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/ 25 January 2006

A window of opportunity opens in the US

For several years, the United States Agency for International Development has been under growing pressure to adopt a more long-term approach to its support of science and technology in developing countries. The agency now supports a wide spectrum of activities, but many feel that all these could benefit from a more coherent commitment.

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/ 25 January 2006

Timid investors miss JSE boom

Record-breaking gains on the JSE are passing unit trust investors by as they shun equities in favour of less risky asset classes, newly released figures show. South Africans are investing heavily in unit trusts — the industry netted R58-billion of inflows last year, a 40% increase on 2004. But investors have continued to choose low risk funds.

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/ 25 January 2006

Meet Mr Bulletproof Armani

Miguel Caballero likes to shoot people whenever he has an audience and a volunteer. ”Take a deep breath and let the air out after the shot,” he said to one recent target. ”You may get a bit of a bruise.” The range was point-blank, the bang loud and the smell of burned powder strong, but the human bullseye didn’t flinch. The bullet was embedded in an internal protective panel of his brand-new suede jacket.

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/ 25 January 2006

Keeping abreast

I’ve never been big on breasts. At first I shunned them. Then I strapped them down in puberty’s equivalent of a straightjacket. And as a teenager, I often left them hanging. Only now as an adult am I paying them the respect they deserve by cupping them in imported cotton from lingerie boutiques with names like French confectionaries.

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/ 25 January 2006

Fight the West cannot win

”Never pick a fight you know you cannot win. Or so I was told. Pick an argument if you must, but not a fight. Nothing I have read or heard in recent weeks suggests that fighting Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme makes any sense at all.” Washington’s knee-jerk belligerence ignores Tehran’s influence and the need for subtle engagement, writes Simon Jenkins.

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/ 25 January 2006

Kiefer into his first Grand Slam semifinal

Fiery German Nicolas Kiefer clinched his first Grand Slam semifinal appearance with an epic five-set win over Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean at the Australian Open on Wednesday. The 21st seeded Kiefer won a volatile quarterfinal, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 6-7 (1/7), 8-6 in the longest match at the Australian Open in 15 years at four hours and 48 minutes.