Mark Philippoussis ( Australia ) beat Bohdan Ulihrach ( Czech

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Alex O'Brien ( U.S. ) beat Mikael Tillstrom ( Sweden ) 6-3 2-6

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Todd Woodbridge ( Australia ) beat Daniel Nestor ( Canada ) 7-6

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RUGBY UNION - MULDER OUT OF SECOND TEST .


Centre Japie Mulder has been ruled out of South Africa 's team for the second test against New Zealand in Pretoria on Saturday .

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Mulder missed the first test in Durban with back spasms and failed a fitness check on Thursday .

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But new Springbok skipper Gary Teichmann has recovered from a bruised thigh and is ready to play , coach Andre Markgraaff said .

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Mulder 's absence means that Northern Transvaal centre Andre Snyman should win his second cap alongside provincial colleague Danie van Schalkwyk .

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Wing Pieter Hendriks is expected to retain his place , following speculation that Snyman would be picked out of position on the wing .

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The line-up would not be announced until shortly before the start , Markgraaff said .


BADMINTON - MALAYSIAN OPEN BADMINTON RESULTS .


Open badminton tournament on Friday ( prefix numbers denote


2 - Ong Ewe Hock ( Malaysia ) beat 5/8 - Hu Zhilan ( China ) 15-2 15-10

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9/16 - Luo Yigang ( China ) beat Jason Wong ( Malaysia ) 15-5 15-6

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Ijaya Indra ( Indonesia ) beat P. Kantharoopan ( Malaysia ) 15-6 5-4


9/16 - Chen Gang ( China ) beat 9/16 - Hermawan Susanto ( Indonesia )

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TENNIS - INJURED CHANDA RUBIN OUT OF U.S. OPEN .


Promising 10th-ranked American Chanda Rubin has pulled out of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships with a wrist injury , tournament officials announced .

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The 20-year-old Rubin , who was to be seeded 11th , is still suffering from tendinitis of the right wrist that has kept her sidelined in recent months .

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Rubin 's misfortune turned into a very lucky break for eighth-seeded Olympic champion Lindsay Davenport .

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Davenport had drawn one of the toughest first-round assignments of any of the seeded players in 17th-ranked Karina Habsudova of Slovakia .

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But as the highest-ranked non-seeded player in the tournament , Habsudova will be moved into Rubin 's slot in the draw , while Davenport will now get a qualifier in the first round , according to U.S. Tennis Association officials .

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Rubin is the third notable withdrawal from the women 's competition after 12th-ranked former Australian Open champion Mary Pierce and 20th-ranked Wimbledon semifinalist Meredith McGrath pulled out earlier this week with injuries .

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Men 's Australian Open champion Boris Becker will also miss the year 's final Grand Slam with a wrist injury .

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BASEBALL - MAJOR LEAGUE STANDINGS AFTER THURSDAY 'S GAMES .


standings after games played on Thursday ( tabulate under won ,


lost , winning percentage and games behind ) :


BASEBALL - MAJOR LEAGUE RESULTS THURSDAY .


Baseball games played on Thursday ( home team in CAPS ) :


BASEBALL - SORRENTO HITS SLAM AS SEATTLE ROUTS ORIOLES .


Former Oriole Jamie Moyer allowed two hits over eight scoreless innings before tiring in the ninth and Paul Sorrento added his third grand slam of the season as the Seattle Mariners routed Baltimore 10-3 Thursday .

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Moyer ( 10-2 ) , who was tagged for a pair of homers by Mike Devereaux and Brady Anderson and three runs in the ninth , walked none and struck out two .

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Norm Charlton retired the final three batters to seal the victory .


With one out in the fifth Ken Griffey Jr and Edgar Martinez stroked back-to-back singles off Orioles starter Rocky Coppinger ( 7-5 ) and Jay Buhner walked .

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Sorrento followed by hitting a 1-2 pitch just over the right-field wall for a 7-0 advantage .


Right fielder Bobby Bonilla was after the ball , which was touched by fans at the top of the scoreboard in right .

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" Things fell in for us , " said Sorrento , who has six career grand slams and hit the ninth of the season for the Mariners .

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In the American League wild-card race , the Mariners are three games behind the White Sox , two behind Baltimore and two ahead of the Red Sox heading into Boston for a weekend series .

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Moyer retired 11 straight batters between the third and seventh innings and threw two or fewer pitches to 11 of the 29 batters he faced .

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" I made some bad pitches at the end but I 'm not going to dwell on it .


Coppinger ( 7-5 ) was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings .


Orioles manager Davey Johnson missed the game after being admitted to a hospital with an irregular heartbeat .

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Bench coach Andy Etchebarren took his place .


In Boston , Troy O'Leary homered off the right-field foul pole with one out in the bottom of the ninth and the Red Sox climbed to the .500 mark for the first time this season with their fourth straight victory , 2-1 over the Oakland Athletics .

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Boston has won 15 of its last 19 games .


Boston 's Roger Clemens ( 7-11 ) was one out away from his second straight shutout when pinch-hitter Matt Stairs tripled over the head of centre fielder Lee Tinsley on an 0-2 pitch and pinch-hitter Terry Steinbach dunked a broken-bat single into right to lift Oakland into a 1-1 tie .

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The run broke Clemens ' 28-inning shutout streak , longest in the majors this season .


He pitched his fourth complete game , allowing eight hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts .


Reliever Mark Acre ( 0-1 ) took the loss .


In New York , Garret Anderson and Gary DiSarcina drove in two runs apiece in a five-run first inning and Jim Edmonds highlighted a six-run sixth with a bases-loaded double as the California Angels coasted to a 12-3 victory over the Yankees in the rubber game of their three-game series .

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The Angels battered Kenny Rogers ( 10-7 ) for five runs in the first .

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The Yankees have allowed at least two runs in the first inning in six straight games , getting outscored 21-1 in the first inning in that span .

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Chuck Finley ( 12-12 ) snapped a four-game losing streak .


In Kansas City , Travis Fryman doubled in the go-ahead run in the fifth and Melvin Nieves and Damion Easley belted two-run homers as the Detroit Tigers claimed a 10-3 win over the Royals , handing them their fifth straight loss .

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The Tigers won their third straight and halted a seven-game road losing streak behind Justin Thompson ( 1-2 ) , who earned his first major-league win .

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Tim Belcher ( 12-8 ) was tagged for six runs and nine hits in eight innings .

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At Minnesota , Ken Hill allowed two runs en route to his sixth complete game of the season and Rusty Greer added three hits , including a homer , and two RBI as the red-hot Texas Rangers routed the Twins 11-2 .

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The Rangers , who won for the 11th time in their last 13 games , have scored 45 runs in their last five contests .

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He has yielded just seven runs in his last four starts , covering 33 1/3 innings .


In Chicago , Erik Hanson outdueled Alex Fernandez , and Jacob Brumfield drove in Otis Nixon with the game 's only run in the sixth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays blanked the White Sox 1-0 in a game shortened to six innings due to rain .

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Toronto won its fifth straight and handed the White Sox their seventh loss in nine games .

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Hanson ( 11-15 ) allowed three hits , walked three and struck out four to snap a personal three-game losing streak .

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SOCCER - SPORTING START NEW SEASON WITH A WIN .


Sporting 's Luis Miguel Predrosa scored the first goal of the new league season as the Lisbon side cruised to a 3-1 away win over SC Espinho on Friday .

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Predrosa drilled a right-foot shot into the back of the net after 24 minutes to set Sporting on the way to victory .

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Although Espinho 's Nail Besirovic put the home side back on terms in the 35th minute , Sporting quickly restored their lead .

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Jose Luis Vidigal scored in the 38th minute and Mustapha Hadji added the third in the 57th .

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The game was brought forward from Sunday when reigning champions Porto and Lisbon rivals Benfica play their first games of the season .

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SOCCER - PORTUGUESE FIRST DIVISION RESULT .


SOCCER - ST PAULI TAKE POINT WITH LATE FIGHTBACK .


Hamburg side St Pauli , tipped as prime candidates for relegation , produced a stunning second-half fightback to draw 4-4 in their Bundesliga clash with Schalke on Friday .

