At Least 18 Dead After Building Collapses In Tanzania

At least 18 people were killed when a building collapsed Friday in Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, a municipal official said Saturday, as hopes dimmed of rescuing more survivors. Poor equipment hampered efforts to rescue more than 60 people believed to be trapped under the rubble, said a Dar es Salaam commissioner, Said Siddiq. At least 17 people, 3 seriously injured, were pulled out of the debris on Friday. Officials said that constriction work on the building, on one of the busiest streets in Tanzania’s commercial center, was about...

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2 Afghan Children Killed In NATO Airstrike In Ghazni Province

Two Afghan children were killed and seven civilians were wounded in a NATO airstrike earlier Saturday in the eastern province of Ghazni, which also claimed the lives of 12 Taliban insurgents, authorities said. "The helicopters with the NATO-led coalition forces launched an attack against Taliban position along a road in Espand-de area outside provincial capital Ghazni city this morning," Deputy Provincial Governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi told Xinhua. But the bombing also claimed the lives of two children and wounded seven others aboard two vehicles...

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Pope Francis To Lead Easter Celebrations At St Peter's

Pope Francis is set to celebrate his first Easter Sunday since his election with an open-air Mass in St Peter's Square. He will then deliver a speech to Rome and to the world - the "Urbi et Orbi" address - from a balcony of St Peter's. Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. At an Easter vigil Mass in St Peter's, the Pope appealed to non-believers and lapsed Catholics to "step forward" towards God. "Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with...

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Tulsa Dentist May Have Put 7,000 Patients At HIV Risk

Health officials in the US state of Oklahoma have warned 7,000 patients their dentist may have exposed them to HIV and hepatitis B and C. Patients of Dr W Scott Harrington's practice in Tulsa were advised to test themselves at a free clinic set up by the state, health officials said. Health inspectors found rusty dental instruments and poor hygiene standards at the clinic. Dr Harrington has voluntarily closed the practice, officials said. "Although we do not know whether you were personally...

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Court Refuses Pregnant Man Thomas Beatie's Divorce

An Arizona judge has refused to grant a divorce to a transgender man who gave birth to three children. The judge said there was insufficient evidence that Thomas Beatie was male when he married; the state bans same-sex marriage. In 2008, Mr Beatie, who had lived as a man for decades, gave birth to a girl, the first of three pregnancies. He is legally male but kept his female reproductive organs and bore children because his wife was infertile. A spokesman for Mr Beatie, Ryan Gordon, said...

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Amazon To Buy Social Network Site For Readers Goodread

Online retailer Amazon has said it will buy Goodreads, a book discovery and recommendation website. San Francisco-based Goodreads was founded in 2007, has 16 million members and is one of the most prominent online communities for readers. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and it is expected to be completed in the next quarter. Amazon's electronic book service competes against a number of rivals including Google and Apple. Goodreads is a social network for readers, where they can recommend, review and discover books. Users...

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Tibet Mine Landslide: Hopes Fade For Survivors

Hopes are fading for more than 80 miners buried in a landslide on Friday in Tibet. Chinese media said the first body had been found - but only 36 hours after the landslip - and that the chances of finding survivors were slim. The miners' camp, 70km (45 miles) east of Lhasa, was destroyed by thousands of tonnes of rock. Rescuers have been hampered by freezing weather, altitude sickness and risks of further landslides. Xinhua news agency said that as of 10:00 local time (02:00 GMT) no survivors...

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US Music Producer And CD Pioneer Phil Ramone Dies

The US music producer and pioneer of digital recording, Phil Ramone, has died aged 79. Ramone is regarded as one of the most successful producers in history, winning 14 Grammy awards and working with stars such as Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Elton John and Paul McCartney. He produced the first major commercial release on CD, Billy Joel's 1982 album 52nd Street. Some of his awards were for soundtracks to TV shows, films and stage plays. A native of South Africa, Ramone learnt the violin at the...

