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World in brief
Contested ballots unlikely to help Italian prime minister
By Wire services
Published April 15, 2006
ROME - Silvio Berlusconi's fight to remain prime minister suffered a possibly fatal blow on Friday when the Interior Ministry announced that there were not enough contested ballots to overturn the thin victory of his challenger, Romano Prodi.
Earlier this week, after the exceedingly tight elections, the ministry had put the number of contested ballots far higher, making it possible that a still-incomplete recount might change the results.
The new numbers crushed that hope, even if Berlusconi were to win every contested ballot.
The Interior Ministry explained the confusion by saying that invalid or blank ballots had been lumped in by mistake with the contested ballots - those where the voting intentions are not clear. It stressed in a statement the numbers were provisional.
"Our victory is confirmed," Prodi said.
But Berlusconi was not ready to concede defeat.
The contested ballots are being examined by a group of judges, who will then report their findings to Italy's highest court, which certifies the results.
Danube reaches record highs in Eastern Europe
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro - The Danube River flooded homes in Serbia and Bulgaria on Friday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people.
Swollen by melting snow and heavy rain, the Danube has reached record highs in Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria in recent days, threatening towns, villages and farmland.
More flooding was expected to hit the region over the weekend.
The river rose more than 9 feet in many places, reaching levels of 27 feet in Serbia, 30 feet in Bulgaria and 19 feet in Romania. It has submerged several major ports and villages in Bulgaria, the country's civil defense agency said.
Son of former Liberian president appears in court
MIAMI - The son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor was back in federal court Friday on a passport fraud charge but delayed entering a plea in the case until next month.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Simonton set a May 1 plea hearing for Charles McArthur Emmanuel, 29, who was arrested in March at Miami International Airport after arriving from Trinidad.
Prosecutors say Emmanuel, also known as Charles "Chuckie" Taylor Jr., lied about the identity of his father on his passport application.
His court-appointed lawyer, Miguel Caridad, said that so far there are no indications that Emmanuel could be charged in connection with his role as head of Liberia's Antiterrorist Unit during his father's presidency.
Taylor, president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, faces 11 war crimes and crimes against humanity charges in a special United Nations-backed court for his alleged role in a civil war in Sierra Leone.
Cuba accuses Czech diplomat of spying for U.S.
HAVANA - Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said Friday that a Czech diplomat being expelled from Havana is a spy for the United States.
Perez Roque said Stanislav Kazecky, a Czech diplomat who was overseeing political, cultural and media affairs for the embassy, is being expelled because authorities discovered he was gathering intelligence and was involved in "subversive tasks" for the United States.
Kazecky said the diplomatic spat "is a result of the human rights work the Czech Republic has done."
The Czech government repeatedly has criticized Fidel Castro's government and offered moral support to Cuban dissidents.
[Last modified April 15, 2006, 00:53:01]
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