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/ 2 February 2005
People in Denmark, Malta and Switzerland are the happiest in the world according to a new survey, the Berlingske Tidende newspaper reported on Wednesday. The trio topped a list of 90 countries where people have been polled about how they ”enjoy their life as a whole”.
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/ 2 February 2005
Local producers of blue agave spirit, used in the production of a tequila-like drink, leave next week for Canada and the United States to conclude trade agreements. International interest in the South African product had been overwhelming, particularly in view of the worldwide tequila shortage.
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/ 2 February 2005
The Schabir Shaik fraud and corruption trial has been adjourned until Friday, when the state and defence will argue the admissibility of documents submitted by the state. These documents include the infamous encrypted fax as well as those confiscated during search and seizure operations in France and Mauritius.
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/ 2 February 2005
A dead hedgehog that was at the origin of an airport mishap involving an Air France passenger plane nearly seven years ago has ended up costing the French government more than €3-million (about R23-million) in a court ruling on Tuesday.
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/ 2 February 2005
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) will meet its Zimbabwean counterparts on Thursday after the union federation was turned away at Harare airport on Wednesday. The 20-strong delegation was expected back at Johannesburg International airport on Wednesday afternoon.
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/ 2 February 2005
The most prestigious unit of Norway’s military, the royal guard, has been outflanked by a wave of gastroenteritis, military officials said on Wednesday. Of the 1 000 or so soldiers tasked among other things with guarding the royal palace, no fewer than 138 were placed in quarantine for five days last week.
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/ 2 February 2005
If your horoscope is looking a bit worrying for the coming Lunar New Year, a Hong Kong company has just the thing to put it right: feng shui underpants. The lucky smalls have been designed by Yeung Tin Ming, a master of the ancient Chinese craft of spirit manipulation, or feng shui, and will ward off evil spirits and bring harmony.
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/ 2 February 2005
The official opposition has welcomed the South African Reserve Bank’s announcement that it will be changing the national payments system to create room for increased competition in South African banking. The Democratic Alliance said the move will encourage lower service charges.
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/ 2 February 2005
Vatican officials on Wednesday said Pope John Paul II was in a stable condition after the pontiff was rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties. The 84-year-old pope was taken to the Gemelli hospital, in Rome, after a bout of flu suddenly worsened on Tuesday. On Tuesday night, the Vatican said he had suffered an acute attack of laryngospasm.
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/ 2 February 2005
The medieval old town of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, will be brightened up for four long winter nights this week by 10 000 lights, hoisted above the city on 500 helium-filled weather balloons. The semi-permanent art installation, called the Light Dome, will illuminate the city every night for three hours.