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/ 23 January 2007

UN warns Iraq sliding into sectarian abyss

A United Nations envoy said on Tuesday Iraq was sliding ”into the abyss of sectarianism” and urged Iraqi political and religious leaders to halt the violence after two car bombs in a Baghdad market killed 88 people. Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed the car bombs on followers of Saddam Hussein.

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/ 23 January 2007

Al-Qaeda number two mocks Bush in new video

Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man Ayman al-Zawahiri on Tuesday mocked United States President George Bush’s plan to send extra troops to Iraq, saying he should send his entire army to be annihilated. In an online video message, the al-Qaeda second-in-command also accused the US of being behind the deployment of Ethiopian troops in Somalia.

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/ 23 January 2007

Venture-capital deals hit five-year high

Venture capitalists invested ,5-billion in 2006, marking the industry’s biggest burst of deal-making in the United States since the dot-com bust clogged the financial spigot for entrepreneurs five years ago. Renewed interest in internet start-ups, combined with expanding opportunities in the healthcare and alternative energy markets, spurred a 12% increase from the ,8-billion invested in 2005.

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/ 23 January 2007

Hingis, Clijsters to test crowd loyalties

Australian Open spectators face a dilemma when crowd favourites Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis compete in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Clijsters was once known as ”Aussie Kim” when she dated local hero Lleyton Hewitt and Hingis won here three times and says appearing on the Rod Laver Arena is ”like coming home”.

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/ 23 January 2007

Pakistan greats hail victory over SA

Former cricket greats on Tuesday hailed Pakistan’s comeback win over South Africa, a victory described as the ”best ever” by captain Inzamam-ul-Haq. Led admirably by Inzamam, Pakistan achieved a comprehensive five-wicket win over Graeme Smith-led Proteas on the fourth day of the second Test at Port Elizabeth on Monday to level the three-match series at 1-1.