London  - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a stinging parliamentary defeat Wednesday when a large number of members of his ruling Labour Party joined forces with the opposition on the emotional issue of residency rights for Gurkha soldiers.

Figures showed that 28 Labour rebels backed a motion put forward by the opposition Liberal Democrats to give all Gurkhas an equal right of residence in Britain, and a large number abstained.

London  - Two British Muslims described as friends of the suicide bombers behind the July 2005 attacks on London's transport system were Wednesday jailed for seven years each for plotting to attend a terrorist training camp in Pakistan.

Waheed Ali, 25, and Mohammed Shakil, 32, were among three men cleared by the same court Tuesday of helping the bombers to select targets for the attack in London on July 7, 2005.

London, Apr 29: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday pledged 665 million pounds over the next four years to help Pakistan with counter-terrorism operations as well as education and economic assistance.

Of this amount 125 million pounds will be earmarked for supporting education projects in the border area ‘in an effort to stop the spread of extremism.’

One of the primary aims of UK support, he said, would be to “stop young people falling under the sway of violent extremists.”

London, Apr 29: Silvio Berlusconi’s ‘exasperated’ wife has launched a scathing attack on the Italian Prime Minister, insisting that she’s ‘suffering’ from his fascination with young women.

Veronica Lario described Berlusconi’s behaviour as "shameless rubbish" and compared him with Napoleon and a Roman emperor.

She said that his tendency to favour attractive young women was "all about power".

London, Apr 29: Prince Harry is set to make his first official visit to the US next month.

The 24-year-old royal will fly off to New York for participating in a charity polo match and will also take part in a series of official engagements.

The Prince will raise funds for Sentebale, the charity supporting African Aids orphans he set up in memory of his late mother.

The news of Harry’s visit comes in line with the revelation last month that Sentebale had seen public donations slump by 84 per cent to
250,000 pounds.

London, Apr 29: The top acts of ITV1 show Britain’s Got Talent have threatened to quit over fears that Scottish singer Susan Boyle has already won.

Boyle, 48, has become a worldwide star following her appearance on the show, and now her rivals fear they don’t stand a chance against her and have considered pulling out of the show as they feel it’s a “done deal”.