World
Daring raid frees aid workers in Afghanistan
NATO special forces rescued two foreign women and killed five kidnappers in a "breath-taking" pre-dawn raid today on a cave in Afghanistan's remote and mountainous Badakhshan province. The women, who worked for Swiss-based charity Medair,...
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Doctor who helped US catch Bin Laden jailed for treason
A Pakistani doctor who helped the US track down Osama bin Laden has been convicted of high treason and sentenced to 33 years in prison, according to a government official. Shakil Afridi was also ordered to pay a fine of about 3,500 US dollars...
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Googlers in the 'moog' for music
Google's search engine is designed to be a gateway to whatever destination website you choose. But users may find themselves hanging around at the site a little while longer today after the company designed an interactive musical "doodle" that can...
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€18 billion bailout for Greek banks
Greece's four biggest commercial banks are to receive an €18 billion cash injection from the European bailout fund. The recapitalisation comes amid political uncertainty in the debt-stricken country after inconclusive elections on May 6 saw a rise...
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Russia tests new ballistic missile
Russia this morning staged the first successful test-launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of breaching defence systems now being developed by NATO, a military spokesman said. The announcement came less than a week after NATO...
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Blackmail fear in prostitute row
Several groups of American secret service employees visited clubs, bars and brothels in Colombia and engaged in "morally repugnant" behaviour before a visit by President Barack Obama, a US senator has said. Susan Collins said the agents' actions...
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10 arrested over organ trafficking
Ten Israelis have been arrested over the past few weeks on suspicion of trafficking human organs, police said today. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said one of the suspects is a doctor affiliated with a hospital in the Tel Aviv area. He said the...
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Egyptians vote today for new President
After decades of authoritarian rule, Egyptians are for the first time freely choosing their first president since last year's ousting of long-time ruler and close US ally Hosni Mubarak. Voters lined up as polls opened at 8am local time (0600 GMT)...
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012 by
Alex Dobuzinskis
Reagan’s blood vial causes stir
Ronald Reagan’s foundation expressed outrage at a British company’s auction of what it says is a vial of the late US President’s blood taken at the hospital where he was treated after a 1981 assassination attempt. PFC Auctions, a company based in...
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
25 killed, 45 injured in Indian train crash
At least 25 people were killed and 45 injured early yesterday when a passenger train slammed into a stationary goods train in southern India, rail officials said. The sleeper train crashed into the parked goods train at Penneconda station in Andhra...
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
SpaceX blasts off to space station in historic first
Opening a new era in private space flight, the US company SpaceX yesterday became the first commercial outfit to launch its own craft toward the International Space Station. The test flight of the Dragon space capsule, which launched atop SpaceX’s...
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Cairo buzzing ahead of landmark election
A buzz of excitement swept through the Egyptian capital yesterday, a day before its first presidential election since an uprising overthrew Hosni Mubarak and ushered in a tumultuous military-led transition. The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed...
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Hunger Games village on auction
Want to live like you were in The Hunger Games? Now may be your chance. The North Carolina town that became District 12 in the blockbuster film is up for auction in July for $1.2 million (€0.9 million), the Profiles in Hollywood auction house...
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
World Briefs
Britain’s oldest student has graduated from university aged 91 – and is still planning to go on and do a PHD. Bertie Gladwin said that he had “a lot of laughs” with students less than a third of his age. Mr Gladwin left school aged 14 with no...
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Inventor of TV remote control dies
Eugene Polley, the inventor of the first wireless TV remote control, has died at the age of 96, according to the firm he worked for. The engineer died of natural causes on Sunday at a suburban Chicago hospital, said John Taylor, a spokesman for...
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'Device' claim causes France-US jet to divert to Maine
A French woman forced a transatlantic flight from Paris to North Carolina to be diverted to Maine today by claiming that she had a "surgically implanted device," US lawmakers said. The US Airways jet with 179 passengers and crew on board landed...
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Facebook shares tumble again
Shares of Facebook took another tumble today, continuing a downward spiral that began at the start of the week. The blame game has already begun with some pointing fingers at Nasdaq, where technical issues created confusion during the first day of...
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Russia raises protest fines above annual wage
Russia's parliament today hiked fines for unsanctioned protests to more than three times the annual wage after a march on the eve of Vladimir Putin's historic inauguration ended in battles with police. But the ruling party United Russia needed...
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IMF warns Britain to support growth
The International Monetary Fund today said Britain may need to further slow the pace of its tough austerity measures to lift the country's growth amid the risk of a major eurozone "shock". "Fiscal easing and further use of the government's...
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Beppe Grillo: The new live wire of Italian politics
Comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo is the man of the moment in Italy after his Internet-based movement made big gains in local polls last weekend with a blend of populism and eco-friendly initiatives. A candidate from Grillo's "Five Star...
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World's tallest tower opens
The world's tallest tower and Tokyo's biggest new landmark, the Tokyo Sky Tree, has opened to the public. Nearly 8,000 visitors are expected to take high-speed lifts up to the observation decks of the 634m tower to mark its opening today. It is...
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