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	Thursday, 02 August, 2007, 18:00 GMT 03:00 +09:00:Asia/Seoul

Pole position Russians ahead as rush for black gold hits the high north		State of Play Will Halo 3 deliver on the unprecedented hype?

TOP STORIES
	Actor convicted over child porn Actor Chris Langham is found guilty of downloading child porn pictures but cleared of indecently assaulting a girl.
	Anti-terror chief 'misled' public A top anti-terror officer misled the public after the shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, a report finds.
	Bid to recover Mississippi bodies US rescuers search for bodies after a Minnesota bridge collapses into the Mississippi river, killing several people.
	Further postal strikes announced Postal unions announce a new wave of strike action in a further escalation of their dispute with Royal Mail.
	British Basra casualty is named A soldier from the UK's 2nd Royal Tank Regiment killed in Basra, southern Iraq, is named.

WORLD
	Bid to recover Mississippi bodies US rescuers search for bodies after a Minnesota bridge collapses into the Mississippi river, killing several people.
	European fires near record levels Southern Europe has suffered some of the worst forest fires on record in the last month, EU figures show.
	Russia plants flag under N Pole Explorers plant a Russian flag on the seabed below the North Pole to further Moscow's Arctic claims.

AFRICA
	S Leone militia leaders convicted Sierra Leone's war crimes court convicts two ex-militia leaders who fought the rebels in the civil war.
	Fatal railway crash in DR Congo At least 60 people are reported dead in a train crash in central DR Congo, with many passengers trapped.
	'Witchcraft' arrest in Mozambique Three people are arrested in Mozambique, in connection with murders apparently linked to witchcraft.

AMERICAS
	Bid to recover Mississippi bodies US rescuers search for bodies after a Minnesota bridge collapses into the Mississippi river, killing several people.
	Anti-terror chief 'misled' public A top anti-terror officer misled the public after the shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, a report finds.
	Black must await sentence in US Conrad Black cannot travel to Canada while he awaits sentencing in his fraud trial, a US judge rules.

ASIA-PACIFIC
	Taleban to discuss hostages' fate The Taleban agree to face-to-face talks with South Korea to discuss the fate of 21 Korean hostages.
	Toys recalled over safety fears Fisher Price recalls nearly one million Chinese-made toys over fears their paint may contain too much lead.
	China lightning kills record 141 Lightning killed 141 people in China last month, the highest number since records began, officials say.

EUROPE
	Russia plants flag under N Pole Explorers plant a Russian flag on the seabed below the North Pole to further Moscow's Arctic claims.
	EU cheered by mobile tariff cuts The European Commission says most mobile phone companies have cut roaming tariffs in line with new rules.
	European fires near record levels Southern Europe has suffered some of the worst forest fires on record in the last month, EU figures show.

MIDDLE EAST
	US in $80m Palestinian aid deal US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signs a deal granting the Palestinians $80m to reform their security services.
	Tehran killers hanged in public Two men are hanged in Tehran for murdering a judge, the first public executions in Iran's capital since 2002.
	Bulgaria 'to waive Libyan debt' Bulgaria is to divert $57m of debt owed by Libya to a fund for the families of Libyan children infected with HIV.

SOUTH ASIA
	South Asia struggles with floods Millions of people are displaced as South Asia battles against some of its worst floods in recent years.
	Taleban to discuss hostages' fate The Taleban agree to face-to-face talks with South Korea to discuss the fate of 21 Korean hostages.
	Access 'denied' to jailed Briton UK officials says they are being denied access to a Briton held in Pakistan on security grounds.

UK
	Anti-terror chief 'misled' public A top anti-terror officer misled the public after the shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, a report finds.
	Actor convicted over child porn Actor Chris Langham is found guilty of downloading child porn pictures but cleared of indecently assaulting a girl.
	Probe into cancer patients' death Birmingham Heartlands Hospital launches an inquiry after two cancer patients die of drugs overdoses.

ENGLAND
	Actor convicted over child porn Actor Chris Langham is found guilty of downloading child porn pictures but cleared of indecently assaulting a girl.
	Probe into cancer patients' death Birmingham Heartlands Hospital launches an inquiry after two cancer patients die of drugs overdoses.
	Divers' bodies found on shipwreck The bodies of two divers are found on a wreck off the Cornish coast, coastguards confirm.

