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/ 7 February 2005
When most people rummage through their kitchen drawers, they rarely uncover anything more exciting than a mislaid knife. Joanne and David Austin, however, found a lottery ticket that made them rich. The couple, from Hull in northern England, were oblivious to the fact they had bought a winning ticket in Britain’s National Lottery a month ago.
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/ 7 February 2005
Half of all Chinese-made fireworks fail to meet basic safety standards, state media said on Monday, ahead of the Lunar New Year when the hazardous products will be used in massive numbers. Fireworks are an indispensable part of new year celebrations, leading to large numbers of injuries and deaths every year.
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/ 7 February 2005
Negotiations with the European Union on Iran’s nuclear programme are entering a crucial phase but Tehran will continue to reject calls for it to abandon sensitive fuel-cycle work, Iranian officials said on Monday. ”We are expecting the negotiations to be serious and meaningful,” said Iran’s Vice-President and atomic energy head Gholamreza Aghazadeh.
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/ 7 February 2005
Oil prices fell on Monday on expectations of warmer weather in the United States’s north-east, as traders digested comments from the Group of Seven (G7) finance meeting at the weekend, dealers said. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March fell 40 cents to ,08 a barrel in electronic deals.
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/ 7 February 2005
A local conflict over control of relatively small amounts of oil in Nigeria can have immediate global consequences. Human Rights Watch has released a 22-page report on the conflict between rival gangs in the Nigerian Delta, which underlines the importance of addressing the root causes of the violence that has taken dozens of innocent lives.
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/ 7 February 2005
As internet counselling services go, its scope is, at the very least, ambitious. The latest in online help services is designed to address the most extreme of social problems: the danger of straying into international terrorism. There is also a hotline for families worried that their sons are dabbling with murderous extremism.
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/ 7 February 2005
The Pope appeared at his hospital window on Sunday and uttered four almost unintelligible words of blessing to the crowds below to show that his ailing body has not yet defeated him. Sitting at an open window on the top floor of Rome’s Gemelli hospital, dressed in his full white papal attire, the 84-year-old pontiff looked pale.
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/ 7 February 2005
The likelihood of a 50 basis-point cut in interest rates by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) stands at about 60%, according to Lehman Brothers economist Tolga Ediz. Commenting in a recent research note, the London-based Ediz said that the choice facing the SARB’s monetary policy committee at its February meeting will not be an easy one.
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/ 7 February 2005
The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) roared to a record high on Monday morning, fuelled by a weaker rand and strong performances by heavyweight dual-listed stocks offshore. A firmer trend on world markets further helped sentiment. By 12.02pm, the all-share index was up 0,73% at 13Â 096,990 after earlier touching a highest-to-date 13Â 115,830.
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/ 7 February 2005
The Congress of South African Trade Unions on Sunday responded to claims in a Zimbabwe newspaper that its visits to the country were masterminded and sponsored in Washington. Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance’s plan to send a delegation to Zimbabwe is ”highly provocative”, says the African National Congress.