UK govt forced Guardian to destroy Snowden top secret files

The British government forced the Guardian to destroy files or face a court battle over its publication of US security secrets leaked by Edward Snowden, the paper's editor claimed today.

Alan Rusbridger (pic) said he was contacted by "a very senior government official claiming to represent the views of the prime minister" which led to two meetings in which "he demanded the return or destruction of all the material we were working on."

The paper was in the middle of publishing candid revelations about mass surveillance programmes conducted by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and its British counterpart, the GCHQ, after former US intelligence operative Snowden handed them thousands of documents.

Writing in today's Guardian, Rusbridger claimed authorities told him: "You've had your fun. Now we want the stuff back."

"There followed further meetings with shadowy Whitehall figures," he continued.

"The demand was the same: 'hand the Snowden material back or destroy it...You've had your debate. There's no need to write any more'."

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Lady Gaga almost nude in new music video

She still has naked ambition! Lady Gaga writhes in revealing clamshell costume in new video for Applause

She's worn a multitude of seductive outfits, but Lady Gaga may have never looked so glamorous while dressed in so little.

The 27-year-old pop star donned a glued on half-clamshell bikini - sans straps - with a massive beach blow-out hairdo in her latest music video offering Applause, displaying her incredibly smooth and curvaceous figure.

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Al Jazeera goes big in US from today

With a cast of TV news stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda, Al Jazeera launches its US news channel today, aiming to shake up the broadcast journalism market stateside.

The US cable channel will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of the Qatar-based media group, despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers.

Al Jazeera America's audience is likely to start out small, but its bosses hope to have a big impact when it competes against already established brands such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

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Rihanna show bra and rock hard abs

There are few better shop windows for a celebrity trying to advertise their own clothing range than themselves.

And that goes double for superstar Rihanna who is photographed wherever she goes.

The Umbrella singer took advantage of the attention she gets by wearing her River Island brand head-to-toe on Monday.

And at the same time the Barbadian beauty managed to show off her spectacular, toned abs too.

For a lunch date at Da Silvano's in New York's Greenwich Village, she wore her black and white beanie hat and bra with the G4LIFE label prominently displayed.

Her skin tight military leggings bore her RIRI brand, also part of the River Island collection due to be launched next month.

She matched her outfit with white Channel sunglasses and a denim jacket.



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Tamara Ecclestone in sexy monokini tight bikini photos

You could never call her a shrinking violet! Confident Tamara Ecclestone struts her stuff in a sexy cutout monokini for daring rooftop photoshoot

She's declared she's happier than ever since tying the knot with husband Jay Rutland in a lavish multi-million pound ceremony on the French Riviera in June.

And Tamara Ecclestone displayed a newfound confidence since becoming a married woman as she strutted her stuff in a sexy swimwear shoot in central London on Monday.

Putting her killer honeymoon tan and curvaceous figure on display in a daring cutout monokini by Agent Provocateur, the 29-year-old socialite proudly paraded her bikini body as she posed up a storm on a rooftop in Soho for celebrity photographer Alan Strutt.




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Pakistan’s Musharraf charged with Bhutto’s murder

A Pakistani court today charged former military ruler Pervez Musharraf with the 2007 murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief.

It is the first time a former head of Pakistan's powerful army has been charged with any crime.

While few believe there is evidence to convict Musharraf, it sends a significant message that the power of the military has been challenged in recent years.

Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and ruled until he was forced out after Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party won elections in 2008, was charged on three counts.

"He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder and facilitation for murder," public prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar told AFP at the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi hearing the case.

A car carrying former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who is the head of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) political party, arrives at an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi today. The court in Pakistan has formally indicted former military dictator Musharraf today with the murder of former premier Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated in 2007.


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Operator says new radioactive leak at Japan’s Fukushima

An estimated 300 tonnes of radioactive water is believed to have leaked from a tank at Japan's crippled nuclear plant, the operator said today as it battled the latest toxic water threat.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said the leak was believed to be continuing today at Fukushima and it had not yet pinpointed the source of it.

TEPCO said puddles with extremely high radiation levels have been found near the water tanks at the plant.

The radiation level was about 100 millisieverts per hour, it said.

"This means you are exposed to the level of radiation in an hour that a nuclear plant worker is allowed to be exposed to in five years," a TEPCO official told reporters.

