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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
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.
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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
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
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
Few sights are as comical as a low-wattage academic astride his war-donkey. Michiel Heyns, once of Stellenbosch University, came wobbling into the plagiarism lists last week on a beast that had clearly gone lame. Sir Michiel was jousting in favour of redefining plagiarism as a steal-by-numbers system.
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/ 18 February 2005
Zimbabwe police wearing riot-control gear on Thursday beat up protesters, arresting 14 of them, during a march in downtown Harare to demand free and fair elections, the organisers said. Police charged on the 200 protesters as they approached a city park, distributing flyers and carrying placards during the march organised by the National Constitutional Assembly.
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/ 18 February 2005
Israel’s Attorney General lifted the threat of indictment against Ariel Sharon on Thursday in a scandal over illegal campaign funds but charged the prime minister’s son, Omri, with fraud and other crimes in the same case. Omri Sharon faces up to seven years in jail if convicted of charges over the alleged laundering of illegal campaign contributions.
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/ 18 February 2005
New evidence has emerged that United States forces in Afghanistan engaged in widespread Abu Ghraib-style abuse, taking ”trophy photographs” of detainees and carrying out rape and sexual humiliation. The abuses took place in the main detention centre at Bagram, near the capital Kabul, as well as at a smaller US installation near Kandahar.
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/ 18 February 2005
John Negroponte, the United States Ambassador in Baghdad, was on Thursday nominated as the first director of national intelligence, making him potentially the most powerful spy chief in US history. Announcing Negroponte’s nomination President George Bush described intelligence as ”our first line of defence” in the struggle with terrorists.