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Schalke , who finished third last season , raced to a 3-1 lead at halftime .


St Pauli pulled a goal back through Andre Trulsen but Schalke striker Martin Max restored his team 's two-goal cushion shortly afterwards .

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Christian Springer put St Pauli back in touch in the 64th minute and three minutes later they were level , thanks to a penalty from Thomas Sabotzik .

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In the night 's only other match , Hamburg beat Hansa Rostock 1-0 , Karsten Baeron scoring the winner after some dazzling build-up from in-form midfielder Harald Spoerl .

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The win put Hamburg in second place in the German first division after three games , though that may change after the other sides play on Saturday .

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ATHLETICS - SALAH HISSOU BREAKS 10,000 METRES WORLD RECORD .


Morocco 's Salah Hissou broke the men 's 10,000 metres world record on Friday when he clocked 26 minutes 38.08 seconds at the Brussels grand prix on Friday .

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The previous mark of 26:43.53 was set by Ethiopia 's Haile Gebreselassie in the Dutch town of Hengelo in June last year .

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SOCCER - GERMAN FIRST DIVISION SUMMARIES .


Summaries of Bundesliga matches on Friday :


Hansa Rostock 0 Hamburg 1 ( Baeron 64th min ) .


St Pauli 4 ( Driller 15th , Trulsen 54th , Springer 64th , Sobotzik 67th penalty ) Schalke 4 ( Max 11th , Thon 34th , Wilmots 38th , Springer 64th ) .

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Summary of a French first division match on Friday .


Result of a French first division match on Friday .


SOCCER - GERMAN FIRST DIVISION RESULTS .


ATHLETICS - MASTERKOVA BREAKS SECOND WORLD RECORD IN 10 DAYS .


Russia 's double Olympic champion Svetlana Masterkova smashed her second world record in just 10 days on Friday when she bettered the mark for the women 's 1,000 metres .

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After breaking the world record for the women 's mile in Zurich last Wednesday , the Olympic 800 and 1,500 metres champion clocked two minutes 28.98 seconds over 1,000 at the Brussels grand prix meeting .

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The Russian ate up the ground in a swift last lap to shave 0.36 seconds off the previous best of 2:29.34 set by Mozambique 's Maria Mutola in the same stadium in August last year .

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Former world 800 champion Mutola pushed Masterkova all the way , finishing second in 2:29.66 .


But it was the Russian who picked up the bonus of $ 25,000 for the historic run in front of a capacity 40,000 crowd .

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Masterkova dominated the middle-distance races at the recent Atlanta Games following her return to competition this season after a three-year maternity break .

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In her first mile race at the richest meeting in Zurich last Wednesday , she slashed 3.05 seconds off the previous record .

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The record of four minutes , 12.56 seconds in Zurich earned Masterkova a bonus of $ 50,000 plus one kilo of gold .

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After Friday 's performance the Russian will have earned well over $ 100,000 in less than a fortnight , taking her appearance money into account .

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Brussels organisers had laid a new track for the meeting comparable to the surface at the Atlanta Games but put down on a softer surface .

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Mutola looked threatening in the final 200 metres but the Russian found an extra gear to power home several strides ahead , pointing at the time on the clock with delight as she crossed the line .

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ATHLETICS - WOMEN 'S 1,000 METRES WORLD RECORD EVOLUTION .


metres world record ( tabulated under time , name / nationality ,


2:30.67 Christine Wachtel ( Germany ) Berlin 17.8.90


2:29.34 Maria Mutola ( Mozambique ) Brussels 25.8.95


2:28.98 Svetlana Masterkova ( Russia ) Brussels 23.8.96


ATHLETICS - MASTERKOVA BREAKS WOMEN 'S WORLD 1,000 RECORD .


Russian Svetlana Masterkova broke the women 's world 1,000 metres record on Friday when she clocked an unofficial two minutes 28.99 seconds at the Brussels grand prix .

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The previous mark of 2:29.34 was set by Mozambique 's Maria Mutola here on August 25 last year .

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The time was officially adjusted to 2:28.98 .


GOLF - GERMAN OPEN SECOND ROUND SCORES .


scores in the German Open golf championship on Friday ( Britain


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132 Miguel Angel Martin ( Spain ) 66 66 , Raymond Russell 63 69 ,

O B-PER I-PER I-PER O B-LOC O O O O B-PER I-PER O O O


Thomas Gogele ( Germany ) 67 65 , Paul Broadhurst 62 70 ,

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133 Ricky Willison 69 64 , Stephen Ames ( Trinidad and Tobago )

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( Denmark ) 66 68 , Pedro Linhart ( Spain ) 67 67 , Michael

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Jonzon ( Sweden ) 67 67 , Roger Chapman 72 62 , Jonathan Lomas

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135 Terry Price ( Australia ) 67 68 , Paul Eales 67 68 , Wayne

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Riley ( Australia ) 64 71 , Carl Mason 69 66 , Barry Lane


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Mats Lanner ( Sweden ) 64 71 , Jeff Hawksworth 67 68 , Des

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Smyth ( Ireland ) 66 69 , David Carter 66 69 , Steve Webster


69 66 , Jose Maria Canizares ( Spain ) 67 68 , Paul Lawrie

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ATHLETICS - MITCHELL UPSTAGES TRIO OF OLYMPIC SPRINT CHAMPIONS .


American Dennis Mitchell upstaged a trio of past and present Olympic 100 metres champions on Friday with a storming victory at the Brussels grand prix .

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Sporting his customary bright green outfit , the U.S. champion clocked 10.03 seconds despite damp conditions to take the scalp of Canada 's reigning Olympic champion Donovan Bailey , 1992 champion Linford Christie of Britain and American 1984 and 1988 champion Carl Lewis .

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Mitchell also beat world and Olympic champion Bailey at the most lucrative meeting in the sport in Zurich last week .

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The American , who finished fourth at the Atlanta Games , was fast out of his blocks and held off Bailey 's late burst in the final 20 metres before heading off for a lap of celebration .

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The Canadian was second in 10.09 with Lewis third in 10.10 , ahead of Atlanta bronze medallist Ato Boldon who clocked 10.12 in fourth .

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Christie , competing in what is expected to be his last major international meeting , finished fifth in 10.14 .

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Lewis , making a rare appearance in Europe in a sprint race , left the track with a slight limp .

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American Olympic high hurdles champion Allen Johnson defied the wet conditions to produce a brilliant 12.92 seconds in the 110 metres race , just 0.01 outside the world record held by Britain 's Colin Jackson .

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Johnson ran the same time at the U.S. Olympic trials in Atlanta in June to become the second equal fastest hurdler of all time with American Roger Kingdom .

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He seemed to relish the new track at the Brussels meeting , dominating the race from start to finish with a slight wind at his back .

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Jackson , the only man to have run faster , could not live with his speed , taking second in 13.24 seconds .

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The rain was pelting down when the women 's high hurdlers stepped up for their 100 metres race .


But Sweden 's Olympic high hurdles champion Ludmila Engquist , who crashed out of last week 's meeting in Zurich after hitting a hurdle , also kept her footing perfectly to win in a fast 12.60 seconds .

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Olympic silver medallist Brigita Bukovec of Slovenia could finish only fifth in the race in 12.95 .

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Jamaican Commonwealth champion Michelle Freeman took second in 12.77 ahead of Cuban Aliuska Lopez .

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The Zurich fall cost Engquist a shot at a jackpot of 20 one-kg gold bars which can be won by athletes who clinch their events at all of the Golden Four series in Oslo , Zurich , Brussels and Berlin .

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Seven athletes went into Friday 's penultimate meeting of the series with a chance of winning the prize and American men 's 400 metres hurdles champion Derrick Adkins kept his hopes alive in the competition by winning his event in 47.93 .

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American Olympic champion Gail Devers clocked a swift 10.84 seconds on her way to victory in the women 's 100 metres , the second fastest time of the season and 0.10 seconds faster than her winning time in Atlanta .

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Jamaican veteran Merlene Ottey , who beat Devers in Zurich after just missing out on the gold medal in Atlanta after a photo finish , had to settle for third place in 11.04 .

