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/ 27 February 2006
England captain Michael Vaughan has been ruled out of Wednesday’s first Test against India after failing to recover from a knee injury, dealing a big blow to the tourists already battling form and fitness problems. ”He [Vaughan] is ruled out of this Test, but is not out of the series at this stage,” England media manager Andrew Walpole told reporters on Monday.
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/ 27 February 2006
Russia on Monday downplayed progress on its plan to alleviate fears over Iran’s nuclear programme, saying there was still work to be done to reach agreement and warning that time was quickly running out ahead of a March 6 deadline. "This is a complex issue and the negotiations are difficult," said Sergei Kiriyenko, Russia’s chief nuclear negotiator with Iran.
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/ 27 February 2006
President George Bush has been buffeted by one calamity after another. Try what he may, he just can’t seem to find traction for his second-term agenda. With midterm congressional elections approaching later this year, it won’t get any easier.
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/ 27 February 2006
Opening batsman Phil Jaques was on Monday added to the injury-hit Australian one-day squad for its limited-overs series in South Africa, Cricket Australia said. The New South Wales batsman was considered unlucky to miss out in the original selection after a prolific-scoring Australian summer.
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/ 27 February 2006
The murder and rape trial of a South African soldier in Burundi has hit a snag because the key witness wants 000 (about R12 000) for his testimony, Beeld newspaper reported on Monday. It said a taxi driver who was supposed to link Sergeant Philippus Jacobus Venter to the crime failed to turn up to give evidence.
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/ 27 February 2006
The local elections are do-or-die for the Inkatha Freedom Party in KwaZulu-Natal, which has haemorrhaged 38 municipal councillors to the fledgling National Democratic Convention (Nadeco) in the past two months. However, analysts say Nadeco lacks the political machinery and ideological direction to pose a serious electoral threat in the province at this stage.
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/ 27 February 2006
Michael Donen, the advocate heading the commission that will investigate South African abuse of the Iraq Oil for Food Programme, has shrugged off a charge that he will not be independent. Recently, Democratic Alliance justice spokesperson Sheila Camerer demanded that President Thabo Mbeki replace Donen.
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/ 27 February 2006
Rescuers recovered another body from a collapsed building in the Bangladeshi capital on Monday, raising the death toll to 19, as Parliament passed a law imposing jail terms for building code violators. Firefighters and soldiers found the body of 25-year-old construction worker Humayun while searching for survivors in the debris for the third consecutive day.
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/ 27 February 2006
Gloria Arroyo’s grip on the Philippine presidency appeared tenuous on Sunday night after more than 100 marines openly defied her rule by rallying around commanders wanting to withdraw from the chain of command. The crack troops ended the mini-rebellion after five hours and agreed to respect their superiors.
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/ 27 February 2006
Disgraced British glam rocker Gary Glitter goes on trial in Vietnam on Thursday charged with committing obscene acts with young girls in a case that could see the faded star sentenced to up to seven years in jail. The 61-year-old former showman is expected to plead not guilty when he appears in court in southern Vietnam.