Glastonbury set for 40th birthday in the sunshine

"Please bring sun protection with you!" announced the Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis yesterday. It will be music to the ears of the 180,000 who will descend on Worthy Farm over the next few days.

"23C, 24C, 24C, 23C" reads the Met Office forecast for Thursday to Sunday, below a row of four yellow discs on four bright blue backgrounds – though in typically British fashion they do warn that there is "a chance of an isolated heavy shower by Sunday".

Bono's injured back notwithstanding, things could barely look better for the festival, which turns 40 this year.

The unfortunate news of the rehearsal injury which caused the Irish rock band U2 to withdraw from their Friday night headline slot last month was later greeted with an overwhelmingly positive response, when the concept band Gorillaz were named as replacements. If the band's lead singer, Damon Albarn, his cartoon friends and their vast array of collaborators carry off the set many are hoping they can, it may be another one of "those" Glastonbury moments.

It also lowers the average age of this year's headline acts, in contrast to Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen who played last year. After the Gorillaz, the Pyramid Stage will feature the stadium rock of Muse on Saturday, followed by Stevie Wonder on Sunday. All three are first-time Glastonbury headliners.

Congress talks tough on ‘honour killings'

The Congress on Wednesday asked the government to deal with the scourge of “honour killings” “with an iron hand” and, if possible, even consider passing a law to tackle such crimes.

“We believe that the time has come to take a national view in this matter,” party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said.

If the existing laws were inadequate, the government should consider fresh legislation to deal with these crimes. “Violence cannot be condoned by any civilised society and must be put down with a firm hand”.

On Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's recent statement that marriages within the same “gotra” were not appropriate, she said he would explain his statement on June 25.

“All Congress Chief Ministers are sworn to uphold the Constitution and cannot condone violence and murder”.

Magnitude-5.0 earthquake reported in Canada

TORONTO — A magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck at the Ontario-Quebec border region of Canada on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and homes and businesses were shaken from Canada's capital in Ottawa on south to an arc of U.S. states.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Morgan Moschetti, a seismologist with the USGS, said it was not unusual for an earthquake to be felt 300 miles (482 kilometers) from the epicenter and noted that the latest quake was felt in the U.S. from Chicago to Maine.

Other states that reported feeling tremors were Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York.

The epicenter of the quake was in Quebec, about 23 miles (38 kilometers) north of Cumberland, Ontario, on the Ottawa River, the USGS said.

The agency said the quake occurred at a depth of about 12 miles (19.2 kilometers) at 1:45 p.m. EDT (1741 GMT). The agency initially said the quake had a 5.5 magnitude, but later reduced it to a magnitude-5.0.

The tremors, which lasted about 30 seconds, rattled buildings in Ottawa and Toronto, as well as government offices across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec.

The Parliament building in Ottawa was evacuated, with workers sent home while the building was inspected. Workers also left buildings in Toronto.

Ryan Seacrest`s relationship with Julianne Hough getting `more serious`

American Idol presenter Ryan Seacrest's relationship with Julianne Hough is reportedly getting 'more serious'.

Seacrest, 35, has been spotted with the 21-year-old dancer on several occasions in recent months.

A source said to PEOPLE: 'Things have gotten more serious over the last month. They're perfect for each other'.

The couple have been trying to keep a low profile but have been regularly spotted across Los Angeles together.

On June 13, the pair were seen on the beach in Malibu, days before they were noticed at Red O restaurant in LA.

The longest tennis match ever – and it's still going

Isner and Mahut remain tied on 59 games all in the fifth set of the longest tennis match ever played, in first round at Wimbledon

Somewhere around five hours into the final set of the longest game of tennis ever seen in the professional game, with an increasingly sunburned crowd leaning on the metal barriers of court 18 for support, Sue Barker summed up the mood for TV viewers: "Is this match ever going to end?"

Apparently not. Tonight, France's Nicolas Mahut and John Isner from the US, two of the lesser known names on the men's singles circuit, remained deadlocked on two sets each and both with 59 games in the longest fifth set ever, of the longest tennis match ever.

Over nine hours in length, with more than six hours of it the absurdly epic final set, it remains unclear which player will crack first, both holding serve continuously in the final set, but it was Mahut who implored the officials to take the players off shortly after 9pm as he could no longer clearly see the ball.