The company later said it had identified which tank was leaking but had yet to find the spot from where it was leaking.

"We have instructed TEPCO to find the source of contaminated water...and to seal the leakage point," an official from the Nuclear Regulation Authority told AFP.

Decontamination workers remove radiated soil and leaves from a forest in Kawauchi village, Fukushima prefecture, on July 5, 2013. The most ambitious radiation clean-up ever attempted has proved costly, complex and time-consuming since the Japanese government began it more than two years in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. It may also fail. Doubts are mounting that the effort to decontaminate hotspots in an area the size of Connecticut will succeed in its ultimate aim - luring more than 100,000 nuclear evacuees back home.

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Heavy rain pummels flooded Philippines, 7 dead

Flood-battered residents of The Philippine capital fled their homes or sat on rooftops today as relentless monsoon rains, which have killed seven people, submerged more than half of Manila.

Streets turned into rivers with water above two-metres (seven feet) in some parts of the megacity of 12 million people, displacing more than 130,000 people and forcing countless others to wait out the storm in or on their flooded homes.

"We have had nothing to eat, nothing to wear. A few people went to houses on higher ground, but most of us had nowhere to go," Dinah Claire Velasco, 44, a resident of a blue-collar coastal district on the outskirts of Manila told AFP.

"My children and other people were able to seek refuge on the second floor of my house but a lot of others had to just sit on their roofs... We're waiting for rescue, for help, even just food."

Philippine airforce aerial view of houses and factories submerged in floodwaters in Laguna province, south of Manila yesterday. Heavy rain in the Philippine capital brought by monsoon rain, intensified by Tropical storm Trami, forced the closure of government offices, schools, banks and most private companies yesterday, and residents in parts of the city and nearby provinces had to flee from their homes because of floods. At least three people were killed and two were missing in accidents caused by the rain and flooding, disaster and government officials said.

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Sexy celebrity MILF Pamela Anderson in tiny bikini

Pamela Anderson displays her incredible bikini body while frolicking in the ocean with ex-husband Rick Salomon in Hawaii

She and Rick Salomon annulled their marriage in March 2008.

But Pamela Anderson and her ex-husband appear to be going from strength-to-strength after recently rekindling their romance.

The 46-year-old showed off her flawless body in a pink bikini while frolicking in the ocean with the 44-year-old in Hawaii on Thursday.




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Rihanna in sexy bikini having fun in Barbados

Bikini-clad Rihanna showcases some fancy footwork as she enjoys a game of beach football... with a beer in her hand
She's been treating her Twitter and Instagram followers to a seemingly incessant stream of rather revealing bikini shots.

But Rihanna decided to take a break from the posing on Thursday when she joined her friends for a game of football.

Prancing around the picturesque Barbados beach in a pink patterned string bikini, the 25-year-old singer showed off her fancy footwork skills as she enjoyed an impromptu kickaround with her female pals.

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Lady Gaga goes totally nude in bizarre photo outings

Blindfolded Lady Gaga poses fully nude in bizarre Kickstarter video for the Marina Abramovic Institute

There's nothing like full-frontal nudity to gain the (art) world's attention.

And Lady Gaga bared all for a bizarre fundraising video benefiting the Marina Abramovic Institute.

In it, the 27-year-old pop star is seen practicing the 66-year-old performance artist's 'method,' even sitting back to back with Marina before a lake.




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Highest civilian honour for Clinton, Oprah

President Barack Obama will bestow America's highest civilian honour on his predecessor Bill Clinton and talk show queen Oprah Winfrey (pic), the White House said yesterday.

Clinton and Winfrey are among 16 recipients of the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom, an award created 50 years ago by John F Kennedy.

"The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours," Obama said in a statement.

"This year's honorees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world," he said.

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Nicki Minaj snaps a topless picture of herself

When it comes to revealing ensembles, Nicki Minaj is first in line for the most daring and eye-catching outfits.

But even when the singer has no clothes on at all, she can still turn heads - as she proved by posting a topless picture on her Twitter page.

The 30-year-old singer is seen using her long black hair to maintain her modesty as she sheds her clothes for her most revealing Twitter picture to date.



