<br/>In the United States, 25 miners have been killed in an explosion at a coal mine in the eastern part of the country. Four others are still missing. An underground explosion was reported at the Upper Big Branch mine some 30 miles, south of Charleston, in West Virginia. The extent of the damage remains unclear, and emergency teams are on the scene.<br/><br/>Replace int Gordon British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will request Queen Elizabeth to call general elections on 6th of next month. Mr. Brown is scheduled to make the formal announcement after asking the Queen to dissolve Parliament. The move comes at a time when speculation is rife that Britain is heading for a hung Parliament. Recent polls suggest that the Conservative lead over Labour has narrowed down. <br/><br/>Mr Brown goes into the election claiming that he is best suited to take Britain out of recession, while the Conservative leaders promise to undo the alleged mistakes made by the Labour Government over the past thirteen years in office. In the event of Labour or Conservative not winning a majority, the Liberal Democrats will have a key say in the formation of the next Government – a scenario feared by economists and financial observers. <br/><br/>Economy remains the number one election issue.