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HEALTH and safety issues caused by 'fit-out' delays mean the public will have to wait an extra two weeks to use Horsham Aquatic Centre. Horsham Mayor Roslyn MacInnes said contractors still needed to fit crucial non-slip rubber edging to the centre's indoor pool which had meant pushing back a public open date to November 4. She said an official opening on Friday and involving Victorian Sports Minister Justin Madden and other guests would go ahead as scheduled. ''There is still some finishing off that needs to happen," she said. ''The delay is based on a need to make sure the rubber footing around the pool is suitable for the area. It involves cutting and fitting the material into place. ''We consider it a health and safety issue. We don't want to put anyone at risk by letting everyone in without a non-slip surface in place." .
BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The Amish of West Nickel Mines, Pa. don't believe in using modern machines or technology, but it was heavy construction equipment that razed the one-room schoolhouse Wednesday where a gunman fatally shot five girls and injured five others. The Amis h relied on an outside demolition crew with heavy machinery to bring closure to the painful chapter in their peaceful community. I think the Amish leaders made the right decision," Mike Hart, a spokesman for the Bart Fire Company, said as loaders lifted debris into dump trucks to be hauled away. It seems this is a type of closure for them," Hart said, as a group of mostly Amish gathered to watch as the schools bell tower toppled and the walls crumpled.
THE Chinese People's Liberation Army has donated earthmoving construction equipment worth US$1 million to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, a development that will go a long way in alleviating accommodation problems in the force. The heavy plant equipment that includes a grader, bulldozer, front-end loader, two tipping trucks and a toolbox would be used for clearing and levelling new construction sites, opening access roads and excavation of ponds in the construction of sewer systems for ZDF personnel. The equipment was presented to deputy secretary for policy, Public Relations and International Affairs in the Ministry of Defence Mr Patrick Machaya on behalf of Defence Secretary Mr Trust Maphosa by Chinese defence attaché Senior Colonel Tian Jianjun at a brief ceremony at Pomona Barracks yesterday.
WASHINGTON -- Housing construction plunged in August, falling to the lowest level in more than three years as the once-booming industry showed further signs of a dramatic slowdown. The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that construction of new homes and apartments fell by 6 percent, the third consecutive decline and a much bigger setback than analysts had been forecasting. The weakness pushed the annual rate for construction down to 1.665 million units, the slowest pace since April 2003. Meanwhile, wholesale prices edged up a modest 0.1 percent in August, and outside of energy and food, prices actually fell for a second straight month. That hadn't occurred in more than three years, the Labor Department said. Analysts said the slowdown in inflation should reassure the Federal Reserve that it can continue to keep interest rates on hold.
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