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World Al-Qaeda targeted in Yemen amid global security alert

At least 12 al-Qaeda members were killed in drone attacks in one day in Yemen as The United States stepped up strikes against suspected militants behind a global security alert.

Washington yesterday also evacuated all non-emergency staff from its consulate in the Pakistani city of Lahore, citing "specific threats".

The Wall Street Journal cited an anonymous US official as saying the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap), Nasser al-Wuhayshi, masterminded the plot that sparked the global alert.

Previous reports said that Wuhayshi was ordered on the offensive by al-Qaeda's overall leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri (pic).

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Rita Rusic in sexy bikini with toy boy

He comes in handy! Bikini clad Rita Rusic, 53, gets a helpful boost from her toy boy lover, 39, as she exits the surf
There are many benefits to keeping a handsome muscular toyboy close at hand.

And Rita Rusic certainly seemed to appreciate them as she relaxed on the beach in Miami, Florida on Thursday.

As always, the 53-year-old was flaunting her far younger looking body in a barely-there bikini.



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US man held after “Facebook murder” of wife

A US man was being quizzed by police yesterday after gunning down his wife and posting a gruesome picture of her dead body on Facebook, authorities said.

Derek Medina, 31, was being questioned by detectives in Miami after turning himself in earlier yesterday following the shooting death of wife Jennifer Alfonso, 26.

In a macabre twist, Medina had apparently posted a picture showing his slain wife's blood-soaked body on Facebook, under the caption "RIP Jennifer Alfonso," before giving himself up.

In a status update posted shortly before the photo was uploaded, Medina wrote: "You will see me in the news."

Screenshot from Derek Medina's Facebook profile showing the posted photo of the body of his wife, Jennifer Alonso (blurred). - The Malaysian Insider pic from Facebook, August 9, 2013.

 

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Teen Mom pornstar Farrah Abraham in sexy tiny bikini

Farrah Abraham takes to Florida beach for bikini shoot after her docu-soap is canned

Most of us mere mortals cringe when summer rolls around and we're not quite in tip-top bikini shape.

But that doesn't appear to be an issue for Farrah Abraham, who seems more comfortable in a skimpy two-piece than regular clothing these days.

Taking to the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Wednesday, the 22-year-old looked happy and carefree as she took part in a fun photo shoot.



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Rihanna show her buttock in tight tiny bikini

Time to put some clothes on? Rihanna flaunts her pert derriere in yet MORE bikini pictures

Perhaps it's time Rihanna put some clothes on.

Currently living the high life in her homeland of Barbados, the singer simply can't seem to get enough of exposing herself in a series of risqué Instagram pics.

No doubt keeping her more than 30million followers glued to their phones and computers with each bikini-clad move, the superstar doesn't seem to know when to stop.



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Encrypted email service thought used by Snowden shuts down

An encrypted email service believed to have been used by American fugitive Edward Snowden shut down abruptly yesterday amid a legal fight that appeared to involve US government attempts to win access to customer information.

"I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people, or walk away from nearly 10 years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit," Lavabit LLC owner Ladar Levison wrote in a letter that was posted on the Texas-based company's website yesterday.

Levison said he has decided to "suspend operations" but was barred from discussing the events over the past six weeks that led to his decision.

US President Barack Obama (L) meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on June 17, 2013. Obama cancelled a meeting with Putin planned for next month in Moscow over frustration with Russia's asylum for fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, the White House said on August 7, 2013.

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Dozens hurt as police battle protesters in Indian Kashmir

Security forces in Indian Kashmir fired tear gas and pellet guns at hundreds of rock-throwing protesters Friday who took to the streets after prayers for Eid, police and witnesses said. Police and paramilitary forces clashed with the protesters in several locations in the region's main city of Srinagar including at a major prayer ground, injuring at least 30 people. "We had to deal with intense clashes as soon as people finished their Eid prayers.

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Sexy Dame Helen Mirren in nude and sexy clothes

The Oscar-winning actress insists she understands perfectly why so many women resort to cosmetic surgery as they get older.

Despite admitting moments of low self-esteem, Mirren looked stunning last night as she attended the Berlin premiere of

The Last Station. Wearing a fitted white dress, Mirren showed off her impressive figure on the red carpet.



