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Serbia's parliament has unanimously approved a new constitution that claims sovereignty over the UN administered province of Kosovo. The move, passed during a special session of parliament, opposes calls for the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo to be given independence. Kosovo has been run by the UN since Nato intervened in 1999 to stop Serbia expelling the ethnic Albanian majority. The pro ...

England Women secured a place at the 2007 World Cup finals in China after earning a battling draw in France. Needing only a draw to qualify, England took the lead on 63 minutes as Hoda Lattaf inadvertently sent a header past her own keeper and into the net. After considerable pressure, France levelled when substitute Ludivine Diguelman scored a long-range effort on 88 minutes to set up a nervous finale. But England held on to reach the World Cup finals for only the second time.  ...

Zambia's incumbent president is closing on his main rival as the counting of ballots from Thursday's poll continues. President Levy Mwanawasa of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy has done well in rural areas, but his rival Michael Sata still maintains a lead. Mr Sata of the Patriotic Front has warned of "ghastly consequences" if electoral fraud is detected. The electoral commission's handling of the poll was praised by international observers as efficient and transparent. But the commiss ...

Talks between the United States and the European Union on transferring data and information on airline passengers have broken down. The two sides had been trying to reach a deal on sharing data after an EU court struck down an earlier agreement. A European Commission spokesman said the failure to agree would create a "legal vacuum". Airlines refusing to provide passenger lists to the US may lose landing rights and also face legal action from the EU.

Robin van Persie scored two - including a contender for goal of the season - as Arsenal earned their third league win in a row by beating Charlton. Charlton took the lead after 21 minutes as Darren Bent tapped in from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's low cross. But Van Persie levelled with a low drive before half-time after good work from Alexander Hleb inside the box. And the Dutchman hit a breathtaking left-foot volley just after the break from Emmanuel Eboue's right-wing cross. I ...

Home Secretary John Reid has welcomed the US Senate's support of a controversial extradition treaty with the UK. Under the treaty, three bankers, known as the Nat West Three, were flown to the US in July this year to face fraud charges linked to bankrupt Enron. Critics branded it one-way, saying it made it easier to extradite people from the UK than the US. But diplomatic pressure followed and US senators have now ratified the treaty. The ex-NatWest bankers - David Bermingham, Gary Mulgrew  ...

The family of a missing student are still waiting for identification of a body found in the church where she had been staying. Strathclyde Police have yet to identify the body which had been hidden within St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Glasgow's Anderston area. Angelika Kluk, a 23-year-old Polish student, had been staying at the church since July. A post mortem is due to be carried out on the body, police have said. The discovery was made at about 2000 BST on Friday during a detailed  ...

A 17-year-old girl is in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed in south-east London. Police officers were called to Priory Gardens, off Court Road, in Orpington, at around 0840 BST on Saturday. Police believe the girl got off a bus on Court Road and was cutting through a park to get to Orpington High Street, where she worked, when she was stabbed. Her attacker stole her bag and stabbed her in the neck and stomach before running from the scene. Emergency surgery He ran off tow ...

Gabriel Agbonlahor's equaliser ensured Aston Villa ended Chelsea's 100% home record this season and kept up their unbeaten Premiership start. The hosts scored after less then three minutes when Didier Drogba bundled home his eighth goal of the season. But 19-year-old Agbonlahor got a deserved equaliser for Villa just before half-time, nodding in Liam Ridgewell's astute header. Chelsea substitute Salomon Kalou could have won it at the death but went wide. It was a frustrating afternoon for th ...

A direct appeal has been made to the criminal fraternity by police searching for a prisoner who was freed from a prison van at gun point. Craig Hickinbottom was serving a five year sentence for armed robbery when he escaped while on his way to Blakenhurst Prison in Worcestershire on Wednesday. Two masked men forced guards to free the 24-year-old before driving off. West Mercia Police warned anyone harbouring Hickinbottom that they would also be targeted. 'No stone unturned' Ports across th ...