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Ochi Yosuke, from Japan, has retained his title at the world air guitar championships, held in Oulu, Northern Finland. Yosuke was one of a range of international competitors, who had qualified for last night's final in the Teatria rock club, where they performed in front of a panel of judges. French competitor Guillaume "Moche Pitt" de Tonquedec told reporters "It's great. We've seen all the nations, united nations, 'rocking on the free world' and that's good, that's great,". The contestants who qualified for the finals were from Finland, Ja

ABC News has obtained and released a transcript of a taped message from Osama Bin Laden. Osama bin Laden's first video in almost three years has surfaced but has mixed reviews in the Arab world. Al Qaeda supporters are enthused by the video coinciding with the 6th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, but other parts of the Muslim world seemed worried that the video may spawn new attacks creating more instability in the region than there already is.

Typhoon Fitow has struck Japan, leaving two people dead and a third missing. The storm moved through Tokyo yesterday. The Japan Meteorological Agency released the information on the storm's effects in the country yesterday. The deceased are a 50-year-old construction worker who died after a landslide at a dam construction site in Fukui Prefecture last night and a 76-year-old man who died after being struck by a falling tree on September 6, shortly after Fitow made landfall. A 52-year-old man is missing in Kanagawa Prefecture, believed to be de

England have beaten India by seven wickets in the seventh and final One-Day International of the series at Lord's, London, England. England win the series 4-3. India, having won the toss, struggled with the bat. Sourav Ganguly was caught at second slip for 15 runs, and Gautam Gambhir was dismissed for 12 runs. Captain Rahul Dravid was caught behind for a duck, while Sachin Tendulkar was given out caught behind by umpire Aleem Dar for 30 runs. Television replays showed that the decision may not have been right, but India were reduced to 59-4. D

On Sunday Memoirs: 1939-1993 a memoir written by former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney will be released. The 1,152 page tome outlines Mulroney's version of events during his time as prime minister. CTV will broadcast a documentary on Brian Mulroney on the eve of his book launch. In addition, the network plans to air Triumph & Treachery: The Brian Mulroney Story on Sunday, CTV says the 90-minute special will be the most complete interview the former prime minister has ever given and his first comprehensive interview since leaving off

New Zealand, Australia and England started their 2007 Rugby World Cup campaigns today with victories over Italy, Japan and the United States respectively. Australia and tournament favorites New Zealand comprehensively defeated their opposition, while defending champions England produced a comparatively unimpressive display to overcome the American team. Tournament favourites New Zealand dominated their opening match against Italy. Richie McCaw opened the scoring after just 64 seconds and scored again in the seventh minutes. Tries from Doug Ho

Four young girls were killed and six more people injured when a brick wall collapsed on top of them in Zambia. The victims had been trying to reach a free mosquito net handout when a stampede erupted, causing the collapse. The accident occurred in the town of Mpika, where the Ministry of Health was conducting the handout as part of an anti-malaria initiative. As people flocked to the community hall where the event was taking place, people outside the premises began climbing the walls in an effort to get in, initiating the collapse. The four g

The family and friends of the world-famous opera singer Luciano Pavarotti have gathered in his hometown of Modena, Italy to pay their final respects. Pavarotti died on Thursday of complication from pancreatic cancer at the age of 71. The Roman Catholic service at the cathedral in Modena was attended by such international stars as fellow tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, as well as U2's Bono. It included Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, Giuseppe Verdi's Ave Maria and a message of condolence from Pope Benedict XVI, who said Pavarotti had "hono

United States First Lady Laura Bush underwent elective surgery on Saturday at George Washington University Hospital and is now "resting comfortably at the White House," according to spokeswoman Sally McDonough. Last month, the First Lady injured her neck and shoulder during a hiking trip. The neck surgery, called posterior cervical foraminotomy, was performed to alleviate pressure on several pinched nerves in her neck. Laura was not able to accompany President George W. Bush for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Syd

Ford Motor Company, the U.S. car maker, will reportedly pay €57 million (US$78 million) for a 72.4 percent stake in the Romanian assembly plant Automobile Craiova, a Romanian official said Friday. "The offer of Ford Motor Company for a 72.4 percent stake is €4.1556 per share or €57 million overall," said Sebastian Vladescu, head of the State Property Agency (AVAS), after opening Ford's improved offer. Vladescu added that the contract may be signed on September 12, during the auto show in Frankfurt. The Romanian government bought back the Crai

Gabrielle became a tropical storm this evening, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). And, forecasters call for some additional strengthening as it churns toward North Carolina. At 5 p.m. EST, the storm was located 185 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, N.C., moving northwest at 9 mph. Gabrielle is currently packing winds of 40 mph. Gabrielle is forcasted to make landfall around the Outer Banks area on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds around 65 mph, before moving back into the Atlantic. Sharon Peele Kennedy, an Outer Banks resi

The English Wikinews, a collaborative citizen journalism site, published its 10,000th news story today at around 06:56, 7 September 2007 UTC. The 10000th story was entitled Australian comedians "could have been shot" during APEC prank, a follow-up story on Australian TV show The Chaser breaches APEC security; 11 charged. The article was created by accredited Wikinews reporter Nathan Carter from Bathurst, Australia, under his username Cartman02au. The countdown by Wikinews members has been happening for several weeks, and the site administrator