Irish leader rues ‘merciless’ election losses, seeks allies

Irish leader rues ‘merciless’ election losses, seeks allies

DUBLIN

Ireland could be on course for a historic alliance between age-old foes – the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail parties – as partial election results Saturday revealed strong voter rejection of the existing coalition government of Prime Minister Enda Kenny.

Kenny said he was surprised by the unexpectedly strong losses for his centrist Fine Gael and even heavier blows for his left-wing partner, Labour. “Democracy can be very exciting, but it’s merciless,” he said.

Yet Ireland’s soft-spoken leader vowed to remain in office atop a new coalition and would seek new allies with the sole aim of creating “as stable a government as can be created.”

GE gets subpoena over subprime mortgage business

NEW YORK

General Electric says the U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed the company as part of an industrywide investigation into subprime mortgage lending.

According to a filing the industrial conglomerate made Friday, federal prosecutors are examining potential violations by GE’s WMC mortgage-lending business from 2005 to 2007. The company says it received the subpoenas in January and will cooperate with the investigation, “which is at an early stage.”

WMC specialized in making loans to consumers with less-than-perfect credit scores. GE sold the business in 2007 after the collapse of the U.S. housing market.

UC Berkeley alerts 80,000 to cyberattack

BERKELEY, Calif.

The University of California, Berkeley says a hacker broke into a computer system holding financial data of 80,000 students, alumni, current and former employees.

The university said Friday that although there is no evidence that any information has been stolen, it has notified potential victims of the breach so they can watch for signs of possible misuse of their personal data.

UC Berkeley was in the middle of patching a security flaw in the financial management system when the intrusion occurred in December.

Hundreds of hostages freed; 100 militants killed

YAOUNDE, Cameroon

Cameroonian and Nigerian forces have freed several hundred hostages in a border town held by Boko Haram including young girls who were being trained as suicide bombers, the commander of Cameroonian forces said Saturday.

Soldiers from the two countries also killed about 100 militants while liberating the Nigerian town of Kumshe, Gen. Jacob Kodji told The Associated Press. The town is 9 miles from the border with Cameroon.

Pilot in small plane trapped in trees rescued

GETTYSBURG, Pa.

Authorities say the pilot of a small plane that crashed into trees near a Pennsylvania airport has been rescued and is apparently OK after being trapped in the plane above ground for hours.

Central Pennsylvania emergency dispatchers say the crash near the Gettysburg airport was reported about 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Fire departments and emergency units arrived at the scene, where the plane could be seen lodged in branches.

The (Hanover) Evening Sun reported that the 87-year-old pilot was stuck in the plane about 50 feet off the ground for almost four hours. Crews applauded when he was hoisted down.

Associated Press