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/ 17 December 2004
The South African rand could see more strength over the next few months on the back of a weak dollar, which has been the main driver of the rand since early 2002, Nedcor economist Dennis Dykes said in a commentary this week. According to Dykes, the rand’s fortunes look set to remain tied to the dollar’s in the short to medium term.
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/ 17 December 2004
Three students in sweltering Singapore realised their dream of seeing a snowman by scouring the internet for information and constructing the city-state’s first one, the trio said on Friday. Undeterred by the perpetual heat and humidity, they erected a 3m-tall snowman with a girth of 5,5m and weighing 2,5 tonnes.
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/ 17 December 2004
Vice-chancellors of South Africa’s universities have rejected reports that prospective students must write compulsory entrance exams in 2009. Several newspapers said the South African Universities Vice-Chancellors’ Association decided that students must write entrance exams because the proposed new grading system will be unreliable.
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/ 17 December 2004
A woman was killed in Johannesburg on Thursday when a Steers fast-food sign fell on her, police said. Police spokesperson Inspector Amanda Roestoff said on Friday the incident happened at 6.50pm when a storm hit the city. A post-mortem will be conducted on the 20-year-old woman on Monday.
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/ 17 December 2004
The F-word has been popping up in all South Africa’s newspapers this week, but not because of a liberalisation of the country’s fairly stringent anti-obscenity standards. ”F” stands for forgiveness and, as Thursday was Reconciliation Day, a public holiday, the press waxed eloquent on the need for it nationwide.
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/ 17 December 2004
United States scientists have tested a handgun that can only be used by its owner. Sensors embedded in the handle recognise the owner’s grip, so if the pistol is grabbed by an unauthorised user it should refuse to fire. The New Jersey Institute of Technology developed the system called dynamic grip recognition.
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/ 17 December 2004
Hollywood has joined the war. Universal Pictures announced on Thursday that it is to make The Battle for Fallujah. To prove it is serious, it has enlisted Indiana Jones himself, actor Harrison Ford, to help defeat the insurgency. The film — Hollywood’s first foray into the second Iraq conflict — is due to go into production next year.
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/ 17 December 2004
Bosnia’s international governor, Paddy Ashdown, on Thursday launched a crackdown on corrupt officials whom he has accused of deliberately failing to capture Europe’s most-wanted war criminals. Lord Ashdown said Bosnian Serb ”obstructionists” are willingly sheltering those wanted by the Hague tribunal.
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/ 17 December 2004
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is on course to take charge of historic negotiations designed to pave the way for Turkish membership of the European Union after European leaders on Thursday gave the green light to accession talks. In one of the most significant moments in EU history, Turkey was invited to start talks on October 3 next year.
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/ 17 December 2004
Financial services giant Old Mutual plc on Friday announced that Christopher Collins has agreed to succeed Mike Levett as chairperson of the board at the end of the annual general meeting on May 11 next year. The group said Levett has confirmed his intention to retire from the board at the conclusion of the meeting.