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Sacha Baron Cohen drops Freddie Mercury biopic, bandmates want less controversy

A creative dispute with Freddie Mercury's former bandmates appears to behind actor Sacha Baron Cohen's decision to abandon the film, Deadline.com reports.

After several years of involvement in plans for a biopic of Queen's charismatic frontman, Baron Cohen has removed himself from the project entirely.

The British comedian and actor, propelled to worldwide fame through "Borat," envisioned a dark, sombre film exploring the singer's troubled side.

The surviving members of Queen, however, who hold the right to final approval, were not on board. Deadline.com reports that Freddie Mercury's bandmates would prefer a less controversial portrait of their colleague, who died of complications from AIDS in 1991.

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Pope warns Latin America against legalising drugs

Pope Francis warned Latin America against legalising drugs yesterday, delving into a hot topic in his home region after celebrating the first public mass of his landmark visit to Brazil.

The Argentine-born pontiff, who has championed the cause of the poor and vulnerable, drew a line against drugs as he met crack addicts and inaugurated a rehab ward at a Rio de Janeiro hospital run by Franciscan monks.

"The scourge of drug trafficking, which favors violence and sows the seeds of suffering and death, requires of society as a whole an act of courage," Francis said as rain fell on the Saint Francis hospital.

"A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of Latin America," he said on the third day of his weeklong trip to Brazil for a Catholic youth festival.

Pope Francis greets a man during an inauguration ceremony for a program to provide care to drug addicts at the Hospital Sao Francisco (Saint Francis Hospital) in in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. Pope Francis took an unequivocal stand yesterday against legalisation as a means to fight drug addiction and criticised the trend in Latin America to decriminalise narcotics. In his first public address on the issue, the new pontiff said during visit to a Rio de Janeiro hospital run by Franciscan monks that education was the way to end drug use.


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JFK’s sole survivor named ambassador to Japan

President Barack Obama yesterday nominated Caroline Kennedy (pic) to become US ambassador to Japan, in the biggest foray into public service for John F Kennedy's sole surviving child.

The former first daughter, who long resisted running for public office, if confirmed will enter a limelight not seen since her childhood as she becomes the face of The United States in one of its closest allies.

Japan hailed the announcement, saying that Kennedy - a crucial early supporter of Obama's presidential bid - enjoyed the "deep confidence" of the president.

Japan "highly appreciates her nomination as reflecting the great importance the Obama administration attaches to the Japan-US alliance," a foreign ministry statement said.

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Indian school head arrested over mass poisoning

Police yesterday arrested the head of a school in eastern India where 23 children died after eating a free meal laced with a lethal pesticide, an officer said.

The children, aged four to 12, fell ill within minutes of eating the lunch of lentils, potatoes and rice cooked at their primary school in a poverty-stricken village in Bihar state on July 16.

"The principal surrendered... and we have arrested her for questioning," said Sujeet Kumar, police chief of Saran district where the incident occurred.

"We need to talk to her first before framing charges," the official said by telephone.

Police have been searching for the teacher, Meena Devi, who apparently fled shortly after the tragedy in Gandaman village, which also left some 30 children ill in hospital and sparked angry street protests.

Saran district administrator Abhijit Sinha told AFP that the teacher was key to resolving the issue of just how the deadly chemicals ended up in the food.

Indian villagers carry the dead body of a child who died of food poisoning, after consuming a midday meal served in a government primary school, at the school in the state of Bihar in Saran district on July 18, 2013. - AFP

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Britain’s royal baby named George Alexander Louis

Britain's Prince William, his wife Kate and newly-named baby son George spent last night at her family home in rural England, far from the glare of the world's media.

The couple slipped away from London in the afternoon, shortly before it was announced that their newborn baby would be called George Alexander Louis.

George, a name shared by six previous kings, was the clear favourite during the fevered speculation about the prince's name, as it pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's beloved father King George VI, who reigned from 1936 until his death in 1952.

The new baby, who is third in line to the throne, will now officially be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, after his father and mother the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

A selection of British national newspapers showing the new royal baby are pictured on a news stand in London yesterday. The British monarchy's formidable media machine handled the birth of the royal baby smoothly but huge challenges lie ahead to protect the young prince's privacy, commentators said yesterday. - AFP



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Death toll from Spanish rail disaster rises to 77

At least 77 people died and 143 were injured when a train hurtled off the tracks along a high-speed line in northwest Spain yesterday, a regional court spokesman said, increasing an earlier toll.

