FBI releases photos of three men from Benghazi attack site

May 1 (Reuters) - Post position for Saturday's 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after Wednesday's draw (listed as barrier, HORSE, jockey, trainer) 1. BLACK ONYX, Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen 2. OXBOW, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas 3. REVOLUTIONARY, Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher 4. GOLDEN SOUL, Robby Albarado, Dallas Stewart 5. NORMANDY INVASION, Javier Castellano, Chad Brown 6. MYLUTE, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss 7. GIANT FINISH, Jose Espinoza, Tony Dutrow 8. GOLDENCENTS, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill 9. OVERANALYZE, Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher 10. PALACE MALICE, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher 11. ...

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Three under investigation over topless Kate Middleton photos - source

PARIS (Reuters) - The editor of a French celebrity magazine was placed under formal investigation for breach of privacy over the publication of topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge, a judicial source said on Wednesday.

The photographer who snapped the pictures of the Duchess, or Kate Middleton, in the summer last year and a regional daily were also put under investigation, the last step in France before being charged, the source said.

Closer magazine, a weekly round-up of celebrity gossip, published in September a series of photos of the Duchess, the wife of Prince William, topless on holidays in southern France, something that incensed much of the British public.

The photos showed Kate slipping off her bikini top, relaxing on a sun lounger and at one point pulling down the back of her bikini bottoms. Buckingham Palace had called the photo spread a "grotesque" invasion of the royal couple's privacy.

The publisher of the magazine - the French branch of Italy's Mondadori - and the paparazzi who snapped the photos from a distance were put under formal investigation earlier this month, said the judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The regional daily La Provence, which published pictures of Prince William and his wife in swimming suits during the same holiday, was put under formal investigation this week, the source said.

An investigation does not necessarily lead to formal charges.

The office of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Nicolas Bertin in Paris and; Sarah Young in London; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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March house price rise biggest in three years in England, Wales - survey

LONDON (Reuters) - House prices in England and Wales posted their biggest month-on-month gain in three years in March, driven by increases in London, a survey showed on Monday.

House prices rose 0.3 percent from February, the biggest increase since March 2010, according to a survey by Hometrack, a property analysis firm.

In year-on-year terms house prices were flat, the first time they have not fallen since September 2010.

Britain's housing market has been given a boost by the launch last year of the Funding for Lending Scheme under which the Bank of England provides banks with cheap funding to increase loans for homebuyers and businesses.

Last week, finance minister George Osborne announced further measures, including government guarantees for up to 130 billion pounds' worth of mortgages.

In London, prices jumped 0.7 percent in March from February and in the rest of England and Wales they rose in a fifth of postcode areas, the highest percentage for three years, according to Hometrack's survey.

Prices fell in only one region, the north east.

Driving up prices was a 19 percent increase in demand - as measured by the number of potential buyers registering with estate agents - in the past two months while the number of homes for sale rose 13 percent in the same period, Hometrack said.

Its survey is based on responses from estate agents and surveyors across England and Wales.

Other house price measures have shown signs of a recovery. Mortgage lender Halifax said earlier this month that in the three months to February, house prices were 1.9 percent higher than a year ago, the third successive increase in this measure.

(Editing by William Schomberg/Ruth Pitchford)

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PM Note: Stephanopoulos to Interview Obama, Three Trips to the Hill, Awaiting Ryan's Budget

Tomorrow: George Stephanopoulos To Interview President Barack Obama.

Get the first taste at http://abcnews.com/politics and on World News at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday.

The bulk will air on Good Morning America Wednesday. http://abcn.ws/13SiO85

Earlier Tuesday President Obama takes his charm offensive to Capitol Hill. It'll be his first of three straight days of trips up Pennsylvania Ave.

Tuesday - Senate Democrats, Wednesday - House GOP Thursday - Senate GOP and House Democrats

When was the last time a sitting president took three days to mosey up to Capitol Hill for closed-door meetings?

This week will mark the president's third meeting with the House GOP caucus.

