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/ 27 January 2006
Nigerian militants said on Friday they have pulled out of talks on the fate of four kidnapped Western oil workers, as officials released the first picture of the hostages. The dangerous crisis in Africa’s biggest oil-export industry continued to push world crude prices back towards their historic high.
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/ 27 January 2006
Crude oil futures rose back above a barrel on Friday on persistent supply fears linked to Iran’s nuclear stand-off with the international community and militant attacks in Nigeria. Adding to the bullish tone, Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister, Ali Naimi, said prices are unlikely to fall in the near term.
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/ 27 January 2006
P4 will be replacing much of its jazz playlist with ‘contemporary, soft R&B’ tunes, writes Hazel Friedman.
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/ 27 January 2006
Two young Chinese sopranos are making a stunning debut on the Paris opera scene, Despite growing up in a China still closed to Western influences, writes Jo Biddle.
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/ 27 January 2006
Shaun de Waal finds disconcerting irregularities in Steven Spielberg’s controversial new film, <i>Munich</i>.
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/ 27 January 2006
Amsterdam is banking on celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Dutch master Rembrandt to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists and inject about €91-million into the city’s economy. Frederic Bichon reports.
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/ 27 January 2006
A Zimbabwean court on Wednesday charged two twin brothers with indecent exposure for walking around in goatskin loincloths while claiming to be divine messengers preaching about creation. The men were arrested while walking with only codpieces in a busy shopping centre in the posh Harare suburb of Mount Pleasant.
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/ 27 January 2006
Amsterdam’s municipal council wants vandals to try wrecking prototypes of new subway trains to ensure that the material is "Amsterdam-idiot-proof", the daily <i>Het Parool</i> reported on Thursday. A councillor said it is not easy to find subway trains that can withstand the Amsterdam brand of hooligans.
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/ 27 January 2006
”I thought the president was a bit taller,” one of the 18 recipients of a university scholarship from President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. This was Akwaowo Akpabio’s only disappointment on a day where he received a laptop and a full scholarship covering the cost of his tuition, books and accommodation for the year.
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/ 27 January 2006
Georgia announced on Friday a deal with Iran to provide natural gas from the start of next week, offering hope of relief following a severe disruption to energy supplies as a result of a mysterious attack on the main pipeline from neighbouring Russia. President Mikheil Saakashvili hailed the deal struck in Tehran.