CELEBRATIONS: With parades, fireworks and other festivities, Vietnam marked the 30th anniversary of the end of its bitter and devastating conflict with the US
Marching troops paraded down the same route taken by North Vietnamese tanks when they rolled into the city 30 years ago, as Vietnam yesterday celebrated the communist victory over a US-backed government.

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DWINDLING HERITAGE: One heritage researcher has called the leveling of the historic Qianmen district a 'disaster,' and all for the sake of commercial development
The wrecking ball is in full swing in Beijing's historic Qianmen district, the capital's one-time business, entertainment and culinary center, leaving conservationists up in arms.

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NEGATIVE TURN: Days ahead of a vote in the UK, the Tory candidate took an aggressive tack by accusing Tony Blair of lying about intelligence in the leadup to the Iraq war
Conservative Party leader Michael Howard, fighting against the odds to become Britain's prime minister, branded Tony Blair a liar -- about the quality of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war and about the weakness of the legal case for the invasion.

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INTELLIGENCE HELP: Despite condemning the north African country for genocide, the US has leaned heavily on Sudan's intelligence agencies for help in Iraq and the region
Sudan's Islamist regime, once shunned by Washington for providing a haven for Osama bin Laden as well as for human rights abuses during decades of civil war, has become an ally in the Bush administration's "war on terror."

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HEAVENLY WHEELS: The gray VW Golf owned by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has already fetched bids of 45,000 euros on the popular site
For sale: gray VW Golf, 75,000km on the clock, one careful gentleman owner, with good connections to God.

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WELL-PLANNED ATTACK: Although the winner of Sunday's contested election vows there will be no civil war, the burning of a cultural center was an ominous sign
Black-clad, masked assailants torched a German cultural center in crisis-hit Togo, while the man officially named winner of violently contested presidential elections vowed not to let the country slip into civil war.

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SECRET MEETING: Iran pressed European officials hard on letting them resume the enrichment of uranium in hush-hush discussions held on Friday
Iranian and European negotiators met in secrecy here on Friday to seek agreement over Iran's nuclear program, and Iranian leaders increased pressure for a quick deal to permit them to resume enriching uranium for nuclear fuel.

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Mexico's government canceled the official recognition of a religious group devoted to the worship of the Santa Muerte, or "Saint Death" on Friday, arguing the group had violated its own statutes.

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New images taken of an object five times the mass of Jupiter confirm that it is a giant planet closely orbiting a distant star, an international team of astronomers reported.

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FRENCH CANADIANS: Outraged that the government misspent millions on an ad campaign , polls show that a growing number are in favor of seceding from Canada
A decade after Quebec's failed referendum on cession from the rest of Canada, people in the French-speaking province are once again fired up about the possibility of going their own way.

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■ China
15 miners die in blast
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