NORTHERN IRELAND
	Man dead in tractor/train crash An elderly farmer dies following a collision between a train and tractor in County Londonderry.
	Funeral held for Iraq serviceman A soldier from Londonderry killed in Iraq almost two weeks ago is buried with full military honours.
	Orde hits out at UDA over rioting The chief constable says the UDA should not get any money after attacks on police in County Down.

SCOTLAND
	Race crime up after terror attack Police say racist incidents increased after the suspected terrorist attack at Glasgow Airport.
	Post staff to end wildcat strike Postal workers who were involved in an unofficial strike vote narrowly in favour of returning to work.
	A&E decision halts cancer centre Plans for new health services in Ayrshire are put on hold in order to retain an accident and emergency unit.

WALES
	Long delays after fatal M4 crash Motorists across a large area of south Wales still face miles of queues after a fatal lorry crash on the M4.
	Girl, 11, drowned 'feeding geese' An 11-year-old foster child drowned in a pond after falling in while she feed geese, an inquest hears.
	Quinnell hurt in shower accident Ex-rugby international Scott Quinnell may lose the use of three fingers after falling through a glass shower door.

POLITICS
	PM 'advised to hold early poll' Gordon Brown was advised by a Labour strategist to hold an early election after his "honeymoon" as PM.
	Cameron urges better armed forces David Cameron says retention among the armed forces would become "truly awful" without improvements.
	EU red lines unravelling - Tories Britain's "red lines" in the EU treaty negotiations are "unravelling by the day," say the Conservatives.

BUSINESS
	UK interest rates stay at 5.75% The Bank of England's rate-setters decide to keep the cost of borrowing unchanged at 5.75%.
	Further postal strikes announced Postal unions announce a new wave of strike action in a further escalation of their dispute with Royal Mail.
	Unilever unveils 20,000 job cuts Consumer goods giant Unilever is to cut about 20,000 jobs - 11% of its workforce - over the next four years.

ENTERTAINMENT
	Actor convicted over child porn Actor Chris Langham is found guilty of downloading child porn pictures but cleared of indecently assaulting a girl.
	Funeral held for Blow-Up director Mourners pay their last respects to film-maker Michelangelo Antonioni at his funeral in Italy.
	Mel B in bid to confirm paternity Spice Girl Mel B files legal papers in a bid to establish actor Eddie Murphy as the father of her baby.

SCIENCE/NATURE
	Orangutans use 'charades' to talk Researchers show orangutans intentionally modify or repeat their signals to get their messages across.
	Russia plants flag under N Pole Explorers plant a Russian flag on the seabed below the North Pole to further Moscow's Arctic claims.
	Asia's brown clouds 'warm planet' Air pollution over Asia is warming the lower atmosphere as much as greenhouse gas emissions, a study suggests.

TECHNOLOGY
	Crack down on US mod chip sellers Raids are carried out in 16 US states in a bid to clamp down on the sale of mod chips for game consoles.
	Britain 'failing' net speed tests A Which? survey finds a big gap between advertised and actual broadband speeds in the UK.
	Microsoft tries free office suite Free versions of Microsoft's Works package of programs will be available soon, says the software firm.

HEALTH
	NHS drug costs to be renegotiated Health Secretary Alan Johnson is to renegotiate an agreement with pharmaceutical companies on the price of drugs to the NHS.
	Probe into cancer patients' death Birmingham Heartlands Hospital launches an inquiry after two cancer patients die of drugs overdoses.
	Pay offer on table for NHS staff The government has offered an upgraded pay deal for NHS staff in England.

EDUCATION
	School assistants 'compromised' A lack of organisation could compromise the benefits of the increase in school support staff, a report says.
	Flood schools to re-open on time Schools affected by floods in Gloucestershire are set to re-open on time for the new autumn term.
	Skills scheme restrictive - MPs MPs criticise a government scheme to encourage employers to take more responsibility for staff training.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES
	1990: Iraq invades Kuwait More than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers backed up by 700 tanks invade the Gulf state of Kuwait in the early hours of this morning.
	1980: Bologna blast leaves dozens dead A huge bomb devastates Bologna railway station, killing at least 75 people.
	1973: Dozens die in resort fire More than 30 people die in a fire which gutted the Summerland leisure resort on the Isle of Man.

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