Data retention rift continues to bubble

Conservatives and socialists in the European Parliament have clinched a deal supporting an EU justice ministers' decision on data retention - which is substantially tougher than an earlier parliament version of the law.

With a majority of the MEPs now likely to approve the data retention law in a plenary vote next week, the year and a half long quarrel on storing phone data in order to trace terrorists and criminals is likely to come to an end.

"We think it's important the legisl...