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By Jeremy Lovell LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of gays, lesbians and transvestites from across Europe paraded through central London on Saturday to proudly state their sexuality. Amid a fleet of gaudily decorated floats with blaring music, whistles and dancers the marchers flowed down the shopping magnet of Oxford Street, past Nelson's Column and down to the Houses of Parliament watched by the amused and the bemused. "It has been great. Everyone was very accepting. There was no abuse, just sup ...

By Mike Collett GELSENKIRCHEN (Reuters) - England kick off against Portugal in their World Cup quarter-final match at the Arena AufSchalke on Saturday. 21 ACTION - England midfielder Steven Gerrard delivers a perfect pass into the area but the outstretched leg of Frank Lampard just fails to connect in front of goal 19 ACTION - Ronaldo creates a good chance for himself cutting in from the wing but shoots high and wide of goal 17 ACTION - England create a scoring chance with a move involving R ...

British hopes of a possible victory in the 7.1km Tour de France prologue were dashed as Norwegian Thor Hushovd powered to victory in Strasbourg. Hushovd overtook long-standing leader Sebastian Lang, who finished fourth, to finish in eight minutes 17.00 seconds. American George Hincapie, the last man out, had to settle for second, 0.73secs adrift, with David Zabriskie third. Bradley Wiggins finished 16th on his Tour debut, a second and a place ahead of fellow Briton David Millar. Millar, who  ...

A senior Cuban official has sharply criticised a US report on the future of Cuba after Fidel Castro leaves office. A draft of the report calls for a "democracy fund" to boost opposition to Cuba's communist government. The report is being issued by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, created by President George W Bush in 2003. Cuba's government has had notoriously bad relations with Washington for well over 45 years. For the government, the fact that the US would plan for the day  ...

Rafael Nadal brought Andre Agassi's Wimbledon career to an end with a hugely impressive third-round win in blazing sunshine on Centre Court. The 20-year-old Spaniard found the kind of form that has won him two French Opens as he came through 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 6-4 in two hours 14 minutes. As the match ended the Centre Court crowd stood to acclaim Agassi. He said: "I'll never be able to repay you for the way you've embraced me over the years, so I thank you for that." Speaking on court to BBC Spor ...

A gun battle has erupted between Hamas militants and Israeli troops in southern Gaza in one of the worst clashes since the Israeli incursion. Israeli tanks moved across the border near the town of Khan Younis at about midday local time and were met with gunfire from Palestinian militants. An AFP reporter saw more gunmen heading for the fight with mines and rockets. Israeli forces have been stepping up military pressure in an attempt to free a soldier abducted by militants. US President Georg ...

Legendary former England and Yorkshire fast bowler Fred Trueman has died aged 75 after a battle with lung cancer. Trueman was the first man to claim 300 wickets in Test cricket and finished with 307 from only 67 matches. He made his Yorkshire debut in 1949 and had more than 2,000 first-class wickets to his name when he retired in 1969. Trueman was famed for his partnership for England with Lancashire's Brian Statham and was Yorkshire's spearhead during their dominance in the 1960s.  ...

RICHMOND, California (AP) -- The ashes of executed Crips gang co-founder Stanley "Tookie" Williams were spread in a lake in South Africa in accordance with his will, a friend said. Barbara Becnel, who co-authored children's books with Williams and witnessed his execution, said in a statement Friday that she and Williams' longtime friend Shirley Neal sprinkled the ashes into the lake Sun ...

GELSENKIRCHEN (Reuters) - Wayne Rooney will lead England's attack as a lone striker in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Portugal. Rooney will be backed by a five-man midfield, with captain David Beckham and Joe Cole on the flanks, and Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard pushing up in support of the 20-year-old forward. Owen Hargreaves replaces Michael Carrick as the holding midfielder, while Gary Neville returns at right back after injury. Portugal made two changes after red cards for  ...

TV host and Lily Savage creator Paul O'Grady is expected to make a full recovery after being admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack. The 51-year-old comedian is expected to return to his home near Ashford, Kent in a few days, a friend said. The presenter of The New Paul O'Grady Show was admitted to hospital on Friday morning after suffering chest pains. A spokeswoman for the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford said he was in a "comfortable" condition. 'All the best' A Channel Fou ...