World


UK prison staff details missing in latest data loss
LONDON — The personal details of thousands of prison staff working in England and Wales have been lost by a government contractor in the latest data security breach to embarrass the British government. Justice Secretary Jack Straw has ordered an inquiry into the data loss that involves up to 5,000 prison staff members after a hard drive was lost by technology company....

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SPD foreign minister to fight Merkel in elections
WERDER, Germany — Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) yesterday named Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (pictured) to run against Chancellor Angela Merkel and revive the divided party’s popularity a year before federal elections. In a surprise move, Franz Muentefering, a 68-year-old former SPD chairman just back from a break from politics to care..............

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Angola’s ruling party ahead in poll
LUANDA — Angola’s ruling party looked set to extend its long grip on power yesterday with an overwhelming victory with more than half the votes counted in the oil-rich country’s chaotic election. The election commission said the ruling leftwing Popular Movement for the liberation of Angola (MPLA) had 81.87 per cent with 60.91 per cent of the votes counted.

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Bus crash in Croatia kills 14
ZAGREB/Bratislava — A Slovak tour bus crashed yesterday on a highway in Croatia killing 14 people and leaving two in a critical condition, a Slovak official said. The bus with 49 passengers swerved off the Zagreb-Split highway near a mountain town of Gospic and slammed straight-on into an overpass concrete pillar shortly before 6 am................

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Australia’s conservatives buoyed by state election
CANBERRA — Australia looked set to expand uranium mining yesterday with conservatives poised to win elections in resource powerhouse Western Australia state and demolish the coast-to-coast grip of the centre-left. State Labour Premier Alan Carpenter was tipping a hung parliament with four of the 59 seats still in doubt after Saturday’s election...............

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Sarkozy to seek ceasefire commitments from Russia
PARIS — French President Nicolas Sarkozy heads for Moscow today hoping to persuade the Kremlin leadership to accept a European Union observer mission in the Georgia conflict zone and a date for international talks. Having negotiated the six point ceasefire accord that halted the Russia-Georgia war after five days last month, Sarkozy will attempt to get progress............

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