LONDON

Study of slavery reveals 13,000 victims in Britain

A government study into the scale of modern slavery in Britain suggests that up to 13,000 people in the country are victims – four times the previous estimate.

The Home Office figures released Saturday aimed to calculate the number of previously unreported victims. They include women forced into prostitution or sexually exploited for profit, domestic workers, and laborers on farms, factories and fishing boats.

The agency says many of the victims are brought in by traffickers from countries including Romania, Poland, Albania and Nigeria.

TAIPEI, Taiwan

Pro-China ruling party dealt heavy losses at polls

Taiwan’s pro-China ruling Nationalist Party suffered worse-than-expected losses in islandwide local elections Saturday, dealing a stiff blow to a president who has staked his reputation on closer ties with Beijing, and leading the head of the Cabinet to resign.

The Nationalists lost eight city and county elections, including in longtime strongholds Taipei, the capital, and the major central city of Taichung. Pre-election polls had forecast defeats only in Taipei, Taichung and Keelung.

The heavy losses point to an electorate that is souring on President Ma Ying-jeou.

Premier Jiang Yi-huah, who heads the Cabinet, resigned Saturday night after the defeats, while Ma, who is also Nationalist Party chairman, said he would make changes.

KANO, Nigeria

President vows to find bombers that killed 102

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan vowed to track down the perpetrators of the bomb blasts that killed more than 100 people at the central mosque in the city of Kano.

The explosions Friday also injured more than 150.

– From news service reports