A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Woman police officer shot in Nottingham
LONDON - A British police officer was in serious condition in hospital yesterday after being shot as she and a colleague tried to apprehend a suspected burglar.
Police said the incident occurred shortly before midnight when an experienced male officer and Rachael Bown (23), a probationer, were called to a burglary in the Lenton area of Nottingham and tried to stop a man nearby. - (Reuters)
Baby boy for Tory leader Cameron
LONDON - Conservative leader David Cameron's wife, Samantha, gave birth to a baby boy yesterday, a party spokeswoman said.
Mrs Cameron (34) gave birth by Caesarean section at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, with her husband by her side. - (Reuters)
Muslim jailed for planning attack
AMSTERDAM - A Dutch court sentenced a Muslim man to three years in jail under tough new anti-terrorism laws yesterday for planning "violent jihad" and trying to recruit volunteers while already in prison.
Bilal Lamrani, a Dutchman of Moroccan origin who had been jailed for threatening right-wing politician Geert Wilders, had offered fellow inmates money for information on how to get hold Semtex explosive and hand grenades, the court said. - (Reuters)
Bomb explodes in northern Spain
MADRID - A car bomb exploded near a nightclub in Spain's northern Navarre region yesterday after a warning call in the name of Basque separatist guerrilla group Eta, a government official said.
The bomb caused no injuries but substantial damage. - (Reuters)
Preval claims election victory
PORT-AU-PRINCE - Former Haitian president Rene Preval yesterday claimed victory in last week's election but said there had been "massive fraud" and the government had agreed to hold off publishing final results pending an investigation. - (Reuters)
Opus Dei not to call for boycott
The conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei said yesterday it had no intention of calling for a boycott of the upcoming Da Vinci Code film but that it hoped the final edit would be changed so that it wouldn't offend the faithful.
In a statement released in Rome, Opus Dei said Sony Pictures still had three months before the film's scheduled May 19th release to make changes that would be appreciated by Catholics, "particularly in these days in which everyone has noted the painful consequences of intolerance".
The film, starring Tom Hanks, is based on the best-selling Dan Brown novel which portrayed Opus Dei as a murderous, power-hungry sect. - (AP)
Poll shows Lula would be elected
BRASILIA - Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's popularity has rebounded from months of decline and he would likely win October's election in a runoff vote, a poll showed yesterday.
The poll, by the Sensus Institute for Brazil's National Transport Confederation, showed that Mr Lula's approval rating jumped to 53.3 per cent from an all-time low of 46.7 per cent in November. The government's approval rating also improved, rising to 37.5 per cent from 31.1 per cent. - (Reuters)
Ex-official's rape trial postponed
JOHANNESBURG - The rape trial of South Africa's former deputy president, Jacob Zuma, was postponed until March 6th yesterday at the request of the defence, prolonging the anxiety of a nation riveted by the politically charged case. - (Reuters)