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/ 25 January 2007

Pick a pack of Windows Vista

Major new versions of Microsoft Windows only come along every five years or so, and the next one — Vista — gets its consumer launch in the United Kingdom next week. There’s no doubt that it’s going to become ubiquitous: the cumulative sales of more than 10 000 PC manufacturers will see to that.

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/ 25 January 2007

December producer inflation eases

South Africa’s producer price inflation (PPI) slowed to 9,3% year-on-year in December from November’s 10%, adding weight to the argument that interest rates may not rise much further. On a monthly basis, PPI decelerated by 0,6% compared with a 0,5% expansion in November, Statistics South Africa said on Thursday.

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/ 25 January 2007

Federer annihilates Roddick to reach final

Top seed Roger Federer put on a virtuoso display to blow away Andy Roddick 6-4 6-0 6-2 to reach the Australian Open final on Thursday. The Swiss defending champion unleashed an unstoppable barrage of winners to shatter the American sixth seed and book a place in a record-equalling seventh consecutive Grand Slam final.

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/ 25 January 2007

Sharapova sets up Serena showdown

Maria Sharapova gate crashed Kim Clijsters’s farewell party at the Australian Open on Thursday to set up an historic final showdown with Serena Williams. Comeback queen Williams proved that she still belonged among the elite as she doused the youthful exuberance of Czech 10th seed Nicole Vaidisova 7-6 6-4 with a ruthless exhibition of power-hitting.

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/ 25 January 2007

Chaotic start to Bafana’s new era

With former Brazilian national coach Carlos Alberto Parreira due in the country on Friday to launch what has been hailed a new dawn for Bafana Bafana, everything at the South African Football Association remains in disarray. Parreira is due to launch South Africa’s bid to regain a measure of respect in international soccer with a three-day training camp from February 5 to 7.

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/ 25 January 2007

ICC rejects Gibbs appeal

Herschelle Gibbs’s appeal against the ban imposed by Chris Broad following an incident during the first Test between South Africa and Pakistan at Centurion has been rejected by Richie Benaud, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) code of conduct commissioner.

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/ 25 January 2007

Bald Japanese men line up for ‘hair bus’

A Japanese toymaker selling miniature buses has discovered an unexpected fan base — balding men. The toy is a replica of a bus that used to run in the 1980s to Mashike, a northern town known for herring. But the characters for the town’s name can also be read as "Zoumou", which in Japanese means "increasing hair".