"GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden's former driver took the stand on Tuesday at the U.S. military war court where he faces trial next week and described isolation, sleep deprivation and sexual impropriety during nearly seven years of captivity."

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKN1538025320080716

"BEIJING - There are plenty of rooms available for the Beijing Olympics, with domestic visitors being counted on to make up for an apparent absence of foreign guests.

Xiong Yuemi, deputy director of the Beijing Tourism Bureau, said Tuesday that 45.5 percent of Beijing's four-star hotel rooms were booked for the Olympic period. Bookings in hotels with three-star ratings or below were also under 50 percent, though Xiong didn't offer specific numbers."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080715/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_china_hotels

"The Irish government has reacted coolly to the French president's remark that the Republic of Ireland should hold a new referendum on the Lisbon Treaty."

"Critics see the treaty as further evidence of a federalist, pro-integration agenda at work in the EU. "

"Mr Sarkozy's close aide Henri Guaino, speaking on France 2 television, said that asking the Irish to vote again was "one of the solutions". But in that case, he added, the text of the treaty would "probably ... not be quite the same"."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7509374.stm

"Sun Microsystems and Fujitsu have announced a quad-core version of the SPARC64 processor and servers to that will use the chip."

"Sun is no stranger to multicore--putting many processing cores on one chip. Its UltraSPARC T2 processor can place up to eight cores on a single piece of silicon. This allows the UltraSPARC T2 to run up to 64 threads--parts of a program that can execute independently--or eight threads per core. It's a feat processor giant Intel still hasn't accomplished."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-9989951-64.html

" MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico City police are investigating classified advertisements posted on the Internet by people offering their services as hired killers for as little as $6,000, police said on Friday.

One post on the Web site, which hosts free ads for people selling old home appliances or renting apartments, advertises the services of an "ex-military hitman, professional and discrete."

The man promises a "job guaranteed in 10 days or less" and adds "I have worked in Spain, only serious offers, $6,000.""

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080714/od_nm/mexico_hitmen_dc

"MOSCOW (Reuters) - Dozens of partygoers at an outdoor rave near Moscow last week have lost partial vision after a laser light show burned their retinas, Russian health officials said on Monday.

Moscow city health department officials confirmed 12 cases of laser-blindness at the Central Ophthalmological Clinic, and daily newspaper Kommersant said another 17 were registered at City Hospital 32 in the centre of the capital.

Attendees at the July 5 Aquamarine Open Air Festival in Kirzhach, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Moscow, began seeking medical help days after the show, complaining of eye and vision problems, health officials told Reuters.

"They all have retinal burns, scarring is visible on them. Loss of vision in individual cases is as high as 80 percent, and regaining it is already impossible," Kommersant quoted a treating ophthalmologist as saying."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080714/od_nm/russia_rave_dc

"Demand for land to grow food, fuel crops and wood is set to outstrip supply, leading to the probable destruction of forests, a report warns.

The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) says only half of the extra land needed by 2030 is available without eating into tropical forested areas.

A companion report documents poor progress in reforming land ownership and governance in developing countries. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7503304.stm

"Iran's oil minister confirmed on Saturday that French energy giant Total has dropped out of a multi-billion-dollar gas investment in the Islamic republic, the state broadcaster reported."

"The French firm's chief Christophe de Margerie said in an interview published on Thursday that it was too politically risky to invest in Iran at present."

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ix6V_kJ6x-4_NL4flXDgAnSxcCuA

"Nicotine-based drugs may help delay the moment a person with dementia has to enter a care home, say researchers.

Nicotine has toxic effects, and carries a strong risk of addiction, but scientists have shown it can also boost learning, memory and attention. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7497037.stm

"Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

Waiters and waitresses should "patiently" suggest other options to diners who order dog, it said, quoting city tourism bureau Vice Director Xiong Yumei."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_re_as/ching_dog_meat