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American world champion Gwen Torrence , the bronze medallist in Atlanta , was second in 11.00 .

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It was a costly defeat for Ottey since it threw her out of the race for the Golden Four jackpot .

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ATHLETICS - BRUSSELS GRAND PRIX RESULTS .


Grand Prix athletics meeting on Friday :


1. Ilke Wyludda ( Germany ) 66.60 metres


1. Ludmila Engquist ( Sweden ) 12.60 seconds


8. Patricia Girard-Leno ( France ) 13.36


1. Roberta Brunet ( Italy ) 14 minutes 48.96 seconds


2. Fernanda Ribeiro ( Portugal ) 14:49.81


6. Catherine McKiernan ( Ireland ) 15:07.57


3. Carla Sacramento ( Portugal ) 4:02.67


4. Yekaterina Podkopayeva ( Russia ) 4:04.78


5. Margret Crowley ( Australia ) 4:05.00


1. Joseph Keter ( Kenya ) 8 minutes 10.02 seconds


6. Larbi El Khattabi ( Morocco ) 8:17.29


1. Frankie Fredericks ( Namibia ) 19.92 seconds


1. Svetlana Masterkova ( Russia ) 2 minutes 28.98 seconds


5. Veerle De Jaeghere ( Belgium ) 2:43.18


1. Mary Onyali ( Nigeria ) 22.42 seconds


1. Cathy Freeman ( Australia ) 49.48 seconds


7. Hana Benesova ( Czech Republic ) 51.71


1. Daniel Komen ( Kenya ) 7 minutes 25.87 seconds


4. El Hassane Lahssini ( Morocco ) 7:32.44


6. Noureddine Morceli ( Algeria ) 7:36.81


3. Vladimir Dubrovshchik ( Belarus ) 64.02


1. Jonathan Edwards ( Britain ) 17.50 metres


1. Hicham El Guerrouj ( Morocco ) three minutes 29.05 seconds


5. Marcus O'Sullivan ( Ireland ) 3:33.77


8. Christophe Impens ( Belgium ) 3:34.13


1. Stefka Kostadinova ( Bulgaria ) 2.03 metres


5. Svetlana Zalevskaya ( Kazakhstan ) 1.91


1. Salah Hissou ( Morocco ) 26 minutes 38.08 seconds ( world


6. Mathias Ntawulikura ( Rwanda ) 27:25.48


8. Kamiel Maase ( Netherlands ) 28.29.42


SOCCER - JORGE CALLS UP SIX PORTO PLAYERS FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIER .

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Portugal 's new coach Artur Jorge called up six players from league champions Porto on Friday in an 18-man squad for the opening World Cup qualifier against Armenia on August 31 .

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Midfielder Paulo Sousa , recently transferred to Borussia Dortmund from Italy 's Juventus , is the only leading member of the Portuguese side from this year 's European championships who will not make the trip .

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It will be Jorge 's first game in charge of the national squad since taking over from Antonio Oliveira , who now coaches Porto , at the end of Euro 96 .

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Goalkeepers - Vitor Baia , Rui Correia .


Defenders - Jorge Costa , Paulinho Santos , Helder Cristovao , Carlos Secretario , Dimas Teixeira , Fernando Couto .

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Midfielders - Jose Barroso , Luis Figo , Rui Barros , Rui Costa , Oceano Cruz , Ricardo Sa Pinto .

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Forwards - Domingos Oliveira , Joao Vieira Pinto , Jorge Cadete , Antonio Folha .

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SOCCER - VOGTS KEEPS FAITH WITH EURO ' 96 CHAMPIONS .

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Trainer Berti Vogts kept faith with his entire European championship winning squad for Germany 's first match since their title victory , a friendly in Poland .

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Vogts picked no new players for the squad for the September 4 game in Zabrze .


Instead on Friday he nominated all 23 Euro ' 96 veterans including Bremen 's Jens Todt , called up before the final by special UEFA dispensation .

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He will , however , have to do without the Dortmund trio of libero Matthias Sammer , midfielder Steffen Freund and defender Rene Schneider , who were all formally nominated despite being injured .

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" This squad is currently the basis of my planning for the 1998 World Cup , " Vogts said . "

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We 'll have to see which other players produce good league performances to play themselves into the squad . "


Goalkeepers - Oliver Kahn , Andreas Koepke , Oliver Reck

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Defenders - Markus Babbel , Thomas Helmer , Juergen Kohler , Stefan Reuter , Matthias Sammer , Rene Schneider

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Midfielders - Mario Basler , Marco Bode , Dieter Eilts , Steffen Freund , Thomas Haessler , Andreas Moeller , Mehmet Scholl , Thomas Strunz , Jens Todt , Christian Ziege

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Forwards - Oliver Bierhoff , Fredi Bobic , Juergen Klinsmann , Stefan Kuntz .

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SOCCER - EUROPEAN CUP DRAWS FOR AEK , OLYMPIAKOS , PAO .

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draws for the UEFA cup and the cup 's winners cup involving Greek


x-AEK Athens ( Greece ) v Chemlon Humenne ( Slovakia )

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-- Dimitris Kontogiannis , Athens Newsroom +301 3311812-4


SOCCER - EURO CLUB COMPETITION FIRST ROUND DRAWS .


Draws for the first round of the European club soccer competitions made on Friday ( x denotes seeded team ) :

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UEFA Cup Lyngby ( Denmark ) v x-Club Brugge ( Belgium ) Casino Graz ( Austria ) v Ekeren ( Belgium ) Besiktas ( Turkey ) v Molenbeek ( Belgium ) Alania Vladikavkaz ( Russia ) v x-Anderlecht ( Belgium )

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Cup Winners ' Cup x-Cercle Brugge ( Belgium ) v Brann Bergen ( Norway )

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CRICKET - SRI LANKA AND AUSTRALIA SAY RELATIONS HAVE HEALED .


Sri Lanka and Australia agreed on Friday that relations between the two teams had healed since the Sri Lankans ' acrimonious tour last year .

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The Sri Lankans were first found guilty then cleared of ball tampering and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was called for throwing during a controversial three-test series in Australia .

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" Our concern is to get out there and play proper cricket , " Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga told a news conference on the eve of a warmup match between the World Cup champions and a World XI team scheduled for Saturday .

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Australian team manager Cam Battersby said he agreed with Ranatunga .


" I believe relations between the two teams will be excellent , " Batterby said .


The Australians are making their first visit to the Indian Ocean island since boycotting a World Cup fixture in February after a terrorist bomb in Colombo .

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Australia have been promised the presence of commandos , sniffer dogs and plainclothes policemen to ensure a limited overs tournament is trouble-free .

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The tournament , starting on August 26 , also includes India and Zimbabwe .


Battersby said he was satisfied with the security arrangements .


Sri Lankan officials said they expected heavy rain which washed out a warmup match on Friday should cease by Saturday .

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Australia , led by wicketkeeper Ian Healy , opened their short tour of Sri Lanka with a five-run win over the country 's youth team on Thursday .

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These are the leading stories in the Angolan press on Friday .


Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy .


- The Angolan Chief of State addressed a letter to UN Security Council proposing dates for the conclusion of the peace process in Angola .

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He proposed definite dates , August 25 for return of Unita generals to the joint army , September 5 for the beginning of the formation of the Government of National Unity and Reconciliation .

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Until this date the free circulation of peoples and goods should be guaranteed , the government administration installed in all areas and the Unita deputies should occupy their places in the National Assembly .

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The president justified his proposal by the delays verified in the peace process , including the fact that areas under Unita control or occupation have not been effectively demilitarised , where the Unita military forces have been substituted by their so-called police .

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- President Dos Santos proposes the establishment by UN Security Council of definitive and final timetable for the tasks and obligations under the Lusaka Agreement and the sending of a mission of SC , as soon as possible , to supervise the execution of the agreement .

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FORECAST - S.AFRICAN COMPANY RESULTS CONSENSUS .


South African company results expected next week include the


following ( all figures cents per share ) :


Ulster Petroleums Ltd Q2 net profit falls .


