21.   He took office as head of a stitched-together coalition and had not been expected to last long, but proved surprisingly durable.

22.   Najibullah was not expected to last long, but he held out for three years.

23.   While oil markets rallied modestly on that news, few expect the announced reductions in output to be fully implemented or to last long.

24.   A US economic slowdown is still under way but is unlikely to last long or do much damage, Federal Reserve Board governor Lawrence Lindsey said Thursday.

25.   Beye said he did not expect these talks to last long as as most of the issues to be discussed had been settled.

26.   But Larry Rice, chief market strategist at Josephthal Lyon and Ross, warned that the strength in stocks is unlikely to last long.

27.   Sangakkara did not last long, inside-edging a Marillier delivery on to his wickets while trying to sweep.

28.   The dollar firmed slightly against the yen and mark on technical fcators but dealers said that they did not expect the rally to last long, early on Tuesday.