Italian rider Marco Simoncelli has died after a horrific crash at the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang.
ANALYSIS
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Marco was flamboyant on and off the track. When someone dies, everyone always says they loved life. But he had a very vibrant personality. He already had a huge fanbase around the world, partly down to aggressive riding - but also because he was just a cool guy. He didn't take himself too seriously and would have been a big star for next year.
Matt Roberts
BBC MotoGP presenter
The race was stopped on lap two when Simoncelli's bike veered across the track at turn 11 into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.
The 24-year-old had his helmet knocked off and was hit by both other riders.
American rider Edwards also fell but escaped serious injury - while fellow Italian Rossi was able to return to the pits.
Simoncelli lay motionless on the track after the impact, while the race was immediately red-flagged.
At first officials were looking to restart the race before the extent of Simoncelli's injuries became clear.
The race was cancelled amid confusion in the grandstand, with fans throwing bottles to show their initial displeasure.
The death is the first fatality in MotoGP since Japan's Daijiro Katoh died from injuries sustained at the 2003 Japanese GP.
It comes a week after British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon was killed in Las Vegas following a crash.
BBC MotoGP presenter Matt Roberts said: "Marco lost his helmet in the crash. The officials said that, when the track medics got to him, he was in cardiac arrest. They tried to resuscitate him in the ambulance and the medical centre."
Honda rider Simoncelli entered MotoGP for the 2010 season and won his first pole position at the Catalunya race in June this year.
I almost got in shit today talking to a Pali hen who works with me.
While remarking on how successful Hamas had been I merely said that some of those released had committed some terrible crimes, she challenged my comment and I mentioned child murder as an example and she started going batshit raising her voice insisting that Palis did not do this. At one point she made a veiled threat about her husband.
I'm going to have fun with this in the coming weeks.
Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap completed
October 18, 2011 - 6:29PM
Done deal ... Gilad Shalit is to be released. Photo: Reuters
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held in captivity in Gaza for more than five years, has arrived in Egypt after being released by Hamas, an Israeli military source says.
He was transferred to Egypt by Hamas 10 minutes ago, and an Israeli colonel will check his state of health, the source told Agence France-Presse.
Afterwards, he will be transferred to Israel at around 9am (1800 AEDT).
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The armed wing of the Hamas movement confirmed Shalit has been freed and handed to Egypt under a prisoner exchange deal.
.quote=god damn]Ok I think this is the Nepali one I was talking about, 12 and not 16... I didn't really watch it because I regretted it the first time.
I knew you didn't watch the whole thing, at least one had his throat cut by two inches at most and the fuckers laughed while the poor Nepali choked and gurgled on his blood. They ahd made them lay down in a ditch.
They were wearing new fatigues that you could see the fold creases in.