( All data above 000s except per share numbers )


Nigerian terms jeopardize Commonwealth trip-Canada .


Commonwealth ministers concerned about human rights in Nigeria may cancel a planned trip there because of government restrictions on their mission , Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy said on Friday .

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" The reaction of the regime there is such that many of us feel that the mission under the present circumstances should n't go ahead , " Axworthy said .

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Commonwealth foreign ministers will meet in London on Wednesday to discuss what to do , he added .

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Investors gave into gold fever Friday morning , with heavy trading in a handful of Toronto-based gold companies .

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TVX Gold Inc was up C$ 0.30 to C$ 11.55 in trading of 780,000 shares , while Kinross Gold Corp gained C$ 0.25 to C$ 11 in volume of 720,000 shares .

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And Scorpion Minerals Inc , a junior gold exploration company with five Indonesian mining properties , was up C$ 0.50 to C$ 6 , with about 120,000 shares changing hands .

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TVX and Kinross rose after recent buy recommendations from U.S. brokers , analysts said .

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But Scorpion was raising a lot of eyebrows after it issued a release Friday morning saying it was not aware of any developments that could have affected the stock .

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The company was formed this year and a couple of analysts have been on their properties , said one analyst .

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- Barrington Research Associates Inc said Friday it upgraded Unitog Co to a near-term outperform from a long-term outperform rating .

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- Analyst Alexander Paris said he expected consistent 20 percent earnings growth after an estimated gain of 18 percent for 1996 .

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- The stock closed unchanged at 27 , down from a recent high of 30 .


Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett said Friday he raised his stake in Property Capital Trust to 8.0 percent from 6.7 percent .

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In a filing with the Securities and Exchnage Commission , Buffett said he bought 62,900 additional common shares of the Boston-based real estate investment trust at prices ranging from $ 7.65 to $ 8.02 a share .

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The purchases increased his holding in the company to 725,900 shares , which was purchased for a total of $ 6.2 million , he said .

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Buffett , who is well-known as a long-term investor , is chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc , a holding company through which he holds investments in several large U.S. companies .

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Colombia , U.S. reach aviation agreement .


The U.S. and Colombian governments reached an agreement that will allow AMR Corp 's American Airlines to operate three round-trip flights between New York and Bogota , the Department of Transportation said Friday .

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Under the agreement , which followed talks in Miami this week , AMR also will be allowed to shift up to four of the weekly flights it now operates between Miami and Colombia to its New York gateway .

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The United States also will be able to designate one new all-cargo carrier for service between the two nations after two years .

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Colombia was permitted to add a single additional round-trip flight to its current New York service , although it will not be able to do so while under Category Two ( Conditional ) status under the Federal Aviation Administration 's International Aviation Safety program .

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Colombia would be allowed to add new service when its safety assessment has been improved , the department said .

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With the exception of the new services just agreed to , the governments of the two nations have agreed to maintain their current level of routes and airlines for the next 2-1/2 years , the agreement said .

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The agreement resolved a dispute that arose in June when Colombia turned down American 's request to operate flights between New York and Bogota , a denial that prompted the United States to charge that the Colombians were breaking a bilateral aviation agreement and to propose sanctions against one of two Colombian airlines , Avianca and ACES .

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Clean tanker fixtures and enquiries - 1754 GMT .


Konpolis 75 1/9 Mideast / Indonesia W112.5 KPC .


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Petrobulk Rainbow 28 24/8 Okinawa / Inchon $ 190,000 Honam .

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TBN 30 15/9 Constanza / Inia $ 700,000 IOC .


Port Christine 36,5 3/9 Pembroke / US W145 Stentex .


Kpaitan Stankov 69 31/8 St Croix / USAC W125 Hess .

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AP Moller 30 31/8 Caribs / Japan $ 875,000 BP .


Tiber 29 2/9 Caribs / options W265 Stinnes .


Tenacity 70 24/08 Mideast / South Korea W145 Samsung .


SKS Tana 70 03/09 Mideast / Japan W145 CNR .


Northsea Chaser 55 12/09 Mideast / Japan W167.5 Jomo .


Sibonina 55 13/09 Red Sea / Japan W160 Marubeni .


Neptune Crux 30 02/09 Singapore / options $ 185,000 Sietco .


World Bridge 30 03/09 South Korea / Japan rnr CNR .


Fulmar 30 28/08 Ulsan / Yosu $ 105,000 LG Caltex .

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Hemina 33 05/09 Eleusis / UKCM W155 CNR .


CRICKET - PAKISTAN 229-1 V ENGLAND - close .


To bat - Inzamam-ul-Haq , Salim Malik , Asif Mujtaba , Wasim Akram , Moin Khan , Mushtaq Ahmed , Waqar Younis , Mohammad Akam

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RTRS - Golf : Norman sacks his coach after disappointing season .


World number one golfer Greg Norman has sacked his coach Butch Harmon after a disappointing season .

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" Butch and I are finished , " Norman told reporters on Thursday before the start of the World Series of Golf in Akron , Ohio .

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Norman , a two-time British Open champion , parted ways with his long-time mentor after drawing a blank in this year 's four majors , winning two tournaments worldwide .

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The blonde Australian opened with a level par round of 70 in Akron , leaving him four shots adrift of the leaders , Americans Billy Mayfair and Paul Goydos and Japan 's Hidemichi Tanaki .

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On Wednesday Norman described this year as his worst on the professional circuit since 1991 , when he failed to win a tournament .

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" My application this year has been strange , " Norman said . "


Maybe I have n't been as keyed up as I should have been . "


" Sometimes you do n't have it in your head to play .


Maybe this was one of those years where I was there , but I was n't 100 percent there , and you have to be 100 percent to perform , " he said .

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Soccer - Arab team breaks new ground in Israel .


For the first time in Israeli history , an Arab team will take the field when the National League soccer season starts on Saturday .

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Hapoel Taibe fields four Jewish players and two foreign imports -- a Pole and a Romanian .

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The rest of the side is made up mainly of Moslem Arabs .


The club , founded in 1961 , has a loyal following in Taibe , an Arab town of 28,000 in the heart of Israel .

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But away from their home ground , they face unfriendly crowds who taunt the players with racist abuse .


" The very first thing we thought about after we knew we would be promoted was the game against Betar Jerusalem , " said Taibe supporter Karem Haj Yihye .

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Two weeks ago Taibe , coached by Pole Wojtek Lazarek , met Betar , a club closely associated with the right-wing Likud party , for the first time in a Cup match in Jerusalem .

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Chants from the crowd of " Death to the Arabs " , and bottle-throwing during the game marred the match which ended in a goalless draw .

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One Taibe supporter required hospital treatment for cuts and bruises after a stone struck his head as he was driving from the stadium .

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" We 're used to hearing the taunts of " Death to the Arabs ' , " said Sameh Haj Yihye , a Taibe resident who studies at Jerusalem 's Hebrew University . "

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But we know that these are only words , nobody has died from hearing them and it only makes us support our team more vehemently . "

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The dusty town of Taibe lacks the amenities of Jewish communities and many Israeli Arabs have long complained of state discrimination .

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" There are no parks or empty areas of land around here , so when we want to play a friendly game of soccer we all load up in the car and travel to Tel Aviv , " 60 km ( 36 miles ) away , Sameh Haj Yihye said .

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The town 's ramshackle 2,500-seat ground is accessible only by two dirt tracks .


" We plan to build a 10,000-seat stadium , but it may well be situated elsewhere , " said club chairman Abdul Rahman Haj Yihye . "

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We will discuss this with the mayor and hopefully a new or refurbished ground will be completed by the start of the new year . "

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In the meantime , Taibe will play all their heavily policed home matches at the Jewish coastal town of Netanya .

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" We are Israelis , there is no question about that , " said Karem Haj Yihye , a hotel waiter .

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" We do n't have any connection with the Palestinians , they live over there , " he said , pointing to the West Bank seven km ( four miles ) to the east .

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" We do n't feel our club represents Palestinian Arabs , " said club chairman Abdul Rahman . "

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We are trying to do all we can to run a professional outfit , we are pleased at any support we get , but do not go out looking to represent the whole Arab world . "

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Soccer - Kennedy and Phelan both out of Irish squad .