Even before the players began warming up shortly after lunch they had already played out something of an epic, which ended on Tuesday evening tied at two sets each following, even then, 45 games of thunderous tennis.

Even then, no one expected what was to follow. Isner and Mahut proceeded to play out the longest single set, and match, ever seen, the hulking 6ft 9in Isner also taking the Wimbledon record for the most aces in a single match for good measure, slamming more than 90 past his comparatively diminutive 6ft 3in opponent.

As news of the epic spread around Wimbledon, ever greater crowds packed around the stands, while BBC2 abandoned games involving Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to focus on what would otherwise have been a relatively minor encounter between a little known duo. Mahut, 28, is more of a journeyman, ranked 148 in the world, against his 23rd seed opponent, one of the biggest – and hardest-hitting – players on the tour.

Al-Qaida front group says it bombed Baghdad bank

BAGHDAD — An al-Qaida front group claimed responsibility Wednesday for bombing a state-run investment bank, gloating over its ease in penetrating security in an attack that killed at least 18 people.

Sunday's attack on the Trade Bank of Iraq was meant to expose the weakness of the country's stalled government, according to a statement posted on the website of the Islamic State of Iraq. The statement called the bank a "stronghold of evil" because it was established to attract foreign investment.

"The soldiers of the Islamic State, in spite of all protections, managed to penetrate all security barriers and checkpoints and reach the target," the group's statement said.

The group, which is allied with al-Qaida, taunted the government for its inability to keep the peace.

"The challenge is still open to the dwarves of the Green Zone," the statement said in a stab at Iraqi leaders who live and work behind heavily fortified blast walls in central Baghdad.

The same group claimed responsibility for last week's strike on the Central Bank of Iraq, the nation's treasury, in which at least 26 died in a commando-style assault by bombers and shooters.

Sheila says Delhi is game for Olympics

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao arrived here on Wednesday evening for talks with her Pakistani counterpart, Salman Bashir, in a bid to bridge the trust deficit between the two countries and finalise the agenda for ministerial dialogue in mid-July.

Both sides are approaching the renewed engagement pragmatically; glad to be back at the negotiating table but careful not to raise hopes of any breakthrough. This chariness was evident with officials on both sides refusing to confirm whether there would be a joint press conference after the formal talks.

“You know how it is with Indo-Pak talks; nothing can be said for sure till the last minute but we have told the Indian side that arrangements can be made for a joint press stakeout at short notice,” said a Foreign Office official.

Personal equation

Much is being made of the personal equation between the Foreign Secretaries since the time they worked as counterparts in their countries' missions in Beijing. The Foreign Office is also seeking comfort in the tone and tenor of the statements that have come out of New Delhi; in particular the positive references to the stalled composite dialogue process in Ms. Rao's speech at the Afghanistan-India-Pakistan trialogue earlier this month.

Given that India's refusal to resume the composite dialogue has resulted in Pakistan dropping its insistence on nomenclature and, instead, using the phrase ‘sustained dialogue', Islamabad sees in Ms. Rao's speech a change in attitude.

Similarly, statements from the Indian External Affairs Ministry that New Delhi was approaching the talks in an exploratory manner instead of adopting an accusatory tone is also being viewed as a positive development; so much so that some here feel that both countries are almost speaking in one voice.

Burma bans marching and chanting during rallies

Political parties seeking to contest elections due to be held in Burma later this year have been told they will not be able to march, chant or say anything during rallies that is judged to have the potential to damage the country’s image.

In a series of guidelines published in state-controlled media, it was also revealed that any party seeking to hold a gathering or rally outside of its own headquarters must seek permission from the authorities at least a week in advance.

The military junta that controls Burma claims elections it says will be held later this year will mark a crucial stepping-point towards full democracy. In preparation, a number of senior officers claim to have given up their military posts to lead a party contesting the elections. In truth, most independent observers believe the polls will be a sham and that they will merely act to further cement the position of the military.

All parties challenging for seats in the national parliament arerequired to have at least 1,000 members within 90 days of being granted permission to contest the polls. So far 33 parties have that permission, many of them supporters of the junta. Yet crucial to the view of most observers that the polls will have no credibility, Burma’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), will not be among them.

