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England prop Joe Marler has signed a new contract with Harlequins that will keep him at Twickenham Stoop until 2016, the Premiership club announced Wednesday. A product of the Quins academy, Marler is set to make his 100th appearance for the London…

Italian police on Wednesday arrested 24 alleged separatists for terrorism after thwarting a bizarre plan to take over St Mark’s Square in Venice armed with guns and a rudimentary “tank” made from a digger. Police said they had arrested activists from…

Ukrainian oligarch Dmytry Firtash, arrested in March in Austria, was the mastermind behind an $18.5 million scheme to bribe Indian officials for a titanium mining contract, US justice authorities said Wednesday. The US Justice Department unveiled an…

Italy on Wednesday said it had recovered a painting worth millions of euros by Paul Gauguin, stolen in London in 1970, bought by an Italian factory worker for a pittance and hung in his kitchen for almost 40 years. The artist’s “Fruit on a table or…

Amazon on Wednesday unveiled a new media streaming device, ramping up its challenge in online video to rivals such as Netflix. The Amazon Fire TV device, which fits in one’s hand and connects to television sets, aims to boost the US online giant’s efforts…

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday removed the overall limit on contributions a donor can make to political candidates, a move that could open the floodgates to campaign funding by rich individuals. The move was immediately hailed by Republicans, who…

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale believes his side have recovered from two successive league defeats as they look to exact revenge on Borussia Dortmund for their Champions League semi-final defeat last season. Bale scored a double as Real responded from…

Lawyers for Apple and Samsung exchanged barbs as a major new patent trial opened Tuesday, debating the role of a company not even part of the case — Google. Apple’s legal team vowed to prove that Samsung flagrantly copied iPhone features and should…

The S&P 500 Tuesday closed at a new record as US stocks rallied following solid economic data and investor relief over US Federal Reserve policy. The S&P 500 jumped 13.18 (0.70 percent) to 1,885.52, its first record close since March 7. The Dow Jones…

More than 40 activist organizations and companies called Tuesday for an overhaul of US government surveillance authority that goes beyond President Barack Obama’s proposal. The coalition said Obama’s proposal to end bulk collection of telephone data…

Two-time European Cup champions Munster will give captain Peter O’Mahony till Thursday to prove his fitness for Saturday’s home quarter-final with France’s four-time winners Toulouse. The 24-year-old flanker — capped 23 times by Ireland and a member…

Veteran American golfer Steve Stricker, one of Tiger Woods closest friends, said Woods withdrawing from next week’s Masters was no surprise and believes it is all about the 14-time Major winner remaining competitive over the next decade. Woods advised…

US Secretary of State John Kerry cancelled plans to travel Wednesday to Ramallah after both the Israelis and the Palestinians announced moves likely to scuttle the peace talks. “We are no longer travelling tomorrow,” a senior State Department official…