Two players have withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad for the 1998 World Cup qualifying match against Liechenstein on August 31 , the Football Association of Ireland said in a statement on Friday .

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The F.A.I. statement said that Liverpool striker Mark Kennedy and Chelsea defender Terry Phelan were both receiving treatment for injuries and would not be travelling to Liechenstein for the game .

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Soccer - Manchester United face Juventus in Europe .


European champions Juventus will face English league and cup double winners Manchester United in this season 's European Champions ' League .

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The draw made on Friday pitted Juventus , who beat Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam 4-2 on penalties in last year 's final , against Alex Ferguson 's European hopefuls in group C .

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The other two teams in the group are last season 's Cup Winners ' Cup runners-up Rapid Vienna and Fenerbahce of Turkey .

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Juventus meet United in Turin on September 11 , with the return match at Old Trafford on November 20 .

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United have dominated the premier league in the 1990s , winning three English championships in four years , but have consistently failed in Europe , crashing out of the European Cup to Galatasaray of Turkey and Spain 's Barcelona at their last two attempts .

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They have not lifted a European Trophy since 1991 when they beat Barcelona in the Cup Winners ' Cup final , and their one and only European Cup triumph was way back in 1968 , when they beat Benfica of Portugal 4-1 at Wembley .

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Juventus have won the European Cup twice .


Before conquering Ajax last year they beat United 's big English rivals Liverpool in the ill-fated 1985 final in the Heysel stadium in Brussels .

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Nigeria police kill six robbery suspects .


Nigerian police shot dead six robbery suspects as they tried to escape from custody in the northern city of Sokoto , the national news agency reported on Friday .

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The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN ) quoted police spokesman Umar Shelling as saying the six were killed on Wednesday .

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They had been arrested last week for stealing 800,000 naira ( $ 10,000 ) from a sheep merchant .


Rwandan group says expulsion could be imminent .


Repatriation of 1.1 million Rwandan Hutu refugees announced by Zaire and Rwanda on Thursday could start within the next few days , an exiled Rwandan Hutu lobby group said on Friday .

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Innocent Butare , executive secretary of the Rally for the Return of Refugees and Democracy in Rwanda ( RDR ) which says it has the support of Rwanda 's exiled Hutus , appealed to the international community to deter the two countries from going ahead with what it termed a " forced and inhuman action " .

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Orthodox church blown up in southern Croatia .


Saboteurs blew up a Serb orthodox church in southern Croatia on Friday with a blast which also damaged four nearby homes , the state news agency Hina reported .

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HINA said the church in the small village of Karin Gornji , 30 km ( 19 miles ) north of Zadar , was destroyed by the morning attack .

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Zadar police said in a statement they had launched an investigation and were doing their best to find the perpetrators .

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HINA said it was the first time an orthodox church had been blown up in the Zadar hinterland , where a large number of Serbs lived before the 1991 war over Croatia 's independence from the Yugoslav federation .

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The area was part of the self-styled state of Krajina proclaimed by minority Serbs in 1991 and recaptured by the Croatian army last year .

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Up to 200,000 Serbs fled to Bosnia and Yugoslavia , leaving Krajina vacant and depopulated .

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Hungary 's gross foreign debt rises in June .


Hungary 's gross foreign debt rose to $ 27.53 billion in June from $ 27.25 billion in May , the

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National Bank of Hungary ( NBH ) said on Friday .

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Germany , Poland tighten cooperation against crime .


Germany and Poland agreed on Friday to tighten cooperation between their intelligence services in fighting international organised crime , PAP news agency reported .

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Interior Minister Zbigniew Siemiatkowski and Bernd Schmidbauer , German intelligence co-ordinator in Helmut Kohl 's chancellery , sealed the closer links during talks in Warsaw .

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Ministry spokesman Ryszard Hincza told the Polish agency the services would work together against mafia-style groups , drug smuggling and illegal trade in arms and radioactive materials .

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Russians , Chechens say observing Grozny ceasefire .


Rebel fighters and Russian soldiers said a ceasefire effective at noon ( 0800 GMT ) on Friday was being generally observed , although scattered gunfire echoed through the Chechen capital Grozny .

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The Russian army said earlier it was preparing to withdraw from the rebel-dominated southern mountains of the region as part of the peace deal reached with separatists on Thursday .

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" There has been some shooting from their side but it has been relatively quiet , " said fighter Aslan Shabazov , a bearded man wearing a white t-shirt and camoflage trousers .

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Soon after he spoke another burst of gunfire rocked the courtyard where the rebels had set up their base and a captured Russian T-72 tank roared out to investigate .

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The separatists , who swept into Grozny on August 6 , still control large areas of the centre of town , and Russian soldiers are based at checkpoints on the approach roads .

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" The ceasefire is being observed , " said woman soldier Svetlana Goncharova , 35 , short dark hair poking out from under a peaked camouflage cap .

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A few helicopters flew overhead , firing off flares , but there was no shooting from the air .


The truce , the latest of several , was agreed in talks on Thursday between Russian peacemaker Alexander Lebed and rebel chief-of-staff Aslan Maskhadov .

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The two also agreed to set up joint patrols in Grozny , but Goncharova said she was sceptical about whether this could work .

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" We have to try it , but I doubt if this is possible with the separatists , " she said .

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WEATHER - Conditions at CIS airports - August 23 .


No closures of airports in the Commonwealth of Independent States are expected on August 24 and August 25 , the Russian Weather Service said on Friday .

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Granic arrives to sign Croatia-Yugoslavia treaty .


Yugoslavia and Croatia were poised on Friday to sign a landmark normalisation treaty ending five years of tensions and paving way for stabilisation in the Balkans .

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Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic landed at Belgrade airport aboard a Croatian government jet on Friday morning for talks with his Yugoslav counterparts and a signing ceremony expected around noon ( 1000 GMT ) .

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On Thursday the Yugoslav government endorsed the text of the agreement on normalising relations between the two countries , the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug said .

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" The government assessed the agreement as a crucial step to resolving the Yugoslav crisis , ensuring the restoration of peace in former Yugoslavia , " it said .

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Last-minute talks this week on the legal fine print finally cleared the way for a treaty based on mutual recognition within internationally recognised borders and the establishment of diplomatic relations , diplomats said .

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The pact ends five years of hostility after Croatia 's secession from federal Yugoslavia .


Western powers regard diplomatic normalisation between Croatia and Serbia , twin pillars of the old multinational federal Yugoslavia , as a crucial step towards a lasting peace in the Balkans .

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Ecuador president to lunch with ethnic Indians .


Ecuador 's President Abdala Bucaram has announced he will hold regular lunches in his presidential palace for members of the country 's different ethnic groups as of next week .

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" It was about time for the Indians , the blacks and the mixed-bloods to begin eating in the palace with their president because this is not a palace exclusively for the potentates and ambassadors and protocol , " Bucaram said late on Thursday .

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" In these weekly lunches we are going to get to know the problems of the Indian , mixed-race , black and peasant sectors , " he said .

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He has invited 35 Indian leaders to lunch next Tuesday .


Bucaram , who was elected on a populist platform last month , also plans to create a ministry for ethnic cultures .

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The Andean nation 's population of 11.4 million is 47 percent indigenous .


Brazil to use hovercrafts for Amazon travel .


Hovercrafts will soon be plying the waters of the Amazon in a bid to reduce the difficulties of transportation on the vast Brazilian waterway , the government said on Thursday .

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Two Russian-built hovercrafts , capable of carrying up to 50 tons each , will begin ferrying passengers and cargo up and down the huge river from its mouth at Belem by the end of the year , Brazil 's Amazon Affairs Department said in a statement .

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The use of riverways in the region has been made a priority under a government plan for the Amazon and the high-speed hovercraft will help reduce the time involved in travelling often massive distances , it said .

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HK 's Tsang to visit Indonesia , New Zealand .


Hong Kong Financial Secretary Donald Tsang will visit Indonesia and New Zealand from August 25 to 31 , the government said on Friday .

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In Jakarta , Tsang will meet President Suharto , Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad , Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and Minister of Trade and Industry Tungky Ariwibowo .