Four carriages overturned in the smash, smoke billowing from the wreckage, as bodies were lain out under blankets along the tracks.

The wagons piled into each other and folded up like an accordion. One was ripped apart by the force of the crash, one of its ends pushed up into the air.

Disaster struck at 8:42 pm (1:42am, Malaysian time) as the train carrying 218 passengers and four staff was about to enter Santiago de Compostela station in the northwestern region of Galicia.

Rescue workers help a victim of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain yesterday. At least 69 people died after a train derailed in the outskirts of the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, the head of Spain's Galicia region, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, told Television de Galicia yesterday.v


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WikiLeaks Assange launches party to contest Australia polls

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange today officially launched his political party to contest Australian elections this year, saying a victory for this candidates would be akin to planting the country's "best investigative journalists" in the Senate.

Assange, the Australian founder of the whistleblowing website, said the WikiLeaks Party would field seven candidates for upper house Senate seats in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino (R) and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (L) appear at the window of the Ecuadorian embassy in central London on June 16, 2013 where Assange has spent almost a year after seeking political asylum in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over alleged sex crimes. Patino was expected on June 16 to hold a meeting with Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy during a visit to Britain as the one year anniversary of the founder of the whistleblowing website's stay in the embassy approaches.












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Court again defers verdict in Delhi gang-rape case

An Indian court trying a teenager over the fatal gang-rape of a student last December on a bus in the capital delayed announcing the first verdict in the case today, lawyers said.

The juvenile court has finished hearing the case of the teenager, who was aged 17 at the time of the deadly assault which shocked India and sparked weeks of sometimes violent protests.

The verdict had been deferred from July 11 to July 25 and was again delayed today by principal magistrate Geetanjli Goel to August 5 because of a legal challenge.

"The reason is because there is a case pending in the Supreme Court," defence lawyer Rajesh Tiwari told reporters outside.

Politician Subramanian Swamy, the head of the Janata Party, has filed a petition arguing that suspects aged over 16 who are accused of serious offences should be tried in adult courts.

The crime, which saw the 23-year-old victim die of internal injuries inflicted during the savage attack on a moving bus, generated widespread anger about endemic sex crime in India.

Indian policemen escort the juvenile accused (C, in pink towel) in the December 2012 gang-rape of a student, into a police truck outside the juvenile court in New Delhi today. An Indian court was scheduled to deliver today the first verdict on one of five suspects on trial over the deadly gang-rape of a student in December which shocked the nation and sparked mass protests.

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Snowden waits in airport as US presses Moscow

Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden (pic) today awaited permission to leave the Moscow airport where he has been stuck for over a month, as The United States stepped up pressure on Russia to send him back home.

Reports yesterday indicated that Russian authorities were preparing to let Snowden leave the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport but then - in mysterious circumstances - he failed to emerge.

Snowden has applied for asylum in Russia and is now awaiting a document that would allow him to formally cross the border and move freely in Russia while his application is being considered - a prospect the United States has said would be "deeply disappointing".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with US Secretary of State John Kerry about Snowden's case Wednesday but it was not clear if their discussion had an impact on the fugitive's fate.

Washington wants to put the 30-year-old former National Security Agency contractor on trial for revealing details of vast US surveillance programmes, but Moscow has rejected demands to hand him over.

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Spain declares three days of mourning over rail crash

Spain will observe three days of mourning for the victims of a train crash that killed at least 78 passengers and injured more than 140, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said today.

"Today I will sign a decree declaring three days of official mourning in all of Spain," he told reporters in his hometown of Santiago de Compostela where the disaster occurred yesterday.

"I want to express on the behalf of myself and the Spanish government my condolences to all the families of the people who have died, of which unfortunately there are too many."

Rajoy was accompanied by the president of the region of Galicia, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who had already declared seven days of mourning within the region.

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Harry promises fun times for new baby

Britain's Prince Harry yesterday promised to use his expertise to make sure his new nephew George "has fun".

The fast-living prince said he had met and cuddled brother William's new baby George Alexander Louis, who was born on Monday, although the newborn was "crying his eyes out" at the time.

Harry, 28, also joked that his babysitting services would not come cheap.