With its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi prevented from taking part because she is under house arrest and with a further 2,000 political prisoners still behind bars, the party in April voted not to participate. Not everyone within the NLD agreed with the party's decision and a breakaway group, called the National Democratic Force (NDF) and headed by a veteran politician, Dr Than Nyein, is seeking permission to contest the election – a move that has reportedly deeply disappointed Ms Suu Kyi. The NLD, which won a 1990 election by a landslide only for the result to be ignored by the military, has since been forced to disband.

According to the 14-point plan printed in several newspapers today, the NDF and other parties contesting the elections will have to strictly adhere to several regulations. Prohibited will be “giving talks and publishing and distributing publications with the intention of tarnishing the image of the state”, while parties will also have to avoid causing disturbances near government offices, , markets, schools, hospitals and religious buildings. The guidelines warned that the authorities will take appropriate steps to deal with those who breach the rules.

Synthetic drugs popular as use of opiates wanes - UN

Drug use is moving away from cocaine and opiates and towards synthetic drugs such as amphetamines, the UN says.

In its World Drug Report it says it expects that soon there will be more people using synthetic drugs than opium, heroin and cocaine together.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also found that cocaine consumption has fallen significantly in the US in recent years.

But the number of cocaine users in Europe has doubled, it says.

The shift in demand has led to South American drug cartels establishing new routes through West Africa.

Trafficking is causing instability in many developing countries, particularly in Africa and Latin America, the report says.

"People snorting coke in Europe are killing the pristine forests of the Andean countries and corrupting governments in West Africa", UNODC director Antonio Maria Costa said.

McDonald's Faces Happy Meals' Lawsuit

A watchdog group says giving away toys with Happy Meals contributes to childhood obesity and threatens to sue. McDonald's cites healthful menu choices

Weeks after a Silicon Valley county in California became the first in the nation to ban toys from McDonald's Happy Meals and other food promotions aimed at children, a public health watchdog group called on the fast food giant to remove the playthings from all its meal packages.

Citing toys aimed at promoting the latest "Shrek" movie, the Center for Science in the Public Interest said that the plastic promotions lure children into McDonald's restaurants where they are then likely to order food that is too high in calories, fat and salt.

The organization on Tuesday served the fast food giant with a letter expressing its intent to sue if toys are not removed. The letter is legally required in several states before lawsuits can be brought under consumer protection statutes.

Bin Laden hunter on his way back to United States

DENVER — An American on a solo mission to hunt down Osama bin Laden is headed back to the United States, 10 days after authorities found him in the woods of northern Pakistan with a pistol, a sword and night-vision equipment.

Gary Faulkner, who has been detained since June 13, left Pakistan early Wednesday and will arrive in Denver later in the day, his brother Scott Faulkner said.

Scott Faulkner said he spoke to his brother briefly Tuesday, and he reported being treated well Pakistan. By the excitement in his brother's voice, Scott Faulkner said he thinks his brother came close to finding bin Laden.

The 50-year-old Gary Faulkner, of Greeley, told officials he was out to kill the al-Qaida leader. He was then moved to Islamabad, and his brother told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he was being released by the Pakistani government without charges.

"He said he couldn't wait to return to the good ol' U.S. of A," Scott Faulkner said.

Gary Faulkner is an out-of-work construction worker who sold his tools to finance six trips on what relatives have called a Rambo-type mission to kill or capture bin Laden. He grew his hair and beard long to fit in better.

Iran produced 17 kg of further enriched uranium

TEHRAN: Iran's nuclear chief said Wednesday his country has produced 17 kg of uranium enriched to 20 percent, defying UN demands to halt the controversial program.

The 20 percent level, needed to produce fuel for a medical research reactor, is far below the more than 90 percent required to build a nuclear weapon, but US officials have expressed concern Iran may be moving closer to the ability to reach weapons-grade level.

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons. Tehran denies the charge, saying its nuclear program is geared toward generating electricity.

Iran has been producing the 20 percent enriched material since February. The new figure of 17 kg — about 37 pounds — was announced by Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads Iran's nuclear program. That is up from 5 kg (11 pounds) Iran announced in April that it had produced so far.

“Potentially, we can produce 5 kg (11 pounds) a month but we are not in a hurry over this,” Salehi said, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency.

The UN Security Council approved a resolution two weeks ago strengthening sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program and calling on individual countries and blocs of nations to expand their own sanctions regimes on Iranian individuals and organizations.