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On his New Zealand leg from August 29 , Tsang will meet Prime Minister Jim Bolger , Deputy Prime Minister Don McKinnon and Minister of Finance Bill Birch .

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Jordan expels Iraqi diplomat after bread riots .


Jordan , which has blamed Iraq for bread riots last week , has asked an Iraqi diplomat to leave , official and diplomatic sources said on Friday .

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The main Friday prayers in southern Jordan that were the starting point for the riots a week ago passed peacefully under tight security imposed by the army with only brief demonstrations reported .

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Adel Ibrahim , the Iraqi embassy 's press attache , was asked to leave " because he was carrying out duties incompatible with diplomatic norms " , one source told Reuters , implying he was accused of spying .

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Ibrahim told Reuters by telephone from his embassy office in Amman that he " had not been notified " of any explusion order .

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The government declined official comment .


Ibrahim 's assistant , Hussein Khalaf , was expelled earlier this year for similar reasons amid rising tension in bilateral ties after King Hussein began calling for change in Baghdad following top Iraqi defections in August 1995 .

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Iraq retaliated then by expelling a junior administrator working in the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad but has continued its policy of trying to avoid public conflicts with Jordan -- its only secure route to the rest of the world .

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Jordan has accused Iraq and a local pro-Baghdad party for the country 's worst unrest in seven years which erupted after it almost doubled the prices of bread last week under radical economic reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund .

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In Karak , where two days of riots flared last Friday , a few hundred young men lingered outside Omari mosque on leaving , shouting slogans for about 15 minutes .

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" Disperse , abstain from forming groups and help maintain order , " army officers , who has enforced a loose curfew since the riots , told the crowd through loudspeakers .

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The men shouted " Allahu Akbar " ( God is Greatest ) as a former Islamist deputy , Ahmed Kafawin , told soldiers the crowd would not cause trouble .

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He had earlier mounted the mosque 's pulpit to demand release of detainees , an end to raids on houses and the cancelling of the bread price rises .

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Armoured cars had patrolled streets in Karak , traditional bastion of communist ideology and Baath socialism that swept the region in the 1950s , and guarded entrances to the hill-top city famed for its Crusader castle before the prayers .

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There was also heavy security in the crowded centre of Amman , where smaller clashes had erupted last Saturday , but Friday prayers at the main mosque ended quietly as police in full riot gear looked on .

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The Jordanian Arab Socialist Baath Party , which has one deputy in the 80-seat lower house of parliament , has denied involvement in unrest which it blamed on government policies and rising economic hardship .

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Government attempts to link the rioting to foreign influence has been treated with derision by those in the streets who blame the protests on severe economic hardships .

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Turkey says killed 17 Kurd rebels in clashes .


Turkish troops have killed 17 Kurdish rebels in recent clashes in the southeast of the country , the state-run Anatolian news agency said on Friday .

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Two security officials and two state-paid village guards were killed in the fighting with Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK ) guerrillas , the agency quoted the emergency rule governor 's office as saying .

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Eight of the rebels were killed in Van province , five in Sirnak and four in Hakkari .

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The agency did not say when the clashes took place .


More than 20,000 people have died in the PKK 's 12-year-old fight for independence or autonomy in southeastern Turkey .

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Three people , including two village guards , died when a mine planted by PKK rebels exploded on a road in the southeast , Anatolian reported earlier .

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It said a taxi carrying the guards , members of a mostly Kurdish militia which fights the PKK , hit the mine in the province of Diyarbakir .

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Leaders of Iraq 's two main Kurdish factions agreed on Friday to end six days of fighting and to attend U.S.-mediated peace talks next month , the State Department said .

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Spokesman Glyn Davies said in a statement that the agreement followed direct U.S. contacts with Massoud Barzani , leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party ( KDP ) , and Jalal Talabani , leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan ( PUK ) .

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Davies said the two leaders " have agreed to cease the fighting ( and ) return their forces to the positions held before the current fighting began " on August 17 .

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He did not give a specific time for the ceasefire but said the United States looked forward to " immediate implementation " .

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The two party leaders had also agreed to meet U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Pelletreau in September " to solidify the cease-fire and to pursue reconciliation " , Davies said .

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His statement gave no venue or precise date for the meeting .


The United States has already called on the Kurdish factions to hold peace talks in London .

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The KDP said Thursday night it had repelled an attack by thousands of PUK fighters , killing , wounding or capturing about 400 opposing guerrillas .

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The fighting has threatened a U.S.-led peace plan to unite the mountainous Kurdish region in northern Iraq against President Saddam Hussein .

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One teen left dead by attack on U.S. slumber party .


A knife-wielding neighbour apparently intent on sexual assault invaded a teenage slumber party on Friday , killing one girl and wounding three others , police said .

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At about 4 a.m. EDT ( 0800 GMT ) , a group of teenaged girls were having the overnight party in the Camelot subdivision of this eastern Virginia city , when a man entered the house , wielding a knife , threatening to sexually assault the girls .

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Detective Richard Black of the Chesapeake Police Department , said a neighbour , Curtis Lee White II , 19 , was arrested in the attack , but had not been charged by late morning on Friday .

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There were apparently no adults at the party as the father of the family who lived in the house was out of town and the mother died more than a year ago , Black said .

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The detective said details were sketchy , but two of the teenagers were reportedly downstairs watching television when White allegedly entered the house and told the girls to take off their clothes .

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He said a male teenager sleeping upstairs reportedly heard the commotion and came downstairs and confronted White , who allegedly stabbed him more than once .

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The other teenagers also confronted the assailant and three girls , all under 18 , were stabbed , one fatally .

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" At least two of them were sexually molested , " Black said .


He said all of the wounded teenagers were taken to a hospital but none of the injuries were considered life-threatening .


Police said the girl who died was identified as Michelle Harper .


Glickman says USDA monitoring aflatoxin in Texas .


Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said the department was monitoring reports of aflatoxin found in corn in parts of Texas .

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" We 're always concerned about aflatoxin but we 're on top of it , " Glickman told reporters after addressing a USDA-sponsored farmers ' market .

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It may be a little more problematic because of cold , wet conditions but we 're on top of it , " the secretary said .

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Asked about reports Egypt has set new levels for a vomitoxin in its purchase of U.S. wheat , the secretary said " I do n't know anything about it " but added that USDA officials were " looking at it . "

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governor has trouble winning home support .


The 12-year-old daughter of Republican Gov .


William Weld is working to stop his bid to win a U.S. Senate seat because she does n't want to leave Massachusetts .

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Weld conceded his 12-year-old daughter , Franny , is " a foot soldier " for Democratic incumbent Sen .

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John Kerry , even though she is n't old enough to vote .


Weld , speaking on WBUR-FM radio on Thursday , said he was facing a revolt from his daughter in part because she does not want to leave Cambridge , Massachusetts , and move to Washington .

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He also said Franny Weld 's best friend , Tracy Roosevelt , might have something to do with her politics .

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Tracy is the great-granddaughter of Democratic former President Franklin Roosevelt , and support for Democrats runs in the family .

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The Roosevelts are good friends of Weld and his wife , Susan Roosevelt Weld , a descendant of former President Theodore Roosevelt , who won the presidency as a Republican .

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Lufthansa cargo Q2 load factor up 1.7 pct .


The following table shows Lufthansa Cargo AG second quarter 1996 results , based on figures published by Deutsche Lufthansa AG in-house newspaper

O O O O B-ORG I-ORG I-ORG O O O O O O O O O O B-ORG I-ORG I-ORG O O


Available freight-tonne kilometres ( million ) 2,389 up 4 pct


Revenue freight-tonne kilometres ( million ) 1,600 up 7 pct


Revenue from transport ( Dm million ) 820 up 2 pct


Revenue from other services ( Dm million ) 14 down 26 pct


Flight-related fees ( Dm million ) 125 up 17 pct


SUMMARY- Showers 0.25-1.30 inch ( 6-33 mm ) and locally heavier through much of India , 75 percent coverage .

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Isolated showers 0.20-0.70 inch ( 5-18 mm ) in the north .


