Fans brave torrential rain at ‘Harry Potter’ premiere

If Potions Professor Horace Slughorn had mixed a brew to conjure up torrential rain, the weather could not have been worse for the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Dedicated fans braved thunder, lightning and Biblical downpours in London’s Leicester Square to catch a glimpse of the film’s stars arriving at the opening of the sixth film in the wildly popular “Harry Potter” franchise.

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Red Devils launch new kit

Manchester United fans all around the world will be eagerly scouring for transfer news and gossip over the possible arrival of new players during the close season. But just as important to many supporters over the break will be being among the first to get their hands on the club’s new kit. The English Premier League champions have just launched a new home kit for the forthcoming season which pays homage to their 100th year playing at their Old Trafford stadium

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Flight 447 mystery likely to cast shadow over Paris Air Show

The world’s premier air show takes place in Paris next week, with the recent loss of Air France flight 447 over the Atlantic Ocean likely to cast a shadow over the event. The annual Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary, gives the air transport industry the chance to promote the latest innovations in aerospace technology and attract buyers for both commercial and military aircraft. Manufacturing giants Boeing and Airbus are two of the most high-profile organizations at the show as a result of their stranglehold over the commercial airliner market

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Thousands of Civilians Escape as Sri Lanka Corners the Tamil Tigers

Sri Lankan military authorities predicted a swift end to the country’s 25-year civil war after tens of thousands of civilians who had been trapped in a narrow combat zone in the country’s north for over two months escaped the iron grip of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on April 20. But more fighting is in store before that end can be reached. It will take weeks, if not longer, to capture or kill the over 500 hardcore Tigers — including leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who is holed up deep inside the zone — ready to fight to the death

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Luxury hotel launch red carpets over recession

Hours after G-20 leaders agreed to a trillion-dollar bailout of the world economy in chilly London, one of the world’s most flamboyant hoteliers opened his latest luxury hotel in sunny South Africa. Sol Kernzer admits opening an uber-luxury hotel in the current economic climate is not ideal, but he still firmly believes his latest venture — One&Only — in Cape Town’s waterfront will be a success.

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How will April Fool’s worm impact you?

Remember the dire predictions surrounding the ‘millennium bug?’ The doom-and-gloom scenarios bandied about by security analysts on how computers could act when their clocks turned to January 1, 2000? Well, researchers are hoping that a potential April Fool’s time bomb — the Conficker.c that is supposed to hit computers on April 1 — turns out to be equally unfounded.

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Nokia cuts a further 1,700 jobs as demand falls

Nokia, the world’s leading cellphone maker, announced Tuesday that it was cutting 1,700 further jobs globally due to falling demand. The Finland-based giant has already announced hundreds of lay-offs in response to the deepening recession. In a statement, the company said the latest cuts were part of its drive to increase “cost-efficiency and adapt to the market situation.” The latest job losses would primarily be from its devices and markets units and in corporate development and global support, Nokia said

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