World Breaking News
Today
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Extremists welcome Qatar World Cup
EXTREMISTS predict Al-Qaeda will establish an "Islamic State" in the Gulf region in the coming years, monitors said. Read more
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British press rages over World Cup 'fix'
BRITAIN'S media lashed out at FIFA's "fixed" decision to grant the hosting rights for the 2018 World Cup to Russia. Read more
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Inventor of neutron bomb Cohen dies at 89
SAMUEL T Cohen, the inventor of the neutron bomb, has died at the age of 89. Read more
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Smiths guitarist bans PM from liking band
THE Smiths lead guitarist Johnny Marr has told David Cameron to stop saying he likes the ground-breaking 1980s band. Read more
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Seven found dead in flooded mine
SEVEN miners trapped since earlier this week in a flooded colliery in central China have been found dead. Read more
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US Congress passes school nutrition bill
US politicians have passed a $US4.5 billion bill that will give more kids school meals and let the Government set child nutrition guidelines. Read more
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Vanuatu Prime Minister ousted
VANUATU'S Prime Minister Edward Natapei has been removed from power by his deputy in a no-confidence vote. Read more
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UN threatens to leave Haiti over vote
THE international community will stop supporting Haiti if the government fails to honour the outcome of recent elections. Read more
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Man shot and killed by a crossbow
A MAN was killed by a shot fired from a crossbow outside Toronto's Main Street Library. Read more
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Fire still burning at Pike River coal mine
A FIRE is still raging in the New Zealand mine shaft where 29 men, including two Australians, lie entombed. Read more
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Government funds 'invisible' art exhibit
TAXPAYERS fork out $2338 to artist for a show that included "a painting that hasn't been painted yet". Read more
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Jacki Weaver honoured by US film body
AUSTRALIAN actress Jacki Weaver has been named best supporting actress by the National Board of Review. Read more
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Dead otter tests positive for rabies
FLORIDA officials confirmed today that an otter found dead in Boca Raton tested positive for rabies. Read more
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Dozens of rescuers killed in Israeli fire
A BUS burst into flames as it raced to a prison during a massive forest fire, killing dozens of guards participating in the rescue. Read more
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Google's photo 'trespass', agrees to pay $1
GOOGLE agrees it trespassed when it took a photo of a house for its Street View service, but will pay only $US1 in damages. Read more
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Man may be charged over KKK snowman
A WHITE separatist in the US drew complaints from neighbours and a visit from law enforcement officers after erecting a snowman shaped like a member of the Ku Klux Klan on his front lawn. Read more
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Aid worker 'killed by US'
A BRITISH aid worker was killed by a grenade thrown by a US soldier during a botched attempt to rescue her from Taliban kidnappers in Afghanistan, Foreign Secretary William Hague has confirmed. Read more
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US to return recovered Degas
US authorities say an Edgar Degas painting that was stolen from a French museum in 1973 is being returned to France. Read more
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New arrest warrant for WikiLeaks chief
SWEDEN says it will issue a fresh arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as new revelations from his website's expose of US diplomatic cables saw Russia branded a "mafia state". Read more
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Haiti mob kills 12 over cholera
HAITIAN mobs fearing a cholera epidemic have killed at least 12 people in recent days whom they accused of trying to spread the disease, including through witchcraft, police say. Read more
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NASA finds 'weird life' on Earth
LURKING in the depths of a California lake is a bacteria that can thrive on arsenic, an explosive discovery that could expand the search for other life on earth and beyond, researchers have found. Read more
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Eight dead in election violence
SOLDIERS shot dead eight supporters of Ivory Coast presidential candidate Alassane Ouattara, sparking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the worsening crisis. Read more
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Disney village rocked by first murder
DISNEY'S planned community, Celebration, near Orlando, Florida, was rocked by its first-ever murder, a mysterious homicide that had police desperately searching for clues today. Read more
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Home invasion killer sentenced to death
STEVEN Hayes, the man convicted of three brutal murders in a Connecticut home invasion, was sentenced to death today. Read more
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Prayer vigils for Aretha Franklin
PRAYER vigils were held for singer Aretha Franklin ahead of an undisclosed medical procedure the legendary soul diva was due to undergo today. Read more
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Ramsay restaurant sued over rubbish
