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/ 11 January 2008

The tears over coffee that turned round poll

It was the defining moment of the New Hampshire race: Hillary Clinton, the icy control queen of the Democratic party welling up with emotion — and it may have won her an improbable victory over Barack Obama. The emotional moment in a café on the eve of Tuesday’s poll was widely credited on Thursday for bringing female voters back to the Clinton fold.

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/ 11 January 2008

Doubts grow over Iranian boat threats

Doubts intensified on Thursday night over the nature of an alleged aggressive confrontation by Iranian patrol boats and American warships in the Persian Gulf on Sunday, after Pentagon officials admitted that they could not confirm that a threat to blow up the US ships had been made directly by the Iranian crews involved in the incident.

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/ 11 January 2008

Gold, oil at new highs

Gold prices soared to new records trecently, on the back of oil’s surge, helped by geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. The oil price hit $100 a barrel in trading last week, having increased 57% last year, according to Fortune magazine. This puts oil within reach of its all-time inflation-adjusted high of $102 a barrel.

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/ 11 January 2008

Any colour as long as it’s green

The significant other and I found ourselves owning two cars with a combined engine capacity of 7,2 litres. Bought before 2000 when oil was below $20 a barrel, these beasts were hardly fuel-efficient or modest about contributing to a warming planet. After some research we bought a 2,5-litre Subaru Forrester, but delayed selling one or both of the beasts as I probed our best option.

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/ 11 January 2008

Beer and Buddhism

Dressed in dark cotton robes, a bracelet of prayer beads hanging from his wrist, Gugan Taguchi certainly looks the part. But, as he kneels to chant a sutra before an altar in the corner of the room, the people around him continue to chat and his rhythmic prayers can only just be heard above a Blue Note jazz track.

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/ 11 January 2008

Schools’ (r)evolution

A clash between secular and religious conscience could unfold in South Africa’s education system — and different interest groups are set to line up against one another. The teaching of evolution to grade 12 learners from next year might trigger an uproar among South African parents, teachers and religious sectors.