James Gandolfini 'was a genius', says Sopranos creator

telegraph Thursday, June 20, 2013 11:02:00 AM CEST | info [other]

Sopranos creator David Chase pays tribute to the 'genius' actor James Gandolfini, dead at 51, who was so brilliant as mafia boss Tony Soprano...

Chinese astronauts deliver lecture from space

di-ve Thursday, June 20, 2013 10:51:00 AM CEST | info [other]

Up to 330 students enjoyed the lecture. This was part of the country’s efforts to promote the successful manned space flight programme among children and youths. Female astronaut Wang Yaping took questions live from the students at a Beijing high school from aboard the Tiangong 1 prototype space station on Thursday morning....

Singapore Haze Soars to Hazardous Levels, Threatens Ties with Indonesia

voanews Thursday, June 20, 2013 10:59:00 AM CEST | info [other]

A smoky haze fueled by forest fires in Indonesia continues to reach hazardous new levels in neighboring Singapore and is threatening to further irritate ties between the two countries. Singapore officials urged people to stay indoors Thursday, as a shroud of smog hanging over the city-state sent an.......

Afghan peace plans in limbo as US placates Karzai

timesofoman Thursday, June 20, 2013 10:51:00 AM CEST | info [other]

Karzai and US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke twice by telephone after the Afghan government became enraged that the office was opened in a blaze of publicity and US officials were apparently about to arrive for talks....

UK watchdog details bank capital shortfalls

irishsun Thursday, June 20, 2013 10:44:00 AM CEST | info [other]

LONDON (Reuters) - Lloyds Bank has a capital shortfall of 8.6 billion pounds, Britain's banking regulator said on Thursday, a day after the UK government signalled plans to return the part-state owned lender to the private sector.The Prudential Regulation Authority said the aggregate capital shortfall at UK five banks at the end of 2012 was 27....

Dolce and Gabbana sentenced to jail for tax evasion

oratert-en Thursday, June 20, 2013 10:27:00 AM CEST | info [other]

An Italian court on Wednesday, June 19, sentenced fashion house duo Dolce & Gabbana to one year and 8 months in prison for tax evasion of around $1.33 billion, reports “Armenpress” calling “France Presse”. Lawyers for Dolce & Gabbana, whose celebrity clients include Beyonce and Madonna, immediately.......

Rupee hits new all-time low of 60, down 130 paise against USD

timesofoman Thursday, June 20, 2013 10:51:00 AM CEST | info [other]

The rupee today plunged by a whopping 130 paise to hit life-time low of 60 against the US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange on strong demand for the American currency from banks and importers...

Obama 'called Osborne Jeffrey'

bbc Thursday, June 20, 2013 11:02:00 AM CEST | info [other]

US President Barack Obama confused Chancellor George Osborne's name with that of a popular US singer during the G8 summit, according to the Sun newspaper....

India to let government officials access private phone calls and emails

guardian Thursday, June 20, 2013 10:41:00 AM CEST | info [other]

Security agencies will not need court approval to access data under new surveillance programme, say sources India has launched a wideranging surveillance programme that will give its security agencies and even income tax officials the ability to tap directly into emails and phone calls without oversight by courts or parliament, several sources say....

Taliban Offer to Free US Soldier in Exchange of Gitmo Prisoners

ABCnews Thursday, June 20, 2013 11:05:00 AM CEST | info [other]

AP EXCLUSIVE: Taliban offer to free US soldier in exchange for Afghans held at Guantanamo...