Previous Day
Turkey goes for early elections in bid to end political stand-off
TURKEY: Turkey headed yesterday for early parliamentary elections on July 22th to settle a stand-off between the Islamist-rooted government and the secular elite over the country's strict separation of mosque and state. p
China, US clash with EU over climate report
CHINA: China and the United States are at loggerheads with the European Union over the text of a draft report by top UN scientists on how to tackle global warming, due to be finalised in Bangkok tomorrow. p
Law and order the focus in final French debate
FRANCE: Twenty million French people relished the
live television debate between the presidential candidates Nicolas
Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal last night as if they were
watching gladiators in an amphitheatre. Every detail of the combat
was negotiated in advance, from the initial handshake - to be
broadcast only after the two-hour debate - to the temperature in
the television studio. p
Other World Stories
Expats in Ireland gave Royal narrow first-round lead
FRANCE: To understand how the French in Ireland will vote in this weekend's presidential election, one issue, expats say, is paramount. Dubbed "la fuite des jeunes" - the exodus of the young - it has been the cause of much recent hand-wringing in the French media. pDemocrats fail to override Bush veto on war Bill
US: Democrats in the House of Representatives have failed to override President George W Bush's veto of a Bill that would link funding for the war in Iraq with a commitment to withdraw US combat troops next year. p'Barren' woman jibe leaves Australian Liberal isolated
AUSTRALIA: A senior Australian politician has created a storm by telling a magazine that an opposition member did not deserve a leadership role because she had decided against having children. pBanned Zimbabwean paper revived with Irish help
ZIMBABWE: A banned Zimbabwean newspaper is being resurrected today, to mark World Press Freedom Day, with the help of a group of Irish human rights campaigners. pOpposing agendas bode ill for Sharm al-Shaikh conference
MIDDLE EAST: Gathering of 24 foreign ministers of major and Middle-Eastern powers in the Egyptian resort faces a tough task in rallying support behind a UN-backed plan to stabilise Iraq, writes Michael Jansen pJail term over TV report on torture in Egypt
EGYPT: An Egyptian court sentenced al-Jazeera producer Huweida Taha Metwalli to six months in jail or a fine of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,760) yesterday for her part in producing a feature on torture by Egyptian police. pMissile shield threatens to reignite cold war tensions with Russia
RUSSIA: Conor Sweeney in Moscow looks at the background to the dispute between Russia and the US over the Bush administration's plans to deploy missile defences in eastern Europe pUN-monitored uranium enrichment facility proposed by Germany
GERMANY: Germany has proposed setting up a UN-monitored uranium enrichment facility to resolve the nuclear disputes with Iran and North Korea. pIran says it has mass nuclear fuel capability
IRAN: Iran has underlined its determination to press ahead with sensitive nuclear work despite Western opposition with a senior official saying it is capable of mass-producing machines used for enriching uranium. pTehran holds diplomat on security charges
IRAN: A senior Iranian diplomat who played a prominent role in negotiations on the country's nuclear programme was arrested in Tehran on security charges, it was reported yesterday. pProsecutors link up on BAE investigation
EU: Prosecutors from four countries are to meet at The Hague next week to co-ordinate their corruption investigations into BAE. Their meeting will increase the pressure on the embattled arms company, which is already the subject of attention from the US department of justice and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's anti-bribery watchdog panel. p'X-files' on UFOs to be released
BRITAIN: The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to open its "X-Files" on UFO sightings to the public for the first time. Officials have not yet decided on a date for the release of the reports, which date back to 1967. The move follows the decision by the French national space agency to release its UFO files in March. pEstonia closes Moscow embassy as president berates Russia
ESTONIA: Estonia's president launched a scathing attack on Russia yesterday as the row between the countries escalated and the Baltic state closed its embassy in Moscow after an alleged attack on the ambassador. pCommission warns over duty to protect diplomats
EU: The EU has warned Russia to comply with its international obligation to protect diplomats amid growing concern over its relations with Moscow. pSNP, Labour election gap narrowing, poll shows
BRITAIN: The battle for Scotland was fought to an exciting finish last night as the final opinion polls showed the SNP still out in front but with Labour narrowing the gap. pItaly's water shortage highlighted as Roberta strips off in the Trevi
Rome Letter: It was a very warm Sunday afternoon in this unseasonably warm Roman springtime. So much so that Roberta X opted to paddle around in the celebrated 18th century Fontana Di Trevi in central Rome to keep cool. Soon this was not enough. Moved by the heat, Roberta decided she wanted to have a proper swim. pIn short
Today's other stories in brief p