CROP IMPACT- Conditions remain favorable for the development of rice in the region .


Showers and rain 0.25-1.00 inch ( 6-25 mm ) and locally heavier through most of central and south central India , up to 0.75 inch ( 19 mm ) in 75 percent of north central India , and only isolated up to 0.50 inch ( 13 mm ) elsewhere over India .

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Variable clouds in southern India with showers .


Partly cloudy in northern India with a few light showers .


Little change from today 's weather expected .


Numerous to scattered showers and thunderstorms in southern and central India , and isolated showers to the north Sunday through Tuesday .

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Washington to curb Tamil support in U.S. - Sri Lanka .

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Sri Lanka said on Friday the United States had promised to stamp out any illegal activities on U.S. soil directed against the island 's government .

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The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said in a statement : " The United States government sympathised with the current predicament Sri Lanka was facing . "

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The statement said the U.S. government " would do all within its prevailing legal framework to prevent the use of American soil to perpetrate violence against the democratic government of Sri Lanka " .

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It said the U.S. State Department 's coordinator for counter terrorism , Philip Wilcox , had expressed Washington 's support for the government when he visited Colombo this week .

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Colombo has said it believes Tamil rebels , fighting a 13-year war for independence against the government , finance their military activity through funds extorted from expatriate Sri Lankans in western countries such as the United States .

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U.S. embassy officials in Colombo were not immediately available to comment on the report .


Colombo estimates more than 50,000 people have been killed in the war between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels in the island 's north and east .

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Nepal 's king leaves on week-long visit to China .


King Birendra left Nepal on Friday for a week-long visit to China , his eighth since ascending the throne in 1972 , officials said .

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The constitutional monarch , who last visited China in 1993 , was scheduled to meet Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng during his visit , they said .

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Foreign ministry officials gave no details of the issues the king , who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Prakash Chandra Lohani , would discuss with Chinese leaders .

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The Himalayan kingdom , sandwiched between China and India , has traditionally sought to maintain close cooperation with its giant neighbours , and an equal distance from the two .

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The 50-year old monarch was accompanied by Queen Aishwarya on a flight to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa .

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The king will visit Chongqing before arriving in the Chinese capital , Beijing , early next week , officials said .

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Nepal man held for keeping child servant in chains .


Nepali police said on Friday they arrested a man who allegedly kept a child servant bound in chains so that he would not run away when his employer was out to work .

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Madhusudan Munakarmi was arrested on Thursday after his neighbours informed police about the plight of 12-year old Dhiraj K.C. , who told police his employer used to tie him up with iron chains and locks concealed under his clothes .

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The neighbours in Kathmandu called the police when they saw Dheeraj , employed by the man for the past nine months , limping because of the chains .

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" I feared he would flee from work or steal my belongings , " the Kathmandu Post newspaper quoted Munakarmi as saying after his arrest .

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If convicted , he faces a maximum of three years in jail under Nepal 's child protection laws .

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OPTIONS - Euro debt vols seen regrouping after fall .


Implied volatility of European bond and interest rate options should stabilise around current levels until early next week after falling before and after this week 's German-led cut in interest rates , traders said .

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We 're looking for it to stabilise now , " said one Euromark options trader at a U.S. bank .

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A trader at a Japanese bank said Euromark volatility now stood at 14.00 for September contract , 16.75 for December , 19.50 for March and 21.25 for June .

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This compared with midweek levels , before the welter of interest rate cuts , of 18.50 for September , 20.00 for December , 22.00 for March and 23.5 for June , he said .

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At 1347 GMT , December Euromark futures were trading at 96.78 , two basis points down on the day .

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He said the sell-off in June vols might have been overdone , which could offer value at current levels .


He said caps and floors would be well bid after the round of interest rate cuts due to the fact these rates should stay low at the short end .

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The size of the Bundesbank 's repo rate cut , to 3.00 percent from 3.30 percent , took markets by surprise .

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" Volatility has a bid to it -- longer-dated volatility more than short-dated because the event people were buying for has passed and now perhaps people will sell some short dated vol and buy some long dated vol , " he said .

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" Long dated volatility has been low this year , so it is still at levels which are not historically high .

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" It is not a dangerous level to own vol. You are not going to lose a lot and you could make quite a bit . "

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He said volatility levels should be stable until markets reassess the situation after a long weekend in Britain .

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Paribas Capital Markets OTC options specialist Robert Coughlan said that if volatility continued lower for the rest of Friday in over-the-counter 10-year Bunds , it should be higher next Tuesday .

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He said the absence on holiday of many market makers was a main factor behind falls this week in volatility in high-yielding markets such as Italy , Spain and Sweden .

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Coughlan said the market had more downside than upside potential , but a fall was not likely to be of significant size .

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" I recommend people sell strangles in a number of markets -- in Germany and France in particular .

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" With high-yielding markets Italy will be a lot more vulnerable in September on economic and political fronts , so I would use current the low level of vol to buy options .

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" So sell options on Bunds and France to enhance yield and buy options on Italy , " Coughlan said ..

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Goldman Sachs sets warrants on Continental .


Goldman Sachs & Co Wertpapier GmbH has issued a total of five million American-style call warrants , on Continental AG , lead manager Goldman Sachs & Co said .

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Legal challenge to Diana delayed by jail term .


A British photographer branded a stalker by Princess Diana has been forced to postpone a legal challenge to a ban on approaching her because he 's been jailed for criminal damage , his lawyer said on Friday .

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Martin Stenning started a 12-week jail sentence on Thursday just as he was preparing to contest an injunction obtained by Diana banning him from coming within 300 metres ( yards ) of her .

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" We were in the process of preparing a detailed affidavit responding to the Princess 's affadavit and expected to go to court in the next couple of weeks , " said Stenning 's lawyer , Benedict Birnberg . "

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But everything has been put on ice now . "


Birnberg told Reuters that the challenge to the injunction would be delayed until Stenning was released .

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Stenning threw a brick through the window of a van in February after an argument with a driver when he was working as a motorcycle dispatch rider .

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Stenning , who has previous convictions , is expected to appeal against the sentence .


Magistrates also ordered him to pay compensation of 182 pounds ( $ 282 ) .


The freelance photographer was branded a stalker by Diana , whose divorce from heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles is due to become final next week , after persistently trailing her on his motorcycle .

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In an affidavit , the princess said that in chasing her Stenning had got so close that he twice smashed into her car and pushed her when she tried to remove the film from his camera .

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Stenning has rejected Diana 's claims and said he was being made a scapegoat to scare off press photographers .

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Jordan has asked an Iraqi diplomat to leave the kingdom for carrying out duties incompatible with diplomatic norms , an official source said on Friday .

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The move came after Amman blamed Iraq and a pro-Baghdad local political party for last week 's worst unrest in seven years after a government decision to double prices of bread .

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" Jordan has asked Mr. Adel Ibrahim , the Iraqi embassy 's press attache , to leave because he was carrying out duties incompatible with diplomatic norms , " the source told Reuters .

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The Jordanian Arab Socialist Baath Party has denied involvement in unrest which it blamed on government policies and rising economic hardship .

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The riots , which shook Jordan for two days , broke out after last Friday 's main prayers in the southern town of Karak and spread to Amman .

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Kurd rebels to free Turkish soldier prisoners .


Turkish Kurd guerrillas said on Friday they would free seven Turkish soldiers they hold in northern Iraq under a tentative Islamist peace bid .

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" ...For the sake of safety we are asking for their family members or the authorities to come and pick them up , " Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK ) central committee member Riza Altun told journalists near the Iraqi city of Dohuk .

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PKK guerrillas would accompany the soldiers , captured last spring in one of Turkey 's frequent cross-border drives , until they could be handed over , he said .

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Their release has been negotiated by Islamist writer Ismail Nacar as part of a wider effort , partly backed by Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan , to find a political solution to Turkey 's Kurdish problem .

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Erbakan has encouraged Nacar 's bid but has ruled out direct talks with the rebels .


The PKK often uses bases in northern Iraq in its fight for autonomy or independence in southeast Turkey .

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More than 20,000 people have died in 12 years of fighting between the guerrillas and Turkish forces .

