A landmark report to be released on Thursday by an independent inquiry led by Lord Justice Leveson could make recommendations that change Britain's media landscape irrevocably.

Mexico-Drug-Lord-Accusation

Mexico's federal police had harsh words Wednesday for an American-born accused drug lord who claimed he paid off top security officials. Edgar Valdez Villarreal has repeatedly "tried to blackmail authorities to obtain privileges," Mexico's Public Safety Secretariat said. "Held in a federal maximum security prison, he has tried to get benefits during his stay, including threatening hunger strikes to pressure them." Police released the statement after Mexico's Reforma newspaper published a letter purportedly from the alleged drug lord, a former Texas high school football star known as "La Barbie" because of his blue eyes and light complexion. In the letter, Valdez claims that Mexico's top security officials have received bribes from him, "from drug trafficking and from organized crime."

Venezuela-Chavez-Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Havana early Wednesday for a new round of medical treatment, Cuban state media reported.

SPORT-Football-Manchester-United-Van-Persie

Robin van Persie scored after just 33 seconds as Manchester United maintained their slim advantage at the top of the English Premier League Wednesday with a 1-0 win over West Ham.

U.S.A.

US-Powerball-Frenzy

Just breathe. OK, now take a moment. And then go stay in a hotel for a week. That's just what Cynthia Stafford did after winning $112 million in the California lottery. Stafford's winnings may seem like chump change compared to the $550 million Powerball jackpot that players across the country were just sure they would win Wednesday night.

US-Nuclear-Moon

You could easily skip by it in an archive search: a project titled "A Study of Lunar Research Flights." Its nickname is even more low-brow: "Project A-119." But the reality was much more explosive. It was a top-secret plan, developed by the U.S. Air Force, to look at the possibility of detonating a nuclear device on the moon.

US-Manning-WikiLeaks

The officer who oversaw security at the military base where Bradley Manning was held for a time said on Wednesday he was not pressured by superiors to keep the Army private accused of leaking classified documents to the WikiLeaks website in a high-level lockup and under constant watch.

US-Cargo-Plane-Fires

A federal investigation into the cause of three catastrophic cargo airplane fires concludes that current fire-protection systems aboard freight aircraft is inadequate, leading the National Transportation Safety Board to recommend improvements and changes to current regulations.

Mississippi-Abortion-Clinic

The owners of Mississippi's only abortion clinic are headed back to federal court in another attempt to stop a new state law which could close its doors -- effectively banning abortion in the state.

New-York-Murder-Free-Day

The big news in the Big Apple this week may be what didn't happen. There was not a single reported slaying, stabbing, shooting or knifing in any of the five boroughs on Monday, according to the New York Police Department.

California-Bank-Fraud-Sentence

Two California prison inmates who authorities say directed members of their respective groups -- a street gang and a transnational organized crime syndicate -- to help them steal $8 million from people's bank accounts were sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison. Angus Brown, 36, and Arman Sharopetrosian, 33, were convicted of leading the ring from California's Avenal State Prison, where they were cellmates in 2009, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally said. The case was one of two major federal indictments targeting the transnational Armenian Power crime group, to which Sharopetrosian belongs and which allegedly has ties to high-level crime figures in Armenia and elsewhere, authorities said.

MED-smoking-brain

That cigarette may be doing more damage than meets the eye. If you've been smoking for an extended period of time, you're likely familiar with at least some -- if not all -- of the bodily symptoms associated with smoking, including but certainly not limited to: Cravings, coughing, shortness of breath and changes to teeth, hair and skin. Coronary heart disease and/or lung cancer might not be far behind. But a new study published in the journal Age & Ageing concludes that smoking can damage your mind, too. A consistent association was observed between smoking and low global cognitive functioning, including memory. The bottom line: Smoking and long-term high blood pressure appear to increase the risk of cognitive decline.

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