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge' new-born baby boy seen in a car seat outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London on July 23, 2013. The baby was born on Monday afternoon weighing 3.8 kg. The baby, titled His Royal Highness, Prince George of Cambridge, is directly in line to inherit the throne after Charles, Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son and heir, and his eldest son William.

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Nose tilt caused New York plane accident, says safety board

The nose of a Southwest Airlines plane that crash-landed at New York's La Guardia airport tilted down just before landing, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said yesterday.

The safety body said its preliminary investigation had found that the plane had been nose-up when it was just 32 feet (9.8m) above ground but was pitched down by three degrees at touchdown.

As a result, the Boeing 737-700's front landing gear, which collapsed on landing, hit the ground first. Ten passengers were wounded in the incident.

The NTSB did not say if the nose-down angle of the plane was responsible for the landing gear collapsing or if it should have been capable of coping with the shock.

A Southwest Boeing 737 aeroplane sits on the tarmac after passengers were evacuated, at La Guardia Airport in New York, in this photo courtesy of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made available on July 23, 2013. US safety regulators launched an investigation on Tuesday into the collapse of the front landing gear on the Southwest Airlines plane shortly after it touched down at La Guardia Airport on Monday evening. - Reuters

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Juror says Zimmerman ‘got away with murder’

A juror in the trial of George Zimmerman says the former neighbourhood watch volunteer “got away with murder” when he was acquitted earlier this month in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.

The woman, who is part Hispanic and was identified in court as juror B29, said she would have liked to convict Zimmerman of murdering Martin but her hands were tied by a lack of evidence.

“You can’t put the man in jail even though in our hearts we felt he was guilty,” she said in an interview due to be aired on ABC’s “Good Morning America” today. “But we had to grab our hearts and put it aside and look at the evidence,” the woman said.



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Japan wants missiles to mull ability to hit enemy bases in defence review

Japan should strengthen the ability of its military to deter and counter missile attacks, including the possible acquisition of the ability to hit enemy bases, the Defence Ministry said, but officials denied this would be used for pre-emptive strikes.

The proposal — Japan’s latest step away from the constraints of its pacifist constitution — is part of a review of defence policy by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government, which released an interim report on the issue today. Final review conclusions are due by the end of the year.

The hawkish Abe took office in December for a rare second term, pledging to bolster the military to cope with what Japan sees as an increasingly threatening security environment, including an assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea.

The report by a defence ministry panel echoed concerns aired in Japan’s latest defence white paper about North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes, and China’s military build-up and increased activity by its ships and aircraft near disputed islands in the East China Sea — where Japanese and Chinese vessels and planes have been playing cat-and-mouse.

Prime Minister Abe (centre), on a visit to Singapore, reviews an honour guard at the Istana July 26, 2013, with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong (third left). - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/japan-to-mull-ability-to-hit-enemy-bases-in-defence-review#sthash.Hvv9aqPI.dpuf

Prime Minister Abe (centre), on a visit to Singapore, reviews an honour guard at the Istana July 26, 2013, with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong (third left). - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/japan-to-mull-ability-to-hit-enemy-bases-in-defence-review#sthash.Hvv9aqPI.dpuf

Prime Minister Abe (centre), on a visit to Singapore, reviews an honour guard at the Istana July 26, 2013, with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong (third left).

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Cannibal who hacked a homeless person to death and ate his eye and brain found NOT GUILTY

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Cannibal who hacked a homeless person to death and ate his eye and brain found NOT GUILTY of murder by reason of insanity

Tyree Lincoln Smith, 35, was found not guilty of the Dec 2011 murder, by reason of insanity
He hacked homeless man Angel Gonzalez to death, and then ate his eye and parts of his brain
Smith was arrested trying to flee to Florida in Jan 2012 and charged with murder
The three-judge panel found that the defense proved he was insane at the time
Smith is likely to spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital

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Japanese storage box bought for £100 and used as a TV stand sells for £6.3MILLION

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That's a real treasure chest! Japanese storage box bought for £100 and used as a TV stand sells for £6.3MILLION

* Victoria and Albert Museum had been searching worldwide for it since 1941
* The Japanese antique had been expected to sell for £200,000


A wooden chest that was bought for £100 and used as a TV stand has sold for £6.3million after it was revealed to be a rare Japanese antique.

