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/ 16 February 2006
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered California to reformulate the lethal-injection method used to kill condemned inmates, saying the original might be unconstitutionally painful. United States District Judge Jeremy Fogel refused to stop the February 21 execution of Michael Morales in San Quentin State Prison, but ruled it can proceed only if a quick-killing drug cocktail were used.
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/ 16 February 2006
When Justin Mason moved from Ireland to the United States, he wanted to take his cat — so, as required under the Pet Passport cross-border travel scheme, he had him microchipped. The Pet Passport scheme, which was introduced in 2004, relies on RFID (radio frequency identification) chips to make it work. But the reality is a dog’s dinner.
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/ 16 February 2006
At least seven people have died of dehydration in Somalia over the past month as severe water shortages from a killer regional drought force many to drink their own urine. Oxfam International said communities in southern and central Somalia were living in searing 40°C heat with only three glasses of water a day per person for drinking, washing and cooking.
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/ 16 February 2006
Hungary’s main opposition party, Fidesz, said on Thursday that it had made a "serious mistake" in hacking into the server of the governing Socialist party ahead of the April general elections. "Whichever one of our enthusiastic staff did this committed a serious mistake, but the world will not come to an end," said Fidesz campaign chief Antal Rogan.
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/ 16 February 2006
Capturing market share in emerging countries is vital, according to telecommunications operators who relentlessly plugged their third-generation (3G) mobile phone technology at a four-day 3GSM World Congress in Spain. All are out for a slice of the global pie which is set to comprise three billion cellphone users by 2008/2010 compared with about two billion at the end of 2005.
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/ 16 February 2006
Top Hamas leader Ismail Haniya looked set Thursday to be appointed new Palestinian prime minister as Israel prepared to impose a series of sanctions after the Islamists form a new government. Hamas sources said Haniya, who led the radical movement to a landslide victory in last month’s general election, was clear favourite to be installed as head of government after Saturday’s inaugural session of the new Parliament.
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/ 16 February 2006
A ”vile cocktail” of cancer-causing pollutants has been measured in and around some of South Africa’s industrial centres, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Thursday. He said the country spent more than R4-billion a year on respiratory health problems linked to foul air.
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/ 16 February 2006
A state-appointed commission running Zimbabwe’s fifth largest city of Mutare has ordered property owners in the city to repaint and renovate buildings because the city must look beautiful when it hosts President Robert Mugabe’s 82nd birthday celebrations next week.
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/ 16 February 2006
Zimbabwe has averted expulsion from the International Monetary Fund with a fresh payment on its debt arrears but is far from gaining good standing with the global lender, economists said on Thursday. ”We have got to make a lot of commitments that we will be able to repay new loans and change a lot of political policies that led to our economic problems,” said economist John Robertson.
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/ 16 February 2006
René Préval, who was declared Haiti’s new President on Thursday, has pledged to tackle the Caribbean country’s rampant poverty and seek a national dialogue, though he was yet to announce a clear programme. During his electoral campaign, Préval had asked voters to judge him on his performance during his 1996 to 2001 presidency.