US Army announces base closures in Baden-Württemberg

The US Army on Wednesday announced a three-phase plan for further consolidation of its bases in Germany, reducing troop numbers in Mannheim and Heidelberg by nearly 1,500 over the next five years.

“Due to the extensive scope and long-range nature of these actions, planning and execution will be ongoing for several years,” a statement said.

The unit inactivations, relocations and returns to the US will mainly affect facilities in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg.

The three-part “drawdown” within the communities will ultimately mean a reduction of 7,378 people, among them 1,446 Soldiers, 1,505 US government civilians and 4,427 family members. There will also be a decrease of 1,045 local positions for Germans.

Meanwhile another 1,119 military, 147 US civilians and almost 1,900 family members will be relocated within the country, the statement said. 

The US Army will have already reduced the soldier population in the Mannheim area by 50 percent as part of their first phase of consolidation this summer. By mid-2012, all soldiers will have left the area.

Medical, school, housing and recreational facilities will remain open according to individual base needs as staff begin to depart, the statement added.

Toronto man charged in G20 bomb plot

OTTAWA — Canadian authorities Wednesday charged a 37-year-old Toronto man with possession of explosives in what officials said was part of a plot to bomb this week's G20 summit.

The Integrated Security Unit (ISU) responsible for summit security said Byron Sonne, 37, was arrested in a raid on a home in midtown Toronto, several kilometers (miles) from the G20 summit site.

"The investigation is ongoing as part of the Toronto Police Service's efforts to ensure a safe and secure G20 Summit," said a statement from the unit. "There is no risk to public safety and this time".

ISU spokesman Sergeant Tim Burrows told AFP the charges -- intimidation, threat against the justice system, possession of explosives and dangerous weapons, and mischief -- are "very serious".

"We had information that linked this to the G20 and G8," Burrows said.

Local media said more than 50 officers were involved in the raid on the million-dollar Toronto home in a tony neighborhood midday Tuesday. Officers continued to search the home on Wednesday, Burrows said.

JEM rebel group says no Darfur peace without it

DOHA — The head of Darfur's largest rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, said peace talks that began on Wednesday between the Sudanese government and another rebel group will be fruitless without his movement.

"Peace is impossible without the JEM," Khalil Ibrahim told Al-Jazeera television when asked about the negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha between Khartoum and the Liberty and Justice Movement.

"What is going on in Doha is a falsification of what our people want" and "what comes out of it will not be peace," Ibrahim added. "The Doha process has gone off course, and represents nothing more than what the Sudanese government wants".

Without naming names, he said "they fabricate movements to negotiate with, and these movements obey everything from the Sudanese intelligence services".

The Liberty and Justice Movement began talks in Qatar with the Sudanese government on Wednesday aimed at reaching a peace deal by mid-July.

The two sides, which signed a framework accord in March establishing a ceasefire, will hold direct negotiations through five committees, said a statement from Qatari Foreign Minister Ahmed Abdullah al-Mahmud and Jibril Bassole, a mediator for the United Nations and the African Union.

Five nations to get $224 mln to boost food output

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday that five developing countries will get grants totaling $224 million from a new fund set up to reduce global hunger and poverty.

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program was launched in April 2010 in response to a call from Group of 20 leaders in Pittsburgh last year for the World Bank to find ways to set up a trust fund for donors who wanted to help.

The U.S., Canada, South Korea, Spain and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation put $880 million into the fund and the timing of Wednesday's announcement -- ahead of meetings this week of G8 and G20 leaders -- was intended to show a commitment to reduce food insecurity.

The first round of grants will go to Bangladesh, Haiti, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Togo. Treasury said an estimated two million people should benefit from the funding to boost food production and reduce poverty.

Treasury said that estimates were that a sudden increase in food prices in 2008 drove some 100 million people into poverty

and, even before that price spike, 850 million people in poor countries were chronically malnourished.

Bomb-making material seized in Afghanistan

(CNN) -- Security forces in Afghanistan seized 11 tons of ammonium nitrate, the material used to make improvised explosive devices, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said on Wednesday.

The forces, working with NATO-led troops, found the material during a Monday night operation in Kabul.

"Police surrounded a compound housing several insurgents. After ensuring all residents exited safely and arresting the insurgents, police found the very large cache of ammonium nitrate in the compound," ISAF said in a press release.

ISAF said the find eliminated more than 500 potential IEDs, a much-used insurgent weapon.

