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/ 1 December 2004

Johnnic unbundles Johncom

Johnnic Holdings is unbundling its entire 62,5% shareholding in its media and entertainment subsidiary, Johnnic Communications (Johncom). In terms of the proposal, Johnnic shareholders will acquire a ratio of 39,10 Johncom shares to every 100 Johnnic shares held.

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/ 1 December 2004

New typhoon threatens stricken Philippines

A powerful typhoon is bearing down on the northeastern Philippines, where rescuers are battling to reach survivors from floods and landslides that have killed nearly 350 people. Typhoon Nanmadol is expected to slam into the main island of Luzon on Thursday, hitting the region where another 150 people remain missing since entire villages were washed away by Tropical Storm Winnie two days ago.

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/ 1 December 2004

Econet wins reprieve on cellphone licence

Kenya’s high court has blocked a decision by a Kenyan minister to cancel a licence given last month to Econet Wireless International of South Africa to provide the third mobile phone services in the country, a court official said on Wednesday. Justice Mohamed Ibrahim on Tuesday suspended the minister’s order and gave Econet 21 days to file an updated application.

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/ 1 December 2004

Judgement reserved on medicine prices

Judgment in the appeal application of pharmacists regarding the government’s new medicine pricing regulations was reserved by the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. Advocate Marumo Moerane, for the State, concluded his arguments by asking the court to dismiss the pharmacists’ appeal against a Cape High Court decision to uphold the government’s new medicine regulations.

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/ 1 December 2004

Be sparing to avoid water restictions

If Gautengers use water sparingly between now and May — when authorities will re-assess the drought situation — restrictions might not be necessary in 2006 and 2007, Rand Water said on Wednesday. This is in spite of the Vaal Dam being only 32% full and falling by a further one percent each day.

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/ 1 December 2004

Japanese firm unveils robotic companion

Japan’s growing elderly population from Wednesday will be able to buy companionship in the form of a 45cm robot, programmed to provide just enough small talk to keep them from going senile. Snuggling Ifbot, who is dressed in an astronaut suit with a glowing face, has the conversation ability of a five-year-old, the language level needed to stimulate the brains of senior citizens.

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/ 1 December 2004

Swallow this, it won’t hurt a bit

The world’s top endoscope maker Olympus has joined the race to develop a capsule camera, a disposable device the size of a fingertip that can be easily swallowed to scan the body from the inside. The Olympus group’s medical products arm said it had developed key technologies for the capsule endoscope, which would navigate through the body without batteries to take images and directly administer drugs.

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/ 1 December 2004

Have you been good this year?

Adults who encourage children to believe in Santa Claus are helping to foster their moral development, a British child psychiatrist said in a study published on Wednesday. In the December issue of the Psychiatric Bulletin, psychiatrist Lynda Breen wrote that the belief that Father Christmas ”knows if you’ve been bad or good” helps teach children the difference between right and wrong.