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Texas District Attorney, Wife Found Dead

A sheriff's deputy says authorities are investigating the deaths of a North Texas county district attorney and his wife who were found dead in a home. Kaufman County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Justin Lewis said Saturday that the county District Attorney, Mike McLelland, and his wife, Cynthia, were found dead in a home in an unincorporated part of the county. Authorities have blocked off the street where the couple's last known address is located. Lewis said he couldn't discuss the investigation in further detail, including how the couple...

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NZ Cricketer Jesse Ryder Out Of Coma

New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder has come out of a medically-induced coma, three days after he was attacked outside a bar in Christchurch. He suffered serious injuries after being attacked twice in quick succession as he left the bar. Ryder, 28, was still in intensive care but he was no longer on a ventilator and had been talking, his manager Aaron Klee said. Two people have been charged with assault and are due in court next week. The cricketer had been in Christchurch with team-mates...

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Justin Bieber's Monkey Quarantined In Germany

Justin Bieber had to leave a monkey in quarantine after landing in Germany last week without the necessary papers for the animal, an official said Saturday. The 19-year-old singer arrived at Munich airport last Thursday. When he went through customs, he didn't have the documentation necessary to bring the capuchin monkey into the country, so the animal had to stay with authorities, customs spokesman Thomas Meister said. Bieber performed in Munich on Thursday, beginning the latest leg of his...

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Cyprus Depositors Could Lose 60%

Bank of Cyprus depositors with more than 100,000 euros ($128,200) could lose up to 60% of their savings as part of an EU-IMF bailout restructuring move, officials say. The central bank says 37.5% of holdings over 100,000 euros will become shares. Up to 22.5% will go into a fund attracting no interest and may be subject to further write-offs. The other 40% will attract interest - but this will not be paid unless the bank performs well. It was known that the wealthiest savers at the Bank of Cyprus would take a large hit from the bailout deal...

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N Korea In State Of War With South

North Korea has said it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea in the latest escalation of rhetoric against its neighbour and the US. A statement promised "stern physical actions" against "any provocative act". North Korea has threatened attacks almost daily since it was sanctioned for a third nuclear test in February. However, few think the North would risk full-blown conflict. It has technically been at war with the South since 1953 as no peace treaty has been signed. An armistice...

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Eiffel Tower Evacuated Over Threat

The Eiffel Tower in Paris has been evacuated after an anonymous phone-call threatening an attack. An estimated 1,400 people were visiting the site when France's anti-terrorism police made the decision to clear it. A security perimeter was set up around the world-famous monument and police said a search could take several hours, local media reported. The tower has been threatened several times in recent years. In 2011, 4,000 people were cleared from it. L'Express news website said that tourists...

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Hollywood Release: G.I. Joe: Retaliation [Watch Trailer]

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by Jon M. Chu, based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy, comic and media franchises. It is a sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The film was written by Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. G.I. Joe: Retaliation features an ensemble cast, starring Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson, with Channing Tatum, Arnold Vosloo, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, and Lee Byung-hun reprising their roles from the first film. The...

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Hollywood Release: The Host [Watch Trailer]

The Host is an American science fiction film, adapted from Stephenie Meyer's novel of the same name. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, and Jake Abel. It was released on March 29, 2013. Earth has been inhabited by an intellegent alien species known as "Souls." Although an incredibly peaceful race, Souls can only survive by being inserted into a host body, taking control of their minds. In an effort to discover the secret whereabouts of some of the...

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Hollywood Release: The Place Beyond The Pines [Watch Trailer]

The Place Beyond the Pines is a 2013 crime drama film directed by Derek Cianfrance, written by Cianfrance, Ben Coccio and Darius Marder. It stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, and Ray Liotta. The film reunites Cianfance and Gosling, with whom he worked on 2010's Blue Valentine. The title is the English meaning of the city of Schenectady, New York, which is derived loosely from a Mohawk word for "place beyond the pine plains." A mysterious and mythical motorcycle racer, Luke (Ryan...

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Car Bombs Hit Iraqi Worshippers

Shia worshippers in the Iraqi capital Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk have been targeted in a series of car bomb attacks. At least 17 people are reported to have died and dozens have been wounded. Blasts hit mosques in the Baghdad areas of Zafaraniyah, Binook, Qahira, and Jihad during Friday Prayers. The Kirkuk attack was reported at the same time. Violence has decreased in Iraq since the peak of the insurgency in 2006 and 2007, but bombings are still common. Sunni Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda have vowed to step up attacks...

