AFP
U.K. News - AFP

British police officers walk around the perimeter fence of the Harmondsworth Detention Centre near London's main Heathrow airport in 2006. Britain's interior ministry admitted on Thursday that personal details relating to every criminal in England and Wales have been lost, the latest in a series of embarrassing data loss blunders.(AFP/File/Adrian Dennis)

Prisoner details lost in new data security gaffe: ministry

Thu Aug 21, 5:57 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) - Britain's interior ministry admitted on Thursday that personal details relating to every criminal in England and Wales have been lost, the latest in a series of embarrassing data loss blunders.

  • London Mayor Boris Johnson speaks at a press conference in Beijing. Johnson said he had been "blown away" by the Beijing Olympics but not intimidated, as he vowed his city would do just as well when it hosts the Games in 2012.(AFP/Peter Parks)
    London 'blown away' by Beijing Olympics: Boris Thu Aug 21, 9:02 AM ET

    BEIJING (AFP) - London Mayor Boris Johnson said Thursday he had been "blown away" by the Beijing Olympics but not intimidated, as he vowed his city would do just as well when it hosts the Games in 2012.

  • Former glam rock star and convicted paedophile Gary Glitter is escorted by policemen in Ho Chi Minh City in 2006. Thai immigration authorities have said they would expel Glitter to his native Britain after Hong Kong refused to let him in.(AFP/File)
    Convicted ex-rocker Glitter due in London Thu Aug 21, 10:11 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Former glam rocker and convicted paedophile Gary Glitter was due to arrive in London Friday morning, three days after being released from a Vietnamese prison.

  • A detainee is escorted to his cell by military guards at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba in 2006. British resident Binyam Mohamed held at Guantanamo Bay has won a court ruling that Britain must disclose material he says supports his claim that evidence against him was obtained by torture.(AFP/File/Paul J. Richards)
    British resident wins Guantanamo ruling Thu Aug 21, 4:30 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - A British resident held at Guantanamo Bay won a court ruling Thursday that Britain must disclose material he believes supports his claim that evidence against him was obtained by torture.

  • Afghan President Hamed Karzai (right) and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Kabul. British troops numbers in Afghanistan are likely to rise before they fall, the commander of the country's soldiers there said in an interview published Friday(AFP/Massoud Hossaini)
    Troop numbers in Afghanistan on 'growth trajectory': British commander Thu Aug 21, 9:04 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - British troops numbers in Afghanistan are likely to rise before they fall, the commander of the country's soldiers there said in an interview published Friday.

  • US dollar and pound sterling banknotes. The pound was boosted by positive retail sales data but still finished a touch lower against the dollar.(AFP/File/Bertrand Langlois)
    Pound boosted by retail data Thu Aug 21, 12:32 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - The pound was boosted by positive retail sales data Wednesday but still finished a touch lower against the dollar.

  • People walk past the London Stock Exchange. London shares closed slightly lower, as commodity stocks rallied on higher crude and metal prices, but renewed credit jitters weighed heavily on banks.(AFP/File/Shaun Curry)
    London stocks close slightly lower Thu Aug 21, 12:41 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - London shares closed slightly lower on Thursday, as commodity stocks rallied on higher crude and metal prices, but renewed credit jitters weighed heavily on banks.

  • England's Steve Harmison, seen here on August 09, 2008,is to play in the one-day cricket series against South Africa, which starts on Friday, reversing a decision of two years ago not to participate in the one-day international format.(AFP/File/Glyn Kirk)
    Harmison rejoins England for one-dayers Thu Aug 21, 2:54 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - England fast bowler Steve Harmison is to play in the one-day cricket series against South Africa, which starts on Friday, reversing a decision of two years ago not to participate in the one-day international format.

  • England player Andrew Flintoff , seen here on August 07, 2008, believes England's revamped team can use their one-day series against South Africa to establish some badly-needed momentum.(AFP/File/Glyn Kirk)
    Flintoff expects revamped England to fire Thu Aug 21, 2:46 PM ET

    LEEDS (AFP) - Andrew Flintoff believes England's revamped team can use their one-day series against South Africa to establish some badly-needed momentum.

  • Sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson(R) of Britain posing with their gold medal, the 17th gold for the Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The plane bringing Britain's Olympic team home next week is to get a golden nose job in honour of the record gold medal haul for Team GB in Beijing, British Airways said Thursday.(AFP/Don Emmert)
    Golden nose job for British team plane Thu Aug 21, 1:21 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - The plane bringing Britain's Olympic team home next week is to get a golden nose job in honour of the record gold medal haul for Team GB in Beijing, British Airways said Thursday.

  • Thai immigration authorities said Thursday they would expel former glam rocker and convicted paedophile Gary Glitter, seen here on August 19, 2008, to his native Britain after Hong Kong refused to let him in.(AFP/File/Aude Genet)
    Convicted ex-rocker Gary Glitter returns to London Thu Aug 21, 3:56 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Former glam rocker and convicted paedophile Gary Glitter left Thailand for his native Britain early Friday, three days after being released from a Vietnamese prison.

  • Gordon Brown addresses British soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) at Camp Bastion in Helmand province. Brown said Britain is "utterly resolute" in supporting Afghanistan as it fights a Taliban-led insurgency and pursues democracy.(AFP/Shah Marai)
    Britain 'resolute' in its support of Afghanistan: PM Thu Aug 21, 11:31 AM ET

    KABUL (AFP) - Britain is "utterly resolute" in supporting Afghanistan as it fights a Taliban-led insurgency and pursues democracy, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said during a visit to Kabul Thursday.

  • London Heathrow airport's Terminal Five in west London in late March. Regulators have called for Spanish-owned group BAA to sell two airports in London and one in Scotland in order to end a dominance which they said hurts both passengers and airlines.(AFP/File/Edmond Terakopian)
    London airports 'should be sold to end BAA dominance' Wed Aug 20, 11:15 AM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Regulators called Wednesday for Spanish-owned group BAA to sell two airports in London and one in Scotland in order to end a dominance which they said hurts both passengers and airlines.

  • Conservative Party leader David Cameron, May 2008. The opposition Conservatives opened up a record lead in opinion polls, further hammering Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party shortly after he returned from his summer break.(AFP/File/Andrew Yates)
    British opposition open up record lead over Brown's Labour Wed Aug 20, 7:40 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Britain's opposition Conservatives opened up a record lead in opinion polls Thursday, further hammering Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party shortly after he returned from his summer break.

  • Britain announced new measures to crack down on child sex offenders Wednesday, as the release of 1970s glam rocker Gary Glitter, seen here on August 19, 2008, from jail in Vietnam reignited fierce debate here about paedophiles.(AFP/File/Aude Genet)
    Glitter release reignites paedophile debate in Britain Wed Aug 20, 1:17 PM ET

    LONDON, Aug 20, 2008 (AFP) - The government announced new measures to crack down on child sex offenders Wednesday, as the release of 1970s glam rocker Gary Glitter from jail in Vietnam reignited fierce debate here about paedophiles.

  • England striker Wayne Rooney takes a shot during the International football friendly vs the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium in London. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.(AFP/Ian Kington)
    Capello suffers as England struggle and Barwick quits Wed Aug 20, 6:19 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Joe Cole helped England coach Fabio Capello avoid a first Wembley defeat as his late equaliser earned a barely-deserved 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

  • Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, seen here in July 2008, insisted Wednesday he would still win Britain's next general election despite trailing in the opinion polls and talk that he could face a leadership challenge.(AFP/Ronen Zvulun)
    Brown pledges to win next election, despite woes Wed Aug 20, 3:10 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted Wednesday he would still win Britain's next general election despite trailing in the opinion polls and talk that he could face a leadership challenge.

  • An installation at the London stock exchange. London shares closed nearly 1% higher, breaking a three-day losing streak as commodities made gains. London's FTSE 100 index finished up 0.97 percent at 5,371.80 points.(AFP/File/Ben Stansall)
    London shares close higher Wed Aug 20, 12:16 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - London shares closed nearly 1% higher Wednesday, breaking a three-day losing streak as commodities made gains.

  • The Bank of England in central London. The pound made slight gains against the dollar as the latest Bank of England minutes revealed policymakers were split three ways when they decided to leave interest rates at 5 percent in August.(AFP/File/Shaun Curry)
    Pound recovers some ground against dollar Wed Aug 20, 12:30 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - The pound made slight gains against the dollar Wednesday as the latest Bank of England minutes revealed policymakers were split three ways when they decided to leave interest rates at 5 percent in August.

