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Sarkozy's 'Club Med' plan gets guarded welcome
EU: FRENCH PRESIDENT Nicolas Sarkozy and German chancellor Angela Merkel presented a joint plan to create a new "Union for the Mediterranean" last night, insisting it would not undermine the EU. p

Europe's largest fraud trial begins over collapse of Parmalat
ITALY: EUROPE'S BIGGEST ever fraud trial gets under way in Italy today with a cast of 56 accused, nine judges and the possibility of more than 30,000 witnesses, in order to reach a verdict othe 2003 collapse of dairy group Parmalat, which left €14 billion in debts and more than 100,000 investors out of pocket. p

All 'calm' in Chad despite reports
CHAD: The border areas of eastern Chad where EU troops deployed last month remain calm despite reports that heavily armed rebels crossed over the border from Sudan earlier this week, a spokesman for the EU mission said last night. p

Other World Stories

New German film replays an experiment in classroom fascism
LETTER FROM BERLIN: GERMAN SCHOOLS are nothing to write home about. Low academic standards, under-motivated teachers and out-of-control students are just some of the reasons why Germany rates a below-average performance in the OECD "Pisa" study of learning skills. p
Kidnapped archbishop found dead in Iraq
IRAQ: PAULOS FARAJ Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop who was kidnapped last month, was found dead yesterday, his body half-buried in an empty lot in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. p
Rocket attacks from Gaza bring tacit ceasefire to an end
MIDDLE EAST: THE TACIT ceasefire between Hamas and Israel ended yesterday when Palestinian militants launched a volley of rockets and Israel responded with an air raid on Gaza. p
Internet is for porn, claims former Polish PM
POLAND: Former Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has surprised political friends and foes with the observation that the internet is for porn. And as such, he added, it is an inappropriate platform for e-voting. p
Bush plan to visit Ukraine raises concern within Nato
UKRAINE: US PRESIDENT George W Bush is set to travel to Ukraine ahead of a high-profile Nato summit in Bucharest next month, raising the stakes in a dispute within the alliance over how quickly the former Soviet state should proceed towards membership. p
Security alert at Heathrow
BRITAIN: A MAN sprinted on to a runway at London's Heathrow airport yesterday, the day before Queen Elizabeth was due to open its new Terminal Five, in the second major security breach in under a month. p
Taoiseach tells EU leaders of 'active' treaty campaign
EU: BRIEFING EU leaders last night on the Lisbon Treaty referendum, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the Government had commenced an "active and intensive information campaign". p
Parliament chief rejects suggestion of expenses cover-up
EU: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT president Hans-Gert Pöttering has rejected suggestions that the institution is covering up a massive expenses fraud. p
No new term for UK trade chief
BRITAIN: BRITISH PRIME minister Gordon Brown appeared to kill off any chance of EU trade chief Peter Mandelson serving a second term at the European Commission last night, Jamie Smyth reports. p
No progress over Macedonia's name
MACEDONIA: MACEDONIAN AND Greek leaders failed to make progress yesterday on a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name that threatens to block its bid to join Nato next month, both sides said. p
Summit plug for Slovene cuisine
SLOVENIA: EU LEADERS dined on fillet of guinea fowl with spring vegetables at last night's summit organised by Slovenia, which has used its six-month tenure as EU president to present itself as a gourmet tourist destination. p
Challenges to Lisbon Treaty on horizon in Germany and Poland
GERMANY: THE LISBON Treaty faces ratification delays thanks to a constitutional challenge looming in Germany and a parliamentary revolt brewing in Poland. p
Estonia aims to curb inflation, adopt euro
ESTONIA: ESTONIA STILL expects to adopt the euro currency in 2011 despite high inflation, which the government will fight with tighter fiscal policies, prime minister Andrus Ansip said yesterday. p
US and EU agree to talks about visa deals
EU: THE EU and the US yesterday agreed to defuse a crisis over visa deals by allowing talks between Washington and individual EU states to run in parallel with EU-US negotiations. p
Rendition aircraft refuelled at Shannon - Amnesty
US: THE AIRCRAFT that took a Saudi-born man from Baghdad to Kabul where he was held without charge at a secret CIA prison had refuelled at Shannon airport the day before, according to flight records collated by Amnesty International as part of a report into the CIA's programme of secret detentions and enforced disappearances. p
Spitzer call girl revealed as singer (22)
US: THE "WOMAN who rocked New York", as the prostitute at the centre of the state governor's sex scandal has been described, was revealed yesterday as a 22-year-old aspiring singer. p
Expenses for MPs' homes criticised
BRITAIN: BRITISH MPs faced fresh criticism of their taxpayer-funded expenses yesterday after it was disclosed they can claim up to £10,000 (€13,000) for a new kitchen and £300 for air-conditioning units. p
Fallon move will not prompt Iran strike - aides
US: US officials see no prospects for any action against Iran despite the departure of a naval chief who has publicly opposed military intervention, write JOBY WARRICK and MICHAEL ABRAMOWITZ in Washington p
In short
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Sarkozy's 'Club Med' plan gets guarded welcome

Europe's largest fraud trial begins over collapse of Parmalat

All 'calm' in Chad despite reports

New German film replays an experiment in classroom fascism

Kidnapped archbishop found dead in Iraq

Rocket attacks from Gaza bring tacit ceasefire to an end

Internet is for porn, claims former Polish PM

Bush plan to visit Ukraine raises concern within Nato

Security alert at Heathrow

Taoiseach tells EU leaders of 'active' treaty campaign

Parliament chief rejects suggestion of expenses cover-up

No new term for UK trade chief

No progress over Macedonia's name

Summit plug for Slovene cuisine

Challenges to Lisbon Treaty on horizon in Germany and Poland

Estonia aims to curb inflation, adopt euro

US and EU agree to talks about visa deals

Rendition aircraft refuelled at Shannon - Amnesty

Spitzer call girl revealed as singer (22)

Expenses for MPs' homes criticised

Fallon move will not prompt Iran strike - aides

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