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Iran: British sailors could face charges
Iran is considering charging 15 British sailors with illegally entering its waters.
Prime Minister Tony Blair denied the allegations and said that two boatloads of Royal Navy sailors and marines had searched a merchant vessel on a UN-approved mission in Iraqi waters when Iranian gunboats encircled and captured them.
The sailors confessed they had violated the waters, according to an Iranian military official.
The incident raised tensions that were already high with the West over Tehran's nuclear programme.
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Japan: Aftershock of magnitude 5.3 strikes
An aftershock with a magnitude of 5.3 jolted the west coast of central Japan today, one day after a strong quake killed one person and injured nearly 200 in the same area and officials warned that more could be in store.
About 2600 people spent the night in shelters after 58 houses were destroyed and 455 were seriously damaged by Sunday's tremor.
No tsunami warning was issued.
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Australia: Tasmania's worst mass murderer attempts suicide
Tasmania's worst mass murderer, Martin Bryant, who is serving 35 life sentences for killing 35 people, attempted yesterday to take his life Tasmania's Risdon prison, for the fourth time.
Bryant was reportedly found in a pool of blood in the jail after slashing his wrist.
Prisoner advocate, Greg Barns, calls for better safety measures and considers Risdon prison "the worst prison in Australia".
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Iran: Ahmadinejad refuses to stop atomic work
Iran will not stop its "peaceful and legal nuclear trend" for "one second" despite new sanctions and will "adjust" its ties with those behind the measure, Iran's president said on his website.
Ahmadinejad said, he would not forget those who backed and those who rejected (the resolution).
Iran previously made a similar threat without taking action.
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- NZ HERALD STAFF / REUTERS