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/ 26 September 2005
Historic Russian admiral Fyodor Ushakov — a hero of Russia’s wars against Turkey and Napoleon Bonaparte — was designated the patron saint of nuclear-armed, long-distance Russian bombers by the Orthodox Church on Monday. "His strong faith helped Saint Fyodor Ushakov in all his battles," the church said.
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/ 26 September 2005
The five Democratic Alliance MPs who defected to other parties during the 15-day floor-crossing period earlier this month actually lost their seats, the Cape High Court heard on Monday. DA counsel Jan Heunis said the floor-crossing legislation requires a minimum of 10% of a party’s MPs should leave their party ”in a bloc”.
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/ 26 September 2005
The troubled German department store chain KarstadtQuelle began giving away free flights to New York with the purchase of a special-edition winter coat on Monday in a bid to revive sales. The store is in the midst of a drastic restructuring after narrowly escaping bankruptcy last year.
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/ 26 September 2005
The health ministry has responded angrily to Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi’s criticism of its Aids policies, labelling remarks by the trade union leader at the weekend as ”irresponsible” and saying he needs to get his facts straight. Vavi accused the government of a ”lack of leadership” when it comes to managing HIV.
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/ 26 September 2005
Zambia’s former vice-president Nevers Mumba has formed a political party as part of his bid to challenge President Levy Mwanawasa in next year’s elections, an aide said on Monday. ”He will be a national coordinator of the newly formed Reformed Party,” said John Ziba, Mumba’s spokesperson.
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/ 26 September 2005
Pharmacists billing fridges and television sets to the medical-aid accounts of prison staff are among the types of fraud uncovered in the Department of Correctional Services in recent years. The department saved about R500-million in medical-aid claims in the 2004/05 financial year by clamping down on fraud and corruption.
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/ 26 September 2005
Storms and strong winds in East London have caused the hull of the stranded bulk carrier Kiperousa to break up, sending about 800 giant logs into the sea. Terry Taylor, spokesperson for the East London Ports Authority, said weekend storms accompanied by very strong winds and surf had opened the hull up to the sea.
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/ 26 September 2005
The number of cases of typhoid in Delmas has increased to 594, a Mpumalanga government spokesperson said on Monday. The total number of people with diarrhoea has risen to 3 303 since the typhoid outbreak in the town on August 22, said Lebona Mosia.
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/ 26 September 2005
Between 400 and 500 people were killed in violence around elections in Togo in April, a United Nations report said on Monday, placing much of the blame on the West African state’s authorities. A culture of ethnically-tinged repression and military strength built up over four decades of iron-fisted rule by late president Gnassingbe Eyadema lay at the heart of violence, said a UN fact-finding mission.
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/ 26 September 2005
Northern Ireland took a potentially historic step on Monday towards a lasting peace with the formal announcement that the paramilitary Irish Republican Army (IRA) has destroyed all its weapons. While long-awaited, the report marks a potential watershed in Northern Ireland’s long trek towards a lasting peace, which began more than a decade ago with an IRA ceasefire.