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/ 18 February 2005
A Sasol group company, African Amines, has illegally exported chemicals to Iran that could be used in the manufacture of chemical weapons. This emerges from a plea bargain agreement in the Durban Regional Court, struck last November, which appears to have saved the multibillion-rand petrochemical company from international embarrassment.
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/ 18 February 2005
The government is planning a radical overhaul of the governance and administration of the courts, on the grounds that existing oversight mechanisms have failed to achieve thorough transformation. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla announced this week that a ”concept paper” on the transformation of the judicial system will be tabled before Cabinet.
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/ 18 February 2005
Two etchings by celebrated South African artist Diane Victor have been removed from public view at the University of Pretoria, amid a row over alleged censorship. The etchings form part of a series of 16 titled <i>Disasters of Peace</i> — a reference to Goya’s <i>Disasters of War</i> — on the theme of crime in South Africa. They were loaned by Sanlam late last year.
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/ 18 February 2005
In his final term in office and with huge delivery backlogs threatening his legacy, President Thabo Mbeki is moving to bolster the national government to give it greater decision-making powers over provinces and the local government. The moves will require no constitutional changes to the enshrined independence of the three spheres of government. However, it is clear that Mbeki is seeking a stronger hand.
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/ 18 February 2005
Circles of black ash and wire that once were tyres, and rocks placed across the street to stop traffic from entering or leaving the township, speak of an explosion waiting to happen. At a meeting at Phomolong’s local library, the message is clear: the African National Congress is wrong, or is refusing to face facts, by demeaning the violence that rocked this part of the Free State as the work of seditious troublemakers.
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/ 18 February 2005
African communities dispossessed under apartheid have claimed at least a quarter of the land in the Kruger National Park, including its headquarters at Skukuza. If all the claims were validated under the Restitution Act, they "would probably cost the park its survival as a national park and an international icon", said South African National Parks communications head Wanda Mkutshulwa.
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/ 18 February 2005
A Hong Kong mother is seeking HK 000 ( 400) compensation from fast food giant KFC, alleging a rat in one of its outlets scratched and hurt her two-year-old son, press reports said on Friday. Tsui Fung-fai said a fist-sized black rat dropped ”from the sky” onto her son while they were eating at a KFC restaurant in Hong Kong’s New Territories area last year.
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/ 18 February 2005
Microsoft said on Thursday it was recalling about 14-million power cords for the software giant’s Xbox gaming consoles due to a potential fire risk. ”This is a preventative step we’re choosing to take despite the rarity of these incidents,” said Robbie Bach, senior Vice-President of the Home and Entertainment Division.
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/ 18 February 2005
The difference between man and machine is shrinking. Scientists have developed a robot that ”learns” to walk like a toddler, improving its step and balance with every stride. The robot uses its curved feet and motorised ankles to spring its legs forward, its arms swinging at every step to help with balance.
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/ 18 February 2005
Dogs in Outback Australia are getting hallucinogenic ”highs” from licking the backs of cane toads, a vet in the Northern Territory town of Katherine said on Friday. Megan Pickering said she was getting used to dogs being brought in that had developed a taste for the poisonous secretions.