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/ 7 February 2005
Zimbabwe ruling Zanu-PF has fired the seventh of its 10 provincial chairperson — nearly two months after he was arrested for allegedly spying for neighbouring South Africa. Wealthy lawmaker Philip Chiyangwa has lost his post as chairperson of the Mashonaland West province.
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/ 7 February 2005
Insurgents struck at Iraqi police forces with a suicide bomb, a car bomb and mortars in the cities of Mosul and Baqouba on Monday, killing at least 30 people as they pressed their campaign to undermine the nation’s fledgling security forces. The Mosul blast was claimed on a website by the al-Qaeda in Iraq group.
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/ 7 February 2005
The South African Bank Note company (SABN) has dismissed reports that its new R20 note has been counterfeited, saying forgers could not possibly match the technology required to produce the currency. ”Even if they managed to get a semblance of accuracy, they would not even get the feel of the paper right,” said SABN managing director Peter Gloster.
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/ 7 February 2005
People who feel the need to talk to their near and dear even after they have passed away can now do so quite literally, thanks to a special cellphone invented by a German who wanted to keep in touch with his late mother. The system consists of a one-way phone and loudspeaker device that can be buried close to the person’s coffin.
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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
The concept of lovesickness might be more than just a flighty poetic notion, as it can burden the afflicted with genuine mental trauma, a British psychological study warned on Sunday. In the most serious cases, the "disease" can prove fatal, the researchers said, calling for lovesickness to be taken more seriously by the medical profession.
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/ 7 February 2005
A suburban Sydney fireman has been suspended after his station was unable to answer an emergency call because he had allegedly driven the fire engine on a pizza run, fire officials said on Monday. The New South Wales Fire Brigade has launched an inquiry. "This is extremely rare," said assistant fire commissioner John Benson.
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/ 7 February 2005
A budding romance between a Jordanian man and woman turned into an ugly public divorce when the couple found out that they were in fact man and wife, state media reported on Sunday. Separated for several months, boredom and chance briefly reunited Bakr Melhem and his wife, Sanaa, in an internet chat room.
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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.