The 5ft long box was snapped up in a private sale in 1970 by the late owner for the small sum, which is the equivalent £1,300 today.

Not realising its true value, the unnamed man used it for years as a TV stand and drinks cabinet at his home.

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Japan nuclear regulator alarmed at Fukushima contamination reports

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Japan's nuclear regulator expressed growing alarm on Wednesday at increased contamination beside the seafront of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station and urged the plant's operators to take protective measures.

Fukushima's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., has acknowledged problems are mounting at the plant north of Tokyo, the site of the world's worst atomic disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

On Tuesday, the company said radiation levels in groundwater had soared, suggesting highly toxic materials from the plant were getting closer to the Pacific more than two years after three meltdowns triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.

Shunichi Tanaka, head of the new Nuclear Regulation Authority, told reporters he believed contamination of the sea had been continuing since the March 2011 catastrophe.

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Indonesians begin Ramadan, hardliners target ‘sinful’ bars

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Muslims in much of Asia began celebrating the holy month of Ramadan today, with hardliners in Indonesia vowing to raid "sinful" bars after police steamrollered a mountain of alcohol and porn.

Tens of millions across the Muslim world fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious and charitable during the month, which ends with the Eid holiday.

But Ramadan began in war-torn Afghanistan with a bomb blast, and there was tight security in parts of the southern Philippines after deadly clashes with Muslim rebels.

In Indonesia, which has the world's biggest Muslim population, hardliners use Ramadan as an excuse to attack nightspots and shops that openly sell alcohol, the consumption of which is against Islamic law.

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Fire damages historic palace in heart of Paris

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Firemen inspect the damage after a fire at the 17th century Hotel Lambert in the Ile Saint Louis in Paris July 10, 2013.

A fire caused serious damage to a 17th century palace in central Paris early on Wednesday, burning away a huge portion of its rooftop just as a costly renovation was near completion.

The Qatari-owned Hotel Lambert on the Ile Saint-Louis island on the River Seine was one of the most well-preserved private mansions in Paris. Its architect Louis Le Vau also designed the Palace of Versailles.

"This is a setback for our historical heritage," Paris Mayor Bernard Delanoe told journalists at the scene.

Firefighters rushed to the mansion at around 1 a.m., struggling for six hours to contain the blaze, which broke out in a hard-to-access area below the rooftop for reasons as yet unknown. No one was injured.

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‘Despicable Me 2’ routs ‘Lone Ranger’ at box-office

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"Despicable Me 2," a sequel to the 2010 animated blockbuster, crushed its competition at the box office over the July 4 weekend, industry figures showed Monday.

The comedy, starring villain-turned-doting-father Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his adorable little yellow minions, was the biggest attraction by far bringing in an impressive $83.5 million from Friday through Sunday, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

But for the long holiday weekend from its July 2 premiere to date, it already has earned $142 million, figures showed.

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The Glee star Lea Michele in sexy bikini

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Bikini buddies! Lea Michele tans her toned body as she celebrates her friend's birthday with a getaway to Mexico

It is a hard life having a celebrity as a friend.

While most people might bring their friend a cake on their birthday, Lea Michele made sure to bring extra glee to her friend on her special day - by heading to Mexico.

Making sure they celebrated in style, the pair lapped up the south of the boarder sunshine at a luxury Cabo San Lucas resort.

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Kristen Stewart wears a black bra

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Kristen Stewart sexes up her casual look as she reveals her black bra beneath her sheer white tank

She never looks more comfortable than when she's dressed down.
And Kristen Stewart showed she's a master of the casual look as she headed out with a friend in Glendale, California on Tuesday.

She sexed up her casual outfit by donning a sheer with tank with a black bra underneath that was visible at the sides.

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Sexy Young celebrity Elle Fanning in tight yoga outfit.

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Elle Fanning’s look has been increasingly ladylike and grownup of late.

But the 15-year-old has shown that hobbies are still a passion as she was spotted leaving a yoga

The actress looked like a yoga devotee in the basic and practical outfit of a cropped top and leggings.

She wore minimal jewellery for her workout session, sporting a few simple gold necklaces.

She also carried a bottle of water and looked a little tired after her workout.



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