Flashback: One of the most fun moments of his presidency was his raucous Q and A with the House GOP at their 2010 retreat in Baltimore when he was seeking bipartisanship and selling health care reform.

It didn't ultimately work back in 2010 (no Republicans supported Obamacare), but what he said back then sounds not unlike something he could tell the House GOP on Wednesday:

"Yes, I want you to challenge my ideas … I want you to stand up for your beliefs. The only thing I don't want … is for Washington to continue being so Washington-like." abcn.ws/WEBeH9

Also Tomorrow:

The Ryan Budget to be Released - Will Fractured House Republicans Unite on Budget? John Parkinson's preview is here: - Tomorrow morning, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan will release the latest version of his budget blueprint, setting the federal government on a course to balance annual revenue and spending levels by the year 2023. http://abcn.ws/ZtxMdH (John Parkinson)

Hours After Seeking Bipartisanship with House GOP… Obama to Huddle With Organizing for Action Group - President Obama will formally inaugurate Organizing for Action, his newly-formed independent advocacy group, with a headline speech Wednesday night before the group's Founders' Summit in Washington. http://abcn.ws/14Nd6Am (Devin Dwyer)

The Real Frank Underwood? Is Rep. Kevin McCarthy the real Frank Underwood? The real-life House majority whip told CNN's Candy Crowley that he gave Kevin Spacey one of his signature lines in the Netflix hit show "House of Cards," the main character of which is Spacey's Frank Underwood, an ultramanipulative, Machiavellian House majority whip who plots to snag the vice presidency and ruins a few lives in the process. http://abcn.ws/Y4eG0x (Chris Good)

ABC News / Washington Post Poll - On Eve of Conclave, Record Criticism of Church For its Handling of Sexual Abuse Scandals - From Gary Langer: "… an overwhelming 78 percent of Catholics now disapprove of how the church has handled the issue of sexual abuse of children by priests, and two-thirds disapprove strongly - the highest and strongest disapproval since the scandals erupted more than a decade ago, up sharply since U.S. church leaders sought to address the issue in 2004. Sixty percent of Catholics, more generally, describe the church as "out of touch" with the views of Catholics in America, and by 54-38 percent Catholics urge a new direction by the next pope, away from traditional policies and toward new approaches that better reflect "the attitudes and lifestyles of Catholics today." Less-frequent churchgoers, in particular, seek change - but even among those who attend Mass frequently, more than half call the church out of touch." http://abcn.ws/16n1ZS9

Thomas Perez Could Become Only Latino In Obama Cabinet - President Barack Obama is expected to tap Thomas Perez, the head of the Department of Justice's civil rights division, to serve as his next labor secretary. http://abcn.ws/XDkazS (Jordan Fabian)

GOP Guv's Medicaid Connundrum - Florida Governor Rick Scott's surprise plan to expand Medicaid throughObamacare with Feds hits wall in legislature - http://bit.ly/X0EuYg

Storify: Michelle Obama Hosts Twitter Chat About Let's Move! Campaign Twitter Users #AskFLOTUS About Health As Part of @LetsMove Campaign First lady Michelle Obama chatted with Americans over Twitter about exercise and eating right Monday morning. http://abcn.ws/YWwaYR (Sarah Parnass) Judge Skeptical of Ex-Senator's Campaign Cash Use - A federal judge sounded skeptical Monday of former Sen. Larry Craig's claim that he properly used $217,000 in campaign funds for his legal defense after his arrest in a 2007 airport bathroom sex sting. http://abcn.ws/ZDWucu

Hagel Orders Review of Rules in Military Sex Assault Convictions Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says he is ordering a review of the rules that allow a military commander to overrule court martial convictions by military juries. Hagel wrote a letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., which is posted on her website. http://abcn.ws/13Q3Fnt (Matthew Larotonda, Luis Martinez)

Debbie Dingell Considers Michigan Senate Run, Per CNN's Dana Bash - http://bit.ly/15I7BVP

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