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/ 27 January 2005
”What is it with keyboards? For a long time they were the afterthought, the rather insignificant but necessary twiffle that transformed the beige box into a machine that could actually do something. For most first-time computer buyers, the keyboard barely gets a look-in on the specs front. I’m the exception. And this week, my keyboard really had its time in the sun,” says gadget fanatic Tony Lankester.
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/ 27 January 2005
Former world number one Serena Williams fought back from the brink of defeat to beat teenage prodigy Maria Sharapova and reach the final of the Australian Open on Thursday. The seventh-seeded six-time grand slam title winner now faces either top seed Lindsay Davenport or French 19th seed Nathalie Dechy in Saturday’s final.
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/ 27 January 2005
A gas explosion at a Sasol plant in Sasolburg injured fourteen workers on Wednesday evening. The explosion was caused by a gas leak at the hydrofloric acid plant shortly after 5pm, said Sasol spokesperson Johann van Rheede. The explosion occurred as the plant was being shut down after the leak had been detected.
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/ 27 January 2005
Top businessman Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday he had never even seen the luxury R3-million Maybach 62 vehicle he was said to own. Ramaphosa has launched a defamation case against DaimlerChrysler for claiming he was one of four people in southern Africa to have bought one of the cars.
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/ 27 January 2005
Global food companies are aggravating poverty in developing countries by dominating markets, buying up seed firms and forcing down prices for staple goods including tea, coffee, milk, bananas and wheat, according to a report to be launched on Thursday.
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/ 27 January 2005
The United States on Wednesday suffered its worst day in Iraq since the war began when a marine helicopter crashed in the western desert and insurgents launched a new wave of attacks, leaving a total of 37 Americans dead. US President George Bush declared it ”a sad moment” but called for patience from Americans and courage from Iraqis at Sunday’s elections.
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/ 27 January 2005
The Israeli Defence Minister, Shaul Mofaz, warned on Wednesday that Iran will reach ”the point of no return” within the next 12 months in its covert attempt to secure a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran denies pursuing a nuclear weapons programme.
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/ 27 January 2005
Human-rights lawyer Daniel Molokele has found that the Zanu-PF government has set out to hoodwink SADC leaders with reforms he likens to democratic window dressing. He argues that a closer look will show that the concept of a credible election in March is a political mirage.
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/ 27 January 2005
"Some amongst us" (a presidential signature-phrase) who, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, dashed for cover when police fired purple rain at protesters, and rubber bullets and tear gas at funerals and marches in the 1980s, will vouch that he was not a media creation. Some amongst us will know that his history cannot be rewritten to suit a party agenda.
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/ 27 January 2005
What started as secular socialist rule under the Ba’athists ended as a tribal Sunni regime led by Hussein. For centuries they have comprised the ruling class, but since the fall of Hussein everything has changed for Iraq’s Sunni Arabs. This weekend’s elections are likely only to reinforce their disaffection.