  • Scottish goalkeeper Allan McGregor plays with a ball during a training session in May 2008. Scotland warmed up for next month's World Cup qualifiers with a goalless draw against ten-man Northern Ireland at Hampden.(AFP/File/Paul Ellis)
    Scotland draw 0-0 with ten-man Northern Ireland Wed Aug 20, 6:09 PM ET

    GLASGOW (AFP) - Scotland warmed up for next month's World Cup qualifiers with a goalless draw against ten-man Northern Ireland at Hampden.

  • Manchester United's French defender Mikael Silvestre, seen here in May 2008, has signed for Arsenal on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee, British media reported on Wednesday.(AFP/File/Adrian Dennis)
    Man Utd defender Silvestre joins Arsenal Wed Aug 20, 4:58 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United's French defender Mikael Silvestre has signed for Arsenal on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee, British media reported on Wednesday.

  • Newcastle's controversial player Joey Barton, seen here in March 2008, is the target of legal action by a second victim of his violence, lawyers revealed Wednesday.(AFP/File/Glyn Kirk)
    Newcastle's Barton faces new legal action Wed Aug 20, 1:47 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Newcastle's controversial player Joey Barton is the target of legal action by a second victim of his violence, lawyers revealed Wednesday.

  • Thailand expels Gary Glitter to Britain Thu Aug 21, 3:19 PM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Former glam rocker and convicted paedophile Gary Glitter left Thailand for his native Britain early Friday, three days after being released from a Vietnamese prison.

  • Thailand says Gary Glitter will be expelled to Britain Thu Aug 21, 3:01 PM ET

    BANGKOK (AFP) - Thai immigration authorities said Thursday they would expel former glam rocker and convicted paedophile Gary Glitter to his native Britain after Hong Kong refused to let him in.

  • The move of France striker Djibril Cisse, seen here in March 2008, to Sunderland on a season-long loan from Marseille was officially signed and sealed on Thursday.(AFP/File/Michel Gangne)
    Sunderland's Cisse signing officially completed Thu Aug 21, 2:38 PM ET

    SUNDERLAND (AFP) - The move of France striker Djibril Cisse to Sunderland on a season-long loan from Marseille was officially signed and sealed on Thursday.

  • Britain's Phillips Idowu competes in the men's triple jump final at the National Stadium at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Idowu won the silver medal with a best of 17.62m. Portugal's Nelson Evora won the gold medal.(AFP/Adrian Dennis)
    Britain's Idowu takes silver in men's triple jump Thu Aug 21, 11:29 AM ET

    BEIJING (AFP) - Britain's much-fancied Phillips Idowu claimed silver in the men's triple jump at the Beijing Olympics Thursday.

  • Ryan Sidebottom, seen here in July 2008, will miss England's opening one-day international against South Africa at Headingley(AFP/File/Andrew Yates)
    Sidebottom misses England's one-day opener Thu Aug 21, 10:21 AM ET

    LEEDS (AFP) - Ryan Sidebottom will miss England's opening one-day international against South Africa at Headingley on Friday.

  • Glasgow Rangers' Steven Davis (left) vies with Sporting Lisbon's Brazilian Gladstone Valentina during their UEFA Cup quarter final match in Lisbon, April 2008. Rangers have signed Fulham midfielder Davis for an undisclosed fee.(AFP/File/Philippe Desmazes)
    Davis returns to Rangers Thu Aug 21, 9:40 AM ET

    GLASGOW (AFP) - Rangers signed Fulham midfielder Steven Davis for an undisclosed fee on Thursday.

  • Britain's Billy Joe Saunders is pictured in between rounds against Turkey's Adem Kilicci during their welterweight (69 kg) Olympic Games boxing match in Bejing on August 10. Britain's Olympic boxing coach Terry Edwards believes the team's triple gold medal push could be derailed by the suspension of Saunders.(AFP/File/Jacques Demarthon)
    Boxing coach hits out at Saunders suspension Thu Aug 21, 8:00 AM ET

    BEIJING (AFP) - Britain's Olympic boxing coach Terry Edwards believes the team's triple gold medal push could be derailed by the suspension of welterweight Billy Joe Saunders.