A roundup of today's other world news in brief
Tory lead over Labour cut to nine points
LONDON – The Tory lead over Labour in Britain has been reduced to single figures, according to a Guardian/ICM poll which increases the pressure on prime minister Gordon Brown to call an early general election. While the nine-point lead would probably still give the Conservatives a narrow majority it will reinforce the view in both party leaders’ camps that the Tories can still be deprived of victory.
This is the first Guardian/ICM poll since 2008 to give the Tories less than a double-digit lead. – (Guardian service)
US citizens to be tried as spies – Iran
TEHRAN – Iran said yesterday it would try three Americans on spying charges despite claims that they strayed over the Iranian border accidentally while hiking.
Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki said during a press conference that the trio had “suspicious aims”. Friends and family of the accused have alleged that the three are being detained as bargaining chips in the ongoing stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear programme. – (Reuters)
11 jailed for suicide bomb attempts
MADRID – Spain’s high court has jailed 11 men to up to 14-and-a-half years for attempted suicide bombings on Barcelona’s metro in 2008, the court announced yesterday.
The group, including 10 Pakistanis and one Indian, were very close to developing explosives to be used in the attacks which had been planned for between January 18-20th, 2008, according to the court ruling. – (Reuters)
Court to rule on privacy of texts
WASHINGTON – The US Supreme Court said yesterday it would decide whether privacy rights covered a worker’s personal text message on equipment owned by an employer, hearing a case about a police officer who sent sexually explicit messages from his department-issued pager.
The justices agreed to review a ruling by a federal appeals court in California that reading his texts amounted to an “unreasonable search”.
– (Reuters)