"IEDs cause the vast majority of civilian and military casualties in Afghanistan. Removing this much ammonium nitrate, which is the primary ingredient in homemade explosives, could save countless lives," said ISAF Joint Command spokeswoman Navy Capt. Jane Campbell.

IED incidents increased by 94 percent within the first four months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, according to U.N. figures cited by ISAF.

In Kandahar province on Tuesday, authorities seized 70 kilograms of opium in an operation disrupting a network that sold drugs to finance the Taliban insurgency.

Germany and Ghana go through from Group D

(CNN) -- A superb goal from Mesut Ozil on the hour mark saw Germany go through to the last 16 of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Ghana at Soccer City on Wednesday night.

The victory also secures Germany's passage as Group D winners and they will now play England on Sunday in Bloemfontien for a place in the quarterfinals.

Australia beat Serbia 2-1 in Nelspruit but the effort was in vain as Ghana go through as the second qualifier on goal difference.

They are the first African team into the the knockout stages and will face Group C winners the United States on Saturday in Rustenberg.

U.S. and England through to last 16 of World Cup

(CNN) -- The United States and England are through to the last 16 of the World Cup after a dramatic finale to Group C on Wednesday.

England saw off Slovenia 1-0 while the Americans, who looked to be going out of the tournament, scored an injury-time winner through Landon Donovan to beat Algeria 1-0 in Pretoria.

A draw would have let Slovenia qualify in second place behind England, but the win put the U.S. top of the group standings, having scored more goals.

All four teams had a chance of qualifying going into the final round of matches, with Slovenia -- the country with the smallest population at the World Cup -- having been in pole position.

Analysis: Stalin's ethnic tinderbox alight in Kyrgyzstan

Osh, Kyrgyzstan (CNN) -- When Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva set a two-day limit to get barricades down in Osh, she was testing the limits of her power.

It was the June 18, more than week after violence first flared that she made her initial foray into the seething ethnic tensions in the country's south.

The capital Bishkek, seat of her interim government, is a day's drive, several mountain ranges to the north. She flew into Osh's dilapidated Soviet-era airport a few miles out of town and hopped on a helicopter for the rest of the journey.

Lenin's statue still towers over the square where she touched down; a monument to how far this forgotten corner of the globe has been left behind.

Lenin's successor, Josef Stalin, carved up the region creating countries no rational cartographer would dare. He took a patchwork of ethnic idiosyncrasies, nomadic Kyrgyz, more settled Uzbeks and others drawing lines that would guarantee a tinderbox.

Ex-sumo pro faces arrest for blackmail

Shakedown for ¥3.5 million targeted ozeki's baseball betting

Kyodo News

Tokyo police obtained an arrest warrant Wednesday for a former sumo wrestler who allegedly extorted about ¥3.5 million from ozeki Kotomitsuki in connection with illegal gambling on professional baseball games.

The Metropolitan Police Department was expected to arrest the former wrestler, Mitsutomo Furuichi, the 38-year-old brother of a current wrestler in the Onomatsu stable who has admitted involvement in gambling, as soon as possible.

Kotomitsuki earlier told the police that gangsters extorted about ¥3 million in hush money from him to cover up his gambling and demanded another ¥100 million, which he did not pay, according to police sources.

Investigative sources said Wednesday that a suspected mobster was present at a meeting in which Furuichi and Kotomitsuki discussed payment of the hush money in March.

Kotomitsuki is suspected of habitual gambling, and the police are likely to try to build a criminal case against him. He holds the second-highest rank of the top division.

Vivendi denies in talks for Reliance Comm stake

(Reuters) - Vivendi, Europe's largest entertainment group, said on Wednesday it was not in talks to buy a 26 percent stake in mobile carrier Reliance Communications.

The Economic Times said Vivendi, which has telecom operations in France, Morocco and Brazil, had been talking to Reliance for a month and discussions were at an advanced stage, citing a person with direct knowledge.

Reliance Communications, the No.2 mobile carrier in India's fast-growing market, is burdened by debt and the cost of rolling out third-generation (3G) services. It said earlier this month its board had agreed to sell up to 26 percent of the firm.

The company has a market capitalisation of 384 billion Indian rupees ($8.6 billion) and is majority owned by billionaire Anil Ambani's Reliance conglomerate.

Vivendi spokesman said the company was not in any talks with Reliance Comm.