CELEBRITY chef Gordon Ramsay was sued by a garbage-hauling company that claims the fiery Hell's Kitchen star did not pay a $US24,766 rubbish bill. Read more
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Denmark halts Australian toxic waste
THE Danish government has postponed a plan to accept a shipment of Australian toxic waste for disposal, following pressure from the its centre-left opposition. Read more
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Leaks reveal stray cat as 'assassin'
TURKMENISTAN'S authoritarian president has been described in leaked US diplomatic dispatches as a vain, vindictive liar, and authorities reportedly feared his being assassinated so much that a stray cat was once a suspect. Read more
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Medvedev rivals strongman Putin
RUSSIAN President Dmitry Medvedev has performed chin-ups on national television as he battles perceptions that Vladimir Putin is the real strongman. Read more
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US troops 'ready' for end to gay ban
THE US military's top officer says American troops are "ready" for the repeal of a ban on gays serving openly, saying the armed forces would be stronger as a result. Read more
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Napoleon's silk briefs up for grabs
A PAIR of silk briefs that kept Napoleon Bonaparte warm during his post-Waterloo exile on the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena are to be sold off this weekend, an auctioneers says. Read more
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Quake strikes near Papua New Guinea
A 6.7-MAGNITUDE earthquake has struck the New Britain Region of Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey said. Read more
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Sex trafficking spikes in Argentina
ARGENTINA has become a major centre of human trafficking, with about 700 women from various countries forced into sexual servitude over the past year-and-a-half, a new study says. Read more
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Napoleon's silk briefs are up for grabs
A PAIR of silk briefs that kept Napoleon Bonaparte warm during his post-Waterloo exile on the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena are to be sold off at auction this weekend. Read more
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German, 98, on trial over wife's killing
MAN has gone on trial accused of trying to kill his wife of 52 years with a baseball bat, a knife and gun. Read more
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Israeli forest fire kills 40 prison guards
ALL of the 40 people killed in a massive forest fire near the northern Israeli city of Haifa were prison guards travelling on a bus, a police source has confirmed. Read more
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Norway blames China for souring relations
NORWAY said China only has itself to blame for a deterioration in relations after this year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a jailed Chinese dissident. Read more
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Picasso work stolen in $6m Spanish heist
THIEVES in Spain stole a truck containing about 20 works of art worth at least $6.6 million, including at least one by Pablo Picasso. Read more
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Koran burning teenager avoids charges
A BRITISH schoolgirl who burnt an English language version of the Koran and posted footage of the incident on Facebook will not face criminal charges. Read more
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Dick Cheney faces Nigeria bribery charge
NIGERIAN authorities are planning to charge former US vice president Dick Cheney in connection with a bribery scandal allegedly involving energy firm Halliburton. Read more
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Palestinians killed 'to stop terror attack'
ISRAELI forces killed two armed Palestinians planning a terror attack as they approached the northern border fence of the Gaza Strip. Read more
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Freezing weather kills 26 in Europe
FREEZING weather has claimed 26 lives across Central Europe this week including 18 deaths in Poland where temperatures plunged to minus 33 degrees Celsius. Read more
Yesterday
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India tests supersonic cruise missile
INDIA has successfully test-fired a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed with Russia to fine-tune its ability to hit targets, the defence ministry said. Read more
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Iraq arrests 39 Al-Qaeda suspects
IRAQI security forces arrested 39 suspected members of Al-Qaeda's front group in the predominantly Sunni western province of Anbar, officials said. Read more
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Facebook used to recruit 'drug mules'
INTERNATIONAL drug syndicates are using social networking site Facebook to recruit young Malaysian women as "drug mules", the deputy foreign minister said. Read more
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Thousands stranded in Finnish air strike
FINLAND'S national carrier Finnair cancelled more than 200 flights today, as a cabin crew strike entered its third day with no word on new negotiations. Read more
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Japanese whaler heads to Antarctic waters
A JAPANESE whaling ship has left port for Antarctic waters for the annual hunt of the giant sea mammals, Greenpeace said. Read more
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Googling student uncovers murder gaffe
US uni student Zachary Garcia got a shock when he Googled himself and discovered he was falsely accused of murder. Read more
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Two NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan
