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/ 2 February 2005

Liquidations decline 14,1% in 2004

The total number of liquidations recorded for 2004 was 3 510, a 14,1% decline on the 2003 total of 4 086, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday. The 14,1% decline was due to a decrease of 34,2% (from 857 to 564) in compulsory liquidations and a drop of 8,8% (from 3 229 to 2 946) in voluntary liquidations.

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/ 2 February 2005

Sex and the single robot

Scientists have made them walk and talk. There are even robots that can run. But a South Korean professor is poised to take their development several steps further, and give cybersex new meaning. Kim Jong-Hwan, the director of the ITRC- Intelligent Robot Research Centre, has developed a series of artificial chromosomes that, he says, will allow robots to feel lusty.

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/ 2 February 2005

Doh! Woman caught selling Homer’s beer

A woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to selling on eBay three nonexistent cases of Duff brand beer — the favourite of cartoon character Homer Simpson. Tara Edith Woodford (28) pleaded guilty in the Mackay Magistrates Court in northern Queensland state to three charges of dishonestly gaining money by false pretences.

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/ 2 February 2005

Shi’ite group claims sweeping victory

The leader of a powerful Shi’ite coalition claimed ”a sweeping victory” in Sunday’s elections in Iraq but pledged to include minority groups, including Sunni Arabs, in the running of the country. Election officials were starting the second stage of a long vote-counting process on Tuesday and an official result is not expected for at least a week.

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/ 2 February 2005

Search and you shall find

In 1990, which is almost unimaginably long ago in internet years, the notion that computer scientists might one day create an artificial replacement for human memory was the stuff of science fiction. This notion gave birth to the idea that would come to change, at a fundamental level, the way we think. Its most feverish point was reached yesterday, with the launch of MSN Search, Microsoft’s long-awaited rival to Google.