Prince Charles row brewing at Commonwealth Games

September 29th,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

A diplomatic feud is brewing amid the already existing chaos at the Commonwealth Games, this time involving Prince Charles and Indian President Pratibha Patil.
With Queen Elizabeth II skipping the New Delhi Games — the first Commonwealth Games she's missed since 1966 — the prince is scheduled to speak on his mother's behalf at Sunday's opening [...]

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Julia Budworth: Tea with 'The Lady'

September 27th,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

Seventy miles from the hushed London offices of The Lady, in a Georgian drawing room overlooking a lake, the future of the 125-year-old magazine for gentlewomen is being plotted. And it doesn't involve the editor, Rachel Johnson.
"Enough's enough. I'm afraid it can't go on much longer," says Julia Budworth as she pours tea. The seventysomething [...]

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In Kenya, proof that the Millennium goals can work

September 25th,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

Mary Asiko had been quietly dreading retirement. Leaving her desk job in Nairobi and going back to Marenyo, her village in Western Kenya, meant one thing: queues of neighbours asking for money.
Marenyo wasn't exceptional. Its mix of poor soils, bad roads, malnutrition and endemic poverty is hopelessly familiar in much of rural Kenya. "I used [...]

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Argentina poll sees Kirchners return from oblivion

September 23rd,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

A year ago, Cristina Kirchner crashed into a mid-term crisis that threatened her survival as Argentina's first elected woman president. Robbed of a congressional majority in legislative elections and plagued by a hostile press, farm strikes and protests over high inflation, the "new Evita" was written off as a lame duck destined for political oblivion.
But [...]

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British couple found dead in Tenerife

September 23rd,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

A British couple have been found dead at their home in Tenerife, according to Spanish police.
The badly decomposed bodies of James Mutch, 57, and Beatrice Sallens, 69, were discovered in a flat in Playa de las Americas, a popular resort with Britons. Police were reportedly alerted after neighbours noticed a smell coming from the property.
Officers [...]

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China cuts Japan contacts over detained trawler captain

September 20th,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

China stepped up its maritime dispute with Japan today as it halted high-level exchanges over the extended detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain.
State broadcaster CCTV said Beijing had suspended ministerial and provincial-level contacts, including talks on increasing flights, and postponed a meeting on coal.
The row began more than a week ago, when a trawler [...]

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Fears of anti-immigration alliance as Berlusconi lauds France's expulsion policy

September 18th,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

Italy's conservative premier Silvio Berlusconi has given his full support to France's controversial decision to forcibly repatriate thousands of Roma people to Eastern Europe.
And in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, he appeared keen to exploit the row by calling for tougher EU-wide limits on immigration.
"On the question of the repatriation of the [...]

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Chinese film industry aims to challenge Hollywood

September 17th,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

China is on course to build a record number of cinemas this year in a burst of movie infrastructure development that is partly aimed at rivalling the "soft power" of Hollywood.
Following the state-backed expansion of China's TV and newspaper industries since 2009, the government is promoting a major push of film production and distribution.
The state [...]

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Tea Party targets surprise win in Delaware Republican primary

September 16th,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

The Tea Party is looking to end the US primary season with another spectacular upset tonight by helping one of the biggest outsiders yet, Christine O'Donnell, to win the Republican Senate nomination for Delaware.
O'Donnell's brand of conservative politics is far to the right of the Republican mainstream, especially on social issues, and until recently she [...]

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Allegri warns his squad that Auxerre will be no push-over

September 15th,2010 by Benson ADD COMMENTS

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be hoping for a better Champions League debut than his first Serie A match with AC Milan where he missed a penalty during the loss to a newly promoted team.
Milan hosts Auxerre in Group G today, four days after a 2-0 defeat at Cesena in which Ibrahimovic hit the post from a [...]

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