Craig Kalhagen

The former prime minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi was cleared of bribery allegations from the late 1980s, stating he bribed a judge to stop the sale of the food group, SME to a rival business. CNN.com is reporting Berlusconi was quite enthusiastic after the hearing.

According to BBC News, the judge ruled the crime for which Berlusconi was being charged never existed.

Sky News is reporting the law that ruled Berlusconi could not be retried, was ruled unconstitutional allowing the trial to take place.

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A ghost yacht was found with the engine still running off of the coast of Autralia was Friday, and it is now believed the three passengers all fell overboard. According to the Herald Sun, the search effort will still continue Saturday after searching over 700 square nautical miles.

BBC News is reporting the yacht was spotted Wednesday by a helicopter, but was not reached by rescue team until Friday.

According Yachting Monthly, the boat's GPS device was found which may lead to the crew's whereabouts.

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8 people were killed Thursday after a suicide attack in the Iraqi Parliament Building's cafeteria. CNN is reporting after the attack was over, more explosives were later found in the building that had not been detonated.

According the The New York Times, several recent bombings have caused local people questioning the goverment's ability to protect them.

BBC News is reporting 23 people people were also injured in the explosion.

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A suicide truck bombing in Iraq Friday morning killed at least 35 people, and reports of 50 others injured from the blast. According to BBC News, the truck was driven into a police check point and the bomb detonated, Ramadi police said.

CNN is reporting U.S. and Iraqi security conducted house-to-house searches Friday morning in Diwaniya.

According to The Associated Press, two policemen were among the people killled, Ramadi police said.

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An Ethiopian helicopter was shot down by Somali rebels Friday, apparently killing the crew inside.

According to The New York Times, a missile took down the helicopter gunship, and Somali rebels began launching fired rocket-propelled grenades at Ethopian troops in the streets of Mogadishu.

BBC News is reporting dozens of people have died since the fighting began on Thursday.

According to Reuters, several thousand Mogadishu residents have abandon the city.

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An investigation determined that the Pakistan cricket coach found dead in his hotel room Sunday in Jamaica was strangled. According to to The New York Times, the police have said there did not appear to be a struggle inside coach Bob Woolmer's room indicating he might have known his attacker.

CNN is reporting Woolmer's death came after Pakistan lost to Ireland in The World Cup on Sunday. Angry fans burned effigies of Woolmer after the game.

Accordinig to United Press International, the initial thought was Woolmer died from stress or a heart attack.

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Two weeks after they were kidnapped, five Europeans were safetely released to authorities on Tuesday in Ethiopia. BBC News is reporting the Europeans appear to not have been mistreated, but eight Ethiopians remain missing.

According to The Associated Press, British officials would not confirm if the kidnappers had demanded a ransom in return for the abductees.

Reuters is reporting the five Europeans were abducted 12 days ago while traveling in Ethiopia.

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10 people are dead after a bomb blew up in Sadr City at a used-car lot on Friday. CNN is reporting the bomb exploded just after 4:00 p.m. in Baghdad.

According to The Associated Press, 17 people were also wounded in the explosion at the popular used-car lot.

BBC News is reporting the explosion took place in the commericial district of Bayaa.

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Headlines out of Britain on Thursday were Prince Harry will fight in Iraq as part of the Blues and Royals Regiment of the Household Cavalry. According to CNN, Prince Harry will be deployed to Iraq in either June or May of this year.

BBC News is reporting that Prince Harry will have the role of a normal commander as part of his regiment.

According to The New York Times, Prince Henry will be the first member of the royal family to fight in combat since his father Prince Charles fought in the Falklands War in 1982.

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Seven people were sentenced to life in prison Friday for suicide bomb attacks that took place in Istanbul in 2003. According to Reuters, Harun Ilhan the man who admitted to being an al Queda member and plotting the bombings was among the group of people given life sentences.

BBC News is reporting that the judge noted that the convicted people should not ever be considered for amnesties or shorter sentences at a later date.

According to The Associated Press, 58 people were killed in the Turkey bombings in November of 2003.

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Five men were arrested in Birmingham, England. According to The Associated Press, the men were charged Friday with plotting to kidnap and kill a soldier. The men may face terrorism charges as well.

Parviz Khan is the man who has been accused of devising the alleged kidnapping plot. BBC News is reporting that all five men have been charged with violating the Terrorism Act of 2006.

According to CNN, all of the men appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday.

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Britain has decided to strengthen its military units in Afghanistan. According to BBC News, the UK will deploy about 800 new troops to Afghanistan, increasing their total number of troops to 5,800.

Not all British troops will be staying. The Associated Press is reporting that 500 troops will be withdrawn from Kabul, this will make for a total increase of around 300 British troops to the country.

The Associated Press has discovered this decision has come in an effort to increase the interaction between international troops and the U.N.

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