TALIBAN-style bomb attacks have killed two NATO soldiers in the Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force said today. Read more
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Iraq blasts wound 12, including 5 police
FIVE policemen were among a dozen people wounded on Thursday in separate rush-hour bombings in Baghdad, authorities said. Read more
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Eminem leads Grammy nominations
EMINEM'S "Recovery" was made complete as the Recording Academy nominated the resurgent rapper for 10 major awards Read more
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Spies did not cause US 'any harm': Putin
RUSSIAN PM Vladimir Putin insisted that 10 spies expelled from the United States earlier this year "didn't cause any harm" to US interests. Read more
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Zuckerberg to speak about 'Social Network'
FACEBOOK founder Mark Zuckerberg is to appear in his first television interview since being portrayed on film in "The Social Network," CBS announced Wednesday. Read more
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Malaysia launches women-only buses
WOMEN-only transport has been stepped up a gear in Malaysia after the launch of female-only buses to help counter sexual harassment. Read more
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Earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea
A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the New Britain region of Papua New Guinea today. Read more
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Suspect in publicist's murder shoots himself
A MAN believed to be connected to the death of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen has shot himself. Read more
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High-mercury diet turns male birds gay
WATER pollution in Florida's rivers and lakes is causing a species of birds to turn gay, according to scientists. Read more
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Mum clings to wheel as thief drives off
THIEVES take advantage of freezing conditions as a string of "frost-jackings" sweep motorists in the UK. Read more
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Priest abuse victim awarded record $30m
A JURY awards a record $30m in compensatory damages to a man who claimed he was sexually abused by a priest in the 1960s. Read more
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Mum clings to wheel as thief drives off
A MUM was left clinging for life on her car's steering wheel after the vehicle was carjacked while she scraped ice from the windscreen. Read more
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NZ holds two minutes' silence for miners
NEW Zealand stood in silence for two minutes today in memory of the 29 men who lost their lives in the Pike River coal mine. Read more
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DNA confirms remains belong to Zahra Baker
POLICE confirm DNA taken from human remains found near a river bank last month matches 10-year-old Australian girl Zahra Baker. Read more
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Two more walls collapse in Pompeii
TWO more ancient Roman walls fell down in the archaeological site of Pompeii yesterday following the collapse of one on Tuesday and the ruin of a frescoed house last month. Read more
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Truckie had bong 'to ease constipation'
A NEW Zealand truck driver caught smoking cannabis behind the wheel of a 40-tonne dangerous goods truck said he took the drug to ease constipation. Read more
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US to allow rail passengers to carry guns
IT WILL soon be legal to carry unloaded firearms in checked-baggage on trains in the US. Read more
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Working with pesticides linked to dementia
LONG-TERM exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Read more
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Truckie had bong 'to ease constipation'
A DRIVER caught smoking cannabis behind the wheel of a 40-tonne truck said he took the drug to ease constipation. Read more
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Wikileaks' Assange escapes arrest in UK
JULIAN Assange reportedly escaped arrest today because Swedish authorities failed to fill out an arrest warrant correctly. Read more
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US clears the way for Haiti orphans
US politicians have given final approval to a bill that clears away hurdles to citizenship for 1000 Haitian orphans. Read more
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US, South Korea end war games
THE US and South Korean navies today ended a major show of strength intended to deter North Korea. Read more
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GAG unit fired up while mine service is held
A JET engine, flown in from Australia, has been fired up in a bid to smother a blaze in New Zealand's Pike River Coal mine. Read more
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Hugo Chavez shelters homeless in palace
VENEZUELAN President gives shelter at the presidential palace to 26 families left homeless by recent heavy rains in the country. Read more
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Johnny Depp wants Brad Pitt for Lone Ranger
DEPP throws Pitt's name in the mix to play the lead role in The Lone Ranger remake - in which Depp will play the role of Tonto. Read more
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Elizabeth Smart storms out of courtroom
ELIZABETH Smart upset after witness says her kidnapper abducted her because of his desire to have children and create a new race. Read more
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Sales to deliver $40bn festive cheer
RETAILERS are feeling glum this Christmas, even though they can expect a slightly more profitable sales period than this time last year. Read more