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Harry Potter Actor Richard Griffiths Dies

Actor Richard Griffiths, who starred in the Harry Potter movies and Withnail and I, has died at the age of 65 after complications following heart surgery. Griffiths enjoyed a long career of success on film and on TV, but also on the stage where he was a Tony-winning character actor. TV roles included a cookery-loving detective in Pie in the Sky. He was best known for playing Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films and Uncle Monty in Withnail and I. His Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe...

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Clashes As Chile Students March For Education Reform

Thousands of Chilean students have clashed with police on the streets of the capital, Santiago, during a protest calling for education reforms. Some threw petrol bombs at the riot police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. This was the first demonstration of 2013 calling for high-quality and free education, but protests on the issue date back to 2011. Authorities said 60 people were arrested and one policeman was injured. The clashes occurred after authorities changed the agreed...

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Two Boys Beaten To Death In China School

Two boys have died after they were beaten by a member of staff at a primary school in southern China, state media report. The boys, who attended a private school in Yulin City, in the Guangxi Zhuang region, died later in hospital, Xinhua news agency says. A male employee reportedly hit the boys, causing critical injuries. This comes a day after a man killed two before slashing six children at a school in Shanghai on Thursday. Police in Yulin have detained the male employee and are investigating the case. The boys were in the fifth grade,...

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Mali Conflict: Hollande Sets French Troop Timetable

France will reduce the number of its troops fighting in Mali to 1,000 by the end of the year, President Francois Hollande says. "We have achieved our objectives," Mr Hollande said in a TV interview. He said troop levels would be halved to 2,000 by July. Withdrawals are due to start next month. A French-led intervention that began in January has taken back the main cities of northern Mali from Islamist groups, though fighting continues in the north. Mr Hollande acknowledged that one goal,...

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Tanzania: Dar Es Salaam Building Collapse Traps Dozens

At least three people have been killed and dozens more are trapped after a multi-storey building collapsed in the centre of the main Tanzanian city, Dar es Salaam, rescue workers say. Thirteen people have been pulled out of the ruins alive, officials say. Some 45 people, including construction workers, residents and children from a Koranic school, are missing. The 12-floor building under construction is now a "huge pile of chaos". "I thought there was an earthquake and then I heard screaming....

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North Korea Tensions: Russia's Lavrov Fears Spiral

Russia has warned of tensions in North Korea slipping out of control, after Pyongyang said it was placing its missile units on stand-by. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the situation could slip "toward the spiral of a vicious circle". Kim Jong-un made the missile order after talks responding to US stealth bomber flights over the Korean peninsula, state news agency KCNA said. The time had come to "settle accounts" with the US, KCNA quoted him as saying. Annual military drills...

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University Of Damascus Hit By Mortars

Mortar fire has hit the University of Damascus, killing at least 10 students, Syrian officials say. Syrian state TV blamed rebels for the attack, saying a number of people had also been injured. It said the mortars had hit the university's faculty of architecture. The Syrian capital is in the grip of heavy fighting between government and rebel forces, who have recently intensified the use of mortars in the city. The attack on the university was also reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based activist group. It...

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Putin Orders Surprise Black Sea Military Exercises

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered surprise military exercises in the Black Sea region, to test the armed forces' battle readiness. The president's spokesman said the exercises would involve 36 ships and up to 7,000 troops. He added that Russia was not obliged to give warning of exercises involving fewer than 7,000 personnel. Russia moved to reform its military after the 2008 war with Georgia showed up weaknesses...

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Sarkozy Bettencourt: Lead Judge Receives Death Threat

The lead examining magistrate in a corruption case against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has received a death threat in the post. Blank cartridges were included in the letter sent to Jean-Michel Gentil in Bordeaux, which also threatened those close to him and other magistrates. Reporting the threat, the French magistrates' union appealed for calm. Mr Sarkozy denies receiving illegal donations from L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt in 2007. The former conservative president has...

