Australia has more than its fair share of sharks, crocodiles, deadly spiders and jellyfish, and now residents of one town have been warned to beware a new hazard — the exploding toilet. The local sewerage authority will be cleaning the sewage mains with high-pressure jets.
A monkey is on the loose in Tokyo, hanging out at train stations, frightening children and leading to a wild chase by television crews hoping for a glimpse of the unusual visitor to the metropolis. The monkey, believed to be a Japanese macaque, was first spotted on April 30.
The Merowe/Hamadab dam being built on the Nile River in northern Sudan could cause serious environmental problems, two environmental advocacy groups have warned. The dam is currently the largest hydropower project being developed in Africa and is expected to be completed between 2007 and 2009.
A former politician in southern India has launched a ”rent-a-crowd” company to recruit people to cheer at party rallies and said he has been deluged by would-be recruits, a report on Friday said. Indian political parties are known for paying people to show up for rallies, often transporting them in fleets of buses.
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has refused to sign a controversial new law that would have barred foreign rights groups from operating in the country, a newspaper said on Thursday. Meanwhile, United Nations envoy Joaquim Chissano arrived in Zimbabwe for talks with Mugabe on Thursday.
Roger Federer’s campaign to become only the sixth man to win all four grand slams faces another gruelling examination at the French Open, a tournament where his mediocre record shames his standing as one of the greatest players of all time. In six visits to the French Open, Federer has never got beyond the quarterfinals.
CSKA Moscow came back to beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1 and win the Uefa Cup on Wednesday, with Daniel Carvalho setting up all three goals. CSKA became the first Russian team to win a European final. Dynamo Moscow came close, reaching the 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup final, but lost to Rangers.
Standard Bank has shut down a phony internet site set up by fraudsters to obtain customers’ banking details. The bank established early on Thursday that a fraudulent e-mail was being circulated, attempting to obtain customers’ internet passwords, card numbers and personal identification number details.
Dynamos made certain of keeping their place in the Premier Soccer League when they beat Ajax Cape Town by 3-0 at Newlands Stadium on Wednesday night.
The visitors from Giyani, who were placed 14th before the game, led 2-0 at the interval. Their victory catapults them to 10th spot, with 32 points from 29 matches.
The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) was higher in noon trade on Thursday, taking its cue from stronger world markets. However, overall gains were pared by a stronger rand, which took resources into the red. By 11.57am, the all-share and all-share industrial indices added 0,18% and 0,33% respectively.