nigeria

Chevron paid Nigerian soldiers who guarded the company’s oil rigs after they allegedly attacked two villages in the African nation, according to company documents that have surfaced during a lawsuit against the energy firm. The invoice asks Chevron to pay 15 000 naira, about , to 23 soldiers who responded to ”attacks from Opia village against security agents”.

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/ 5 August 2005

US military sends scientists to film school

He will have the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the brain of Stephen Hawking. Step forward the Pentagon’s perfect Hollywood hero, possibly coming soon to a screen near you. The United States military is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to send scientists on a screenwriting course, with the aim of producing movies and television shows that portray scientists in a flattering light.

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/ 4 August 2005

Muller drops Massu from field

Gilles Muller of Luxembourg defeated ninth-seeded Nicolas Massu of Chile 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the second round of the Legg Mason Classic on Wednesday. Muller, who lost to Lleyton Hewitt in last year’s championship final, will next face Arnaud Clement of France after he defeated Britain’s Richard Bloomfield 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7).

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/ 3 August 2005

Time Warner slumps to loss

Media and entertainment giant Time Warner said on Wednesday it plunged into the red after setting aside -billion to cover shareholder lawsuits stemming from its 2001 merger with America Online. Time Warner posted a loss of -million in the second quarter to June, from a net profit of -million in the same period last year.

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/ 3 August 2005

Brando novel published

In life, Marlon Brando was an Oscar-winning actor and something of an eccentric. In death, he is about to become a published author. A pirate adventure story he co-wrote 30 years ago has been turned into a novel, and it is claimed the work offers insights into the Hollywood star’s tumultuous life.

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/ 2 August 2005

Dog escapes from Alcatraz

After an inauspicious plop into the choppy waters off Alcatraz, Jake the pooch swam into the history books as the first canine to escape from the former prison island to San Francisco. The golden retriever and his human swimming buddy, Jeff Pokonosky, led a group of competitors that jumped from a boat in waters off the prison for a 2km swim to San Francisco on Saturday.

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/ 2 August 2005

Whatever you do, don’t mention the ‘R’-word

With a comeback title in his pocket and his back-nerve injury now under control, Andre Agassi is riding high as he moves deeper into his American hardcourt summer. The legend capped a return after two months off court hurt as he lifted a fourth title on Sunday at the  000 Mercedes-Benz trophy in Los Angeles, the 60th of his storied career.

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/ 2 August 2005

‘You can click but you can’t hide’

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) on Monday launched a new round of lawsuits in Hollywood’s ongoing battle against film piracy on the internet. The MPAA said it was acting on a court ruling that peer-to-peer swapping networks like Grokster and the software behind them can be held accountable for illegal online film distribution.

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/ 1 August 2005

Agassi rebounds to take 60th title

Andre Agassi returned to match fitness in emphatic fashion on Sunday as the veteran stormed past Gilles Muller 6-4, 7-5 to register his 60th career title at the  000 ATP Mercedes-Benz Cup. ”It feels amazing; this is why you work so hard. I’m taking it all in and feeling good,” Agassi said.

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/ 31 July 2005

Another win for Agassi

Andre Agassi scored a crowd-pleasing win on Saturday, dominating Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela en route to a 6-4, 6-2 semifinal win at the  000 ATP Mercedes-Benz Cup. Agassi is now a win away from his 60th career title; on Sunday he faces the winner from Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller and second seed Dominik Hrbaty.

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/ 30 July 2005

US astronomer claims discovery of 10th planet

A United States astronomer said on Friday he has discovered a 10th planet in the outer reaches of the solar system that could force a redrawing the astronomical map. If confirmed, the discovery would be the first of a planet since Pluto was identified in 1930 and shatter the notion that nine planets circle the sun.

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/ 30 July 2005

Fourteen injured in roller-coaster crash

At least 14 people were rushed to hospital on Friday after two trains on a roller coaster at California’s Disneyland theme park collided, a government official with the nearby city of Anaheim said. In the crash, one car rear-ended another on the California Screamin’ ride at Disney’s California Adventure park.

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/ 29 July 2005

New biography reflects dizzying life of Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix might have stayed in the army. He might have been sent to Vietnam. Instead, he pretended he was gay. And with that, he was discharged from the 101st Airborne in 1962, launching a musical career that would redefine the guitar, leave other rock heroes of the day speechless and culminate with his headlining performance of The Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock in 1969.

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/ 29 July 2005

Agassi books quarterfinal date in Los Angeles

Top seed Andre Agassi continued his triumphant return from a two-month injury layoff in Los Angeles on Thursday, defeating fellow American Kevin Kim to book a quarterfinal date with Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan. ”This match was much more of a test because he was quicker to hurt me if I left any balls short,” Agassi said.

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/ 29 July 2005

As Discovery docks, debris crisis irks Nasa

Nasa pledged to press ahead with its troubled space shuttle programme on Thursday night after its decision to ground the ageing fleet over safety fears raised new questions about the agency’s future direction. Shuttle managers now admit they may never be able to solve the debris problem that doomed the Columbia shuttle two years ago.

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/ 27 July 2005

New York apologises after Britons seized

New York’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has apologised to a group of British tourists after armed police swarmed on to an open-top sightseeing bus, handcuffed them and forced them to kneel on Broadway. The police cordoned off the block for 90 minutes, ordered all 60 passengers off the bus, and searched their belongings and then their bodies.

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/ 27 July 2005

Plan for Dalai Lama lecture angers neuroscientists

The Dalai Lama is at the centre of an unholy row among scientists over his plans to deliver a lecture at a prominent neuroscience conference. His talk stems from a growing interest in how Buddhist meditation may affect the brain, but researchers who dismiss such studies as little more than mumbo-jumbo say they will boycott the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting if it goes ahead.

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/ 27 July 2005

Bush was unprepared for post-war chaos

An independent panel headed by two former United States national security advisers on Wednesday said chaos in post-war Iraq was due in part to inadequate post-war planning. Planning for reconstruction should match the serious planning that goes into making war, said the panel headed by Samuel Berger and Brent Scowcroft.

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/ 27 July 2005

Agassi makes return with lopsided win

Andre Agassi made a triumphant return to the court after a two-month injury layoff, routing French lucky loser Jean-Rene Lisnard 6-1, 6-0 in Los Angeles on Tuesday at a  000 ATP hard-court tournament. The 35-year-old American has not played a tour match since an opening-round loss at the French Open in May.

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/ 26 July 2005

US unions to break away from national movement

The United States trade union movement was poised for its greatest rift in almost 70 years on Monday as unions representing a third of the membership announced plans to set up a rival organisation. Four of the country’s largest unions said they would boycott the annual convention of the American Federation of Labour-Congress of Industrial Organisations in Chicago on Tuesday to form the Change to Win coalition.