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Thailand Begins Peace Talks With Southern Rebel Group

Thailand is holding peace talks with Muslim insurgents aimed at curbing violence in the south. Government officials are meeting representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) rebel group in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The talks follow a deal reached in February with the group, which is one of several operating in the area. More than 5,000 people have been killed since a separatist insurgency reignited in the Muslim-majority region in 2004. The Muslim militants, who are fighting...

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US Stealth Bombers In South Korea Drill

The US has flown two B-2 stealth bombers over South Korea as part of a military exercise. The US said it demonstrated its forces could conduct "long-range, precision strikes quickly and at will". The move follows strong rhetoric from Pyongyang and comes a day after it cut a military hotline with the South. The hotline had been used mainly to facilitate cross-border travel at a joint industrial complex, which was said to be operating normally. More than 160 South Korean commuters went through...

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NZ Cricketer Jesse Ryder In A Coma

New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder is in a medically induced coma after being attacked twice in quick succession as he left a Christchurch bar, police say. He is believed to have suffered serious head injuries after the assaults and is now in intensive care. Local media quoted doctors as saying that Ryder suffered a fractured skull and a collapsed lung. He was in Christchurch playing for Wellington against Canterbury in the domestic one-day competition. The 28-year-old cricketer had been...

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Pakistani Schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai To Publish A Book

Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban in October, has signed a book deal worth about $3m. Malala, 15, who campaigns for girls' education, says the memoir is her own story and that of millions of others denied the chance to go to school. She was shot by a Taliban gunman in her home region of Swat. She and her family now live in the British city of Birmingham where she has been receiving treatment. The book, titled I am Malala, is scheduled...

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India Maoist Rebels Die In Clash

A gun battle between two groups of Maoist rebels in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand has claimed the lives of 15 rebels, police say. Fighting in Chatra district started on Wednesday night, police said. Ten bodies have been recovered so far from the spot. Maoist rebels are active in more than a third of India's 600-odd districts. They say they are fighting for the rights of the poor peasants and labourers. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described them as the biggest internal security...

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Madagascar Hit By Plague Of Locusts

A severe plague of locusts has infested about half of Madagascar, threatening crops and raising concerns about food shortages, a UN agency says. The UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said billions of the plant-devouring insects could cause hunger for 60% of the population. About $22m was urgently needed to fight the plague in a country where many people are poor, the FAO added. It was the worst plague to hit the island since the 1950s, the FAO said. FAO locust control expert...

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Deaths As Gang Attacks Kenya Casino

At least seven people have been killed in a Kenyan coastal town during a raid on a casino by a machete-wielding gang, police say. Police intervened, shooting dead six of the attackers, officials said. At least one officer also died. The 50-strong gang struck in Malindi, some 120km (75 miles) north of Mombasa, early on Thursday, police said. A spokesman linked the attackers to the Mombasa Republic Council (MRC), an outlawed separatist group. "A gang of 50 MRC suspects armed with machetes...

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Oscar Pistorius Wins Travel Right After Bail Challenge

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, charged with murdering his girlfriend, will be allowed to travel after challenging his bail terms. A judge said the Olympic and Paralympic star would be allowed to leave South Africa to compete as long as he complies with certain conditions. He will also be allowed to return to his home in Pretoria, where Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed. He denies murdering the 29-year-old, saying he mistook her for an intruder. In the hearing at Pretoria's High...

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Nelson Mandela Back In Hospital

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been readmitted to hospital with the recurrence of a lung infection. A statement from the South African presidency said Mr Mandela, 94, had been admitted just before midnight. Mr Mandela spent 18 days in hospital in December undergoing treatment for a lung infection and gallstones. He is widely regarded as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid. Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994...

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Cyprus Banks Reopen With Tough Curbs

Banks in Cyprus have reopened after a two-week closure sparked by discussions on an EU-IMF bailout, amid tension over possible large-scale withdrawals. Branches were replenished with cash overnight and police were deployed amid fears of a run on the banks. Some queues did form but customers face strict controls on daily withdrawals and the mood was generally calm. The restrictions on the free movement of capital represent a profound breach of an EU principle, correspondents say. However,...

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