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Amazon drops hosting of WikiLeaks
US online retail giant Amazon has stopped using its servers to host the WikiLeaks website. Read more
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UK gripped by Arctic conditions
LARGE parts of Britain struggled to cope today with heavy snow and freezing conditions. Read more
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Diabetic brains 'low in cholesterol'
UNTREATED diabetes may contribute to reduced cholesterol available to the brain, a condition that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and several other disorders. Read more
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WikiLeaks website down in Europe, US
THE website of WikiLeaks, the organisation that just released a trove of sensitive US State Department documents, appears to have lost or left its main web host, Amazon.com. Read more
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Actor Snipes to begin jail term
A US judge has ordered actor Wesley Snipes to a federal prison in Pennsylvania today to start serving his three-year prison sentence on tax evasion charges. Read more
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Floods leave 25 dead
AT least 25 people have been killed and thousands left homeless as torrential rains have caused the worst flooding in Venezuela in the last 40 years, officials said. Read more
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Oil rig explodes burning three workers
AN OIL rig exploded overnight just north of the Gulf of Mexico, but authorities said it appeared that any release of oil or gas was limited. Read more
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Obama extends oil drilling ban
PRESIDENT Barack Obama has reversed a decision to expand oil exploration off US coasts and, in the wake of the BP spill, will extend a deepwater drilling ban in certain areas through 2017, an official said today. Read more
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WikiLeaks founder 'being persecuted'
THE British lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said today that Interpol's pursuit of his client could be linked to the "bellicose" US reaction to the recent release of secret diplomatic cables. Read more
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Clown secures Congress seat
A TELEVISION clown elected to Brazil's congress can take up his lawmaker duties after barely passing a literacy test, the judge overseeing the exam says. Read more
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Watson case 'dealt with in Queensland'
GABE Watson's lawyer has accused the Alabama attorney-general's office of acting like a "lynch mob" in pursuing murder charges when the Queensland judicial system already dealt with the case. Read more
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Iran hangs footballer's 'temporary wife'
IRAN overnight hanged a footballer's "temporary wife" convicted of murdering her love rival, her lawyer said. Read more
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Airports closed as Europe shivers
HEAVY snowfalls forced some of Europe's busiest airports to close and wreaked havoc on roads and railways yesterday as an unseasonable cold snap swept the continent, claiming a dozen lives. Read more
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Quake strikes near Fiji
A 5.9-MAGNITUDE earthquake struck the Fiji region overnight, the US Geological Survey said, although there were no reports of damage and no tsunami warning was in effect. Read more
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Tourists lose arms in shark attack
AN oceanic white tip shark mauled four Russian tourists swimming close to their beach hotels in two separate attacks at an Egyptian Red Sea resort, a local conservation official said overnight. Read more
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Father of missing boys held on $3m bond
THE father of three boys who disappeared from Michigan last week is being held in Ohio on a $3 million bond. Read more
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White man wore black mask in robberies
A WHITE man who used a lifelike mask of a black male to commit a string of robberies was awaiting sentencing after admitting to the crimes. Read more
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Student sues for being taught about God
A JUDGE signed off on a $450,000 payout to a ninth-grade student who sued because he was taught religion in a public classroom. Read more
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Lee Harvey Oswald's coffin up for auction
THE original coffin of Lee Harvey Oswald - the man who assassinated President John F. Kennedy - is going under the hammer this month, auctioneers said. Read more
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Man jailed for setting pit bulls on pups
AN American mas jailed for two years after admitting he set his pit bull dogs on a neighbour's puppies. Read more
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Seven held in Spain over terrorism links
SPANISH police have arrested six Pakistanis and a Nigerian suspected of providing forged passports to groups linked to al-Qaeda, in particular those behind the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Read more
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Man jailed for killing girlfriend and baby
A MAN who murdered his girlfriend and their 10-month-old baby girl in a "fearsome" stabbing attack will be behind bars for at least 26 years. Read more
News
Teen dies in street race horror
SCHOOLMATES of a teenager killed in a high-speed street race in the western suburbs have laid flowers at the gate to his high school.
Sport
Ogilvy surges to the front
MELBOURNE'S Geoff Ogilvy has surged ominously into the lead midway through the second round of the Australian Open at The Lakes in Sydney.