Melbourne, Nov 3 : Aussie pop princess Kylie Minogue’s X tour went on as scheduled even though her staff had their personal belongings stolen over the weekend in Bogota.

The items stolen were five computers, various CDs, and passports belonging to members of Minogue''s entourage, the Courier Mail reported.

The goods were stolen from behind the scenes at Parque Jaime Duque, where the pop singer was due to kick off her X 2008 tour, and while her tour staff were setting up the stage.

A reward of five million Colombian pesos has been put up, but the stolen items have still not been recovered.

London, Nov 3 : With substance abuse on the rise, around 42,000 Brit pupils have been sent home for alcohol or drug-related reasons in the past four years.

The finding made on November 2 also revealed that half a million under-18s have been able to buy alcohol in bars.

The easy availability of alcohol was not the only problem, with 47 per cent of the youngsters, who drank regularly, admitting to having committed criminal offences.

Baghdad - An Iraqi oil ministry under-secretary, Saheb Salman Qotb, was injured on Monday in a blast in front of house in northern Baghdad, police sources said.

One of his security guards was also injured in the attack, the source told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency.

Separately, six people were killed and more than 20 were injured including 10 policemen, in two consecutive bomb attacks in the downtown al-Hurriyat Square in Baghdad, VOI reported.

Beirut - The leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas met Monday with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Premier Fouad Seniora.

Syria-based Khaled Mashaal said he "told both Lebanese officials that the internal Palestinian situation was good and affirmed that Hamas supported Lebanese reconciliation."

He added that his movement considered all Lebanese parties equal and that Hamas was against a permanent Palestinian settlement in Lebanon, but also against Palestinians being displaced.

London, Nov 3 : Ace F1 racer Lewis Hamilton may soon outdo David Beckham as the biggest sporting star, predict public relations experts.

The speculation comes after the racing driver sealed the 2008 Formula One World Championship in Brazil.

Experts have said that the F1 champion’s career earnings could top one billion dollars, far ahead seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.

According to Auto Trader''s Motoring Rich List, Hamilton is currently thought to be worth around 15million pounds.

Brussels - Inflation in the European Union is set to fall sharply thanks to lower oil prices, giving countries such as Poland and the Baltic states a better chance of joining the euro, the EU's top economist said Monday.

"Commodity prices are more likely to fall ... on the back of deteriorating growth prospects and weaker demand coming from emerging countries. This would ease inflationary pressures," EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said.