Just in case anyone should desire such a thing, a South Korean firm has filed a patent in the United States for a musical washing machine. The design for a machine with a built-in MP-3 player and speakers "is just a concept art but we have the technology to produce a washing machine that makes little noise", LG Electronics spokesperson Kim Hyung-Jong said.
Australian protesters held a ”picnic rally” against the logging of native forests while hundreds of Indian policemen swapped guns for spades on Tuesday to highlight World Environment Day. Across Asia, people learned about worm farming and listened to lectures about renewable energy.
Unions appealed on Tuesday to striking public servants to remain disciplined after clashes at schools and hospitals in some provinces. ”The unions are doing everything possible to make action peaceful, disciplined and legal and condemn any attempts to use violence and intimidation,” said Congress of South African Trade Unions spokesperson Patrick Craven.
Radio and television personality Manu Padayachee died in his sleep in the early hours of June 5 in Johannesburg. His girlfriend Feroza Kathrada said Padayachee, who had been receiving treatment for an upper respiratory tract infection, died peacefully shortly before 4am.
New Zealand flanker Jerry Collins has recovered from a heel injury and will take his place in the pack for the second Test against France in Wellington on Saturday. All Blacks coach Graham Henry made six changes to the side that routed the inexperienced French party 42-11 at Auckland’s Eden Park last weekend.
Coca-Cola said on Tuesday it will reduce the amount of water used to produce its beverages and put more effort into recycling the water it uses in manufacturing. Coke, which along with its bottlers used 290-billion litres of water for beverage production last year, said it would make a -million commitment to the WWF.
No country in the world has been able to flout international law as much as Israel in the four decades since the Six Day War. Speaking at a reception for Arab ambassadors posted to Pretoria, South Africa’s Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said the international community had failed the Palestinian people by not putting an end to the occupation of their land.
United States President George Bush on Monday flew to Europe where he will confront Russian President Vladimir Putin over US plans to base a new missile defence system in former Russian satellite countries. Bush and Putin are set for a showdown at the G8 summit in Germany where they are due to hold bilateral talks.
Businessman Tokyo Sexwale confirmed he had been lobbied by African National Congress (ANC) members to stand as party president but said he had not yet decided whether to do so. ”I’m not in the running yet because I told you there’s no track,” Sexwale told veteran broadcaster John Perlman.
The plight of overworked Japanese employees was highlighted at the weekend when it emerged that a policeman had stabbed himself in the stomach and tried to make it look like an assault so that he could take time off work. Tomoyuki Mukaide had worked for two months without a break after an earthquake that struck Ishikawa prefecture in north-west Japan.