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SOLIDERE shares were mixed on Friday on the privately-operated Beirut Secondary Market ( BSM ) .

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A shares -- distributed to former holders of property rights in the Beirut central district SOLIDERE is rebuilding -- closed at $ 104.625 unchanged from Thursday .

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B shares -- issued in a $ 650-million subscription in January 1994 -- rose to $ 106.5 from $ 106.375 a day earlier .

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Turnover on BSM , which trades only SOLIDERE shares , was 8,049 shares from Thursday 's 8,757 and value was $ 850,968 from $ 918,288 .

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On the official Beirut Stock Exchange , only 1,185 Ciments Libanais shares were traded at $ 1.1875 compared with 2,036 shares traded on Thursday at the same price .

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There was no trade in any of the three other listed companies : Ciments Blancs , Eternit and Uniceramic .

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The BLOM Stock Index which covers both markets rose 0.04 percent to 903.09 and the LISPI index rose 0.02 percent to 81.58 .

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Zenith lands $ 1 billion contract , plans $ 100 million plant .


A consortium of telephone companies and The Walt Disney Co .


said Thursday it had signed a $ 1 billion contract with Zenith to make digital televison set-top boxes for its home entertainment service .

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The announcement of the contract for 3 million set-top boxes gave new hope to Zenith , which has struggled with years of losses .

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" This really indicates we 're back in the business , " William Luehrs , president of the Glenview , Ill.-based company 's Networks Services Division , said in a telephone interview . "

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Anytime somebody gets the opportunity to enter the next era with such a big bang has got to be seen as a strong message to the industry . "

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Following the announcement , Zenith 's stock soared $ 5.50 to $ 16.875 on the New York Stock Exchange .

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The consortium , called Americast , said the contract was part of its strategy to develop and market the next generation in home entertainment .

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In addition to Disney , Americast 's partners are phone companies Ameritech Corp. , BellSouth Corp. , GTE Corp. and SBC Communications .

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Americast said Southern New England Telecommunications Corp. has signed a letter of intent to join the group , which plans to provide a home entertainment service similar to cable television .

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Zenith also said it planned to build a new $ 100 million plant in Woodridge , Ill .

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, to make picture tubes for 32- and 35-inch screen TV sets .


The company currently buys the tubes from competitors .


The new plant , which is dependent on obtaining financing , will create about 280 new jobs , Zenith said .

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The contract calls for production of the set-top boxes over five years .


Luehrs said manufacturing will begin and revenue will start to roll in during the first half of next year .

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The boxes will be made on a build-to-order basis .


Zenith will convert its Chihuahua , Mexico , analogue set-top box plant to manufacture the digital boxes .

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Luehrs declined to say when the operation was expected to be profitable .


Americast will provide the boxes to subscribers as part of the service .


Its service is being introduced in selected markets across the United States .


Luehrs said digital technology in set-top boxes is only the beginning and said the technology will eventually show up in retail consumer electronics .

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" We 'll build a lot of these devices into television sets , for digital television , " he said . "

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Although that is not where this particular contract is headed , the fact that there is a strong Zenith presence will pay us dividends in the future . "

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Zenith has been plagued by generally soft conditions in the colour television industry , reporting full-year losses since 1989 .

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Last month , it reported a second-quarter loss of $ 33.2 million , or 51 cents a share , vs. a loss of $ 45.3 million , or 97 cents a share , a year earlier .

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Last November , South Korea-based LG Electronics Inc. bought a majority stake in Zenith .

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Robert Gutenstein , an analyst for Kalf , Voorhis & Co .

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, said the contract was " not unique , but it 's big . "


" Digital is coming , it 's economic and the question is what will make the consumer happy and at what price . "

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Natural Law Party says it can meditate problems away .


From the people who brought you hundreds of " yogic fliers " who claimed to defy nature by levitating comes The Natural Law Party , a minor political party that nominated a presidential candidate on Thursday .

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At a hotel convention here , the party associated with the Transcendental Meditation ( TM ) movement named physicist John Hagelin as its presidential nominee for the Nov. 5 election .

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The party is running on a platform claiming it can ward off problems before they occur through techniques such as mass meditation that would reduce stress , crime , terrorism and even wars .

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" Social stress can be reduced and problems such as crime and violence will automatically decrease , " said a party paper .

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Many party members are practitioners of TM , which involves meditating to a repeated word or phrase , called a mantra .

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Some advanced TM followers contend they can actually mediate to such a point that they fly .


But in a demonstration of " yogic flying " several years ago , critics said the people were merely bouncing off the ground from a sitting position .

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Huge Windows 95 sales fail to meet expectations .


A year after its massively publicized introduction , Microsoft Corp. 's Windows 95 computer operating system has fallen short of the most optimistic expectations for the software giant and the industry .

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Even though more than 40 million copies of Windows 95 have been sold , making it the fastest-selling new software ever , it would have been impossible for any product to live up to the unprecedented hype of the Aug. 24 , 1995 launch , when stores around the world opened at midnight to greet long lines of customers .

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The Redmond , Wash.-based company spent tens of millions of dollars promoting the product with stunts that included buying the entire print run of the Times of London and lighting New York 's Empire State building in a Windows color scheme .

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But the product , delivered eight months late , has fallen short of its sales potential in part because Microsoft delivered a mixed message to business customers , analysts said .

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" It did n't do as well as it could have , " said Rob Enderle , an analyst with Giga Information Group .

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Scores of software and hardware companies that had hoped for a big boost in sales were disappointed when only a brief spike materialized .


" People who were expecting major coat-tails were somewhat disappointed , " said Scott Winkler , an analyst with Gartner Group .

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" It 's not as though it has n't had an impact , " he said . "


It just has n't had the huge earth-shattering impact some people were looking for . "


Symantec Corp. , which had been among the most bullish of software companies at the time of the Windows 95 launch , ended up posting disappointing financial results when retail sales of the operating system fell short of its projections .

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Touchstone Software Corp. had to pay $ 1.3 million in cash and stock to settle a shareholders lawsuit brought after the company 's sales failed to meet expectations tied to the Windows 95 launch .

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Many software developers apparently saw their crucial holiday season sales suffer last year because store shelves were jammed with blue-and-white boxes of Windows 95 , resulting in a shortage of space for seasonal products , said Ann Stephens , president of PC Data Inc .

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To be sure , sales of Windows 95 and the accompanying Office 95 upgrade drove Microsoft sales up 46 percent last year to a record $ 8.67 billion and cemented the company 's status as the industry 's dominant company .

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Microsoft executives say they are thrilled with the sales figures , and industry analysts estimate that by sometime next year , the installed base of Windows 95 will surpass that of the older version of Windows , now used on about 100 million computers worldwide .

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But Enderle said the figure could have been even higher if Microsoft had done a better job of handling the huge demand for technical support from customers who were frustrated trying to install the system .

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He and other analysts said corporate America adopted a go-slow approach because Microsoft already was promoting the new version of its high-end Windows NT operating system , expected to be available in stores in the next several weeks .

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" Microsoft sent a lot of signals that NT was going to be the answer , " Winkler said . "

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Many people began to believe that Windows 95 was being downplayed . "


But now that Windows NT 4.0 has been launched , Winkler and others believe only a relatively small proportion of corporate users will elect to pay the added software and hardware costs needed to use it instead of Windows 95 .

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" Windows 95 is going to do great , " he said . "


The mistake people made was in thinking it was going to be a fast , sweeping change rather than a slow , building change . "

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U.S. says still committed to Cuba migration pacts .


The United States said on Thursday it remained committed to migration accords with Cuba and would continue to repatriate intercepted Cuban migrants who attempted to enter U.S. territory illegally .

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A State Department statement appeared in part a response to Cuban complaints that Washington was jeopardising the accords by failing to return some of the Cubans involved in recent illegal migration incidents .

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" The United States reiterates its full commitment to the implementation " of the accords signed by the two countries in 1994 and 1995 , said the statement by spokesman Glyn Davies .

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" The United States will continue to return Cuban migrants intercepted at sea who seek to enter the United States or the Guantanamo Naval Base illegally , " it said .

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