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Scottish first minister Alex Salmond and Northern Ireland First Minister the Rev Ian Paisley in Edinburgh yesterday. Dr Paisley refused to discuss his leadership or the internal affairs of the DUP with the media.

Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Key DUP figures urge Paisley to set date for retirement
The Rev Ian Paisley is being pressed by senior colleagues to set and name a date for his retirement later this year as Democratic Unionist Party leader and Northern Ireland's First Minister.
Air passengers face major disruption as disputes loom
Tens of thousands of air passengers face possible widespread disruption next week as a result of two disputes at the State's main airports.
Ó Searcaigh's poems may be removed from syllabus
The work of poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh is to remain on the Leaving Cert curriculum for the next two years, but an advisory body to Minister for Education Mary Hanafin may remove his material from future exams.

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World

Clinton struggles to keep her campaign alive
US: Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will debate in Texas tonight as Mrs Clinton struggles to keep her candidacy viable after two crushing defeats on Tuesday. p
Kenya's top athletes accused of funding and organising violence
KENYA: Kenyan athletes funded, organised and in some cases even commanded tribal gangs involved in some of the country's worst violence last month, according to witnesses in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret. p
Musharraf seeks to prosecute Zardari for corruption
PAKISTAN: The battle for power in Pakistan took a fresh twist yesterday when the government reinvigorated a Swiss corruption case against the opposition leader Asif Zardari on the eve of post-election power- sharing talks that threaten President Musharraf. p
Diana inquest told MI6 rejected plan to kill Milosevic
BRITAIN: A former head of MI6 confirmed yesterday that a proposal to assassinate Serbia's former president Slobodan Milosevic was briefly considered within the service during the early 1990s, but rejected. p

Finance

AIB pretax profit falls 4% to €2.5bn last year
AIB has reported a pretax profit of €2.5 billion for 2007, down 4 per cent on its 2006 profit, and is predicting slower underlying earnings per share growth of around 4 per cent in 2008 as a weaker economic climate curbs lending. p
Marathon signals it could sell Irish gas operations
Natural gas supplier Marathon signalled yesterday that it could sell its Irish operations. Texas-based Marathon has been supplying natural gas to the Irish network from wells off the south coast since 1978. Last year it produced 8 per cent of the country's needs. p
US inflation data make it a turbulent day for the markets
Financial markets suffered another turbulent session yesterday as robust US inflation data and recent strength in commodity prices added to concerns about worsening credit conditions. p

Ireland

Tighter controls on child benefit for EU nationals
EU nationals who receive child benefit payments for children who live abroad are now required to certify every three months that they are still employed in the State. p
Three held over death of model Katy French
Gardaí believe they know the identity of two men who sourced drugs taken by the model Katy French in the hours before she fell into a coma last December. p
Accused 'did not believe' wife would kill herself
A man who is accused of strangling his wife told gardaí he did not believe she would kill herself and leave her son, the Central Criminal Court has heard. p
Commissioner examines nature of stolen data on blood donors
The Data Protection Commissioner's office is investigating the nature of the information that was taken when a laptop containing Irish blood donors' data was stolen in New York. p
Dangerous driving led to brother's death
A motorist has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of a younger brother. The Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee heard yesterday that he was "like a son to him". p
Soldier tells court pizza was 'spiked'
A soldier has brought a High Court challenge to his proposed discharge from the Army after he tested positive for cannabis. p
O'Loan to be Ireland's first roving ambassador
The former Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, Dame Nuala O'Loan, is to be Ireland's first Roving Ambassador and Special Envoy for Conflict Resolution to Timor-Leste, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said yesterday. p
Gay rugby team 'unacceptable'
Stormont Sports Minister Edwin Poots has stood by his criticism of a rugby team that purports to be the first in Northern Ireland to "openly identify with gay men". p

Sport

Burnout not affecting Young
GAELIC GAMES: It must have been something of a first for GAA president Nickey Brennan to attend the launch of a championship he'd previously hoped wouldn't take place. But following last month's decision of the special congress to reject the Burnout Task Force recommendation for a new under-19 grade, it's business as usual for the under-21 championship. p
Arsenal draw on ability to hustle as Milan feel the heat
Arsenal 0 AC Milan 0: Progress can be a harsh business and Arsenal sacrificed some of their streamlined approach to make this Champions League tie an abrasive affair for holders denied their normal poise. p
Harrington putts his illness behind him
WGC Matchplay Championship: Padraig Harrington has spent nearly as much time in bed as he has on the range this week but showed few signs of fatigue as he crushed Jerry Kelly 4 and 3 with a combination of power and finesse at The Gallery Golf Club on the outskirts of Tucson. p