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/ 28 January 2006

‘Nobody knows who is going to get killed next’

The Thai soldiers look nervous and bored. In the heat of the day they squat behind sandbagged, camouflaged checkpoints or patrol the streets, riding two-up on motorcycles, M16 rifles pointing skywards. They watch Su-Ngai Padi’s mostly Muslim population, the women shopping in dazzling pink and yellow robes and headscarves, the men lounging in dusty kopi shops, and the locals warily watch them back.

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/ 28 January 2006

Chavez taunts Bush, but Venezuela-US trade grows

As Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez on Friday stepped up his attacks on what he called the ”genocidal” United States administration, new figures showed that bilateral trade has surged, thanks largely to high oil prices. To cheers from thousands of anti-globalisation activists, Chavez called US President George Bush ”the world’s biggest terrorist” and his administration ”the most perverse, murderous, genocidal, immoral empire” in history.

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/ 28 January 2006

Mauresmo wins Australian Open

France’s Amelie Mauresmo won the Australian Open to snare her first Grand Slam title on Saturday, but it came in anti-climactic fashion when Justine Henin-Hardenne retired sick. The victory, which came when the scores were 6-1, 2-0 in Mauresmo’s favour, makes up for the world number three’s devastating loss in the 1999 final, when she was thrashed by Martina Hingis.

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/ 28 January 2006

Chris Heunis dies

Former Cabinet minister Chris Heunis died on Friday, Beeld newspaper reported. Heunis had been treated for organ failure in a Somerset West clinic for the past six weeks. Heunis was born in 1927 at Uniondale in the Cape. He went to school in George, where he began practising as an attorney in 1951, and became district leader of the National Party and a member of the town council.

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/ 28 January 2006

US threat to Hamas over $400m aid

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, will meet Hamas leaders in Gaza next week to negotiate terms for a power-sharing government that could win international acceptance and stave off threats to the -billion in annual foreign aid keeping the Palestinian Authority afloat.

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/ 28 January 2006

Death row blogger describes last days

From death row in Baltimore Vernon Lee Evans doles out philosophy and advice to the curious, confused and lonely around the world on a unique blog, but his blogging days are numbered with the approach of his execution early next month. ”For too long people have only heard one side of the story concerning the men and women on death row,” said Evans, who was sentenced to death for a double murder in 1983.