Rights group: China still world's top executioner (USA Today)
Executions jumped by a third in Iran and quadrupled in Saudi Arabia last year, causing the total number of executions around the world to rise yet again in 2007, a human rights group reported Thursday. It said China remained far in front as the world's top executioner.

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Energy group BG says net profit rockets in first half (AFP via Yahoo! News)
British oil and gas giant BG Group, hoping to get its hands on Australia's Origin Energy, said on Thursday that its net profit had soared 68 percent in the first-half as the price of crude rocketed.

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Energy group BG net profit rockets in first half (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Oil and gas giant BG Group, hoping to get its hands on Australia's Origin Energy, said on Thursday that its net profit had soared 68 percent in the first-half as the price of crude rocketed.

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Syrian rights group says opposition activists freed (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Two detained members of the opposition who signed the Damascus Declaration demanding democratic and radical change in Syria were released on Thursday, a human rights group said.

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