Previous Day
Progress in Iraq fragile, says US commander
US: THE TOP United States military commander in
Iraq has told senators that progress there is "fragile and
reversible" and called for an indefinite halt to troop withdrawals
in the summer. Gen David Petraeus said that once the last of 20,000
extra troops sent to Iraq last year come home in July there should
be a 45-day pause before any further withdrawals are
considered. p
Talk of plan for common tax base 'premature' in Brussels
EU: THE EUROPEAN Commission's top official has said
it is still "premature" to say whether it will ever propose a
common method of computing corporate taxes across the Union. p
Violence widespread, claims Zimbabwe's opposition
ZIMBABWE: HOPES THAT Zimbabwe's electoral crisis could be resolved peacefully began to fade yesterday amid reports of widespread violence against people opposed to the ruling regime. p
Other World Stories
France's corporate tax plan sparks strong reply
FRANCE: FRENCH finance minister Christine Lagarde's comments that France will push hard for a common EU corporate tax plan during its presidency of the EU later this year have provoked strong reactions from both sides of the debate on the Lisbon treaty. pSarkozy admits surprise to Irish MEP over his minister's EU tax proposal
FRANCE: PRESIDENT NICOLAS Sarkozy told the Irish MEP Brian Crowley yesterday he was surprised the French finance minister, Christine Lagarde, raised the issue of a common EU corporate tax plan in Brussels on Monday. pEx-Israeli president rejects rape plea bargain
ISRAEL: IN A stunning reversal, former Israeli president Moshe Katsav said yesterday that he had decided to reject a plea bargain that would have seen him plead guilty to sexual harassment charges. He could now face much more serious charges, including rape. pMugabe plays on land fears among farmers
ZIMBABWE: Black farmers are being told a new government would take their farms back, write Darlington Majonga and Craig Timberg in Arcturus, Zimbabwe. pZanu PF is like a dying buffalo - still dangerous
BULAWAYO BLOG: ZANU-PF is behaving like a wounded buffalo, writes Eddie Cross . pChinese condemn torch parade protests
CHINA: CHINESE OLYMPIC officials have reacted angrily to the disruptions to the Olympic torch's passage through western cities, saying efforts to interrupt the relay were "despicable" and "in grave violation of the Olympic spirit". pBaton of protest is passed to US as Olympic torch lands in San Francisco
US: THOUSANDS OF protesters are expected to line the route of the latest leg of the Olympic torch's "Journey of Harmony" today as officials in San Francisco brace themselves for a repetition of the scenes in Paris and London. pOPENING CEREMONY: 'no question of boycott by Irish athletes'
IRELAND: THERE IS "no question" of Irish athletes boycotting the opening ceremony of this year's Olympic Games, the president of the Olympic Council of Ireland Pat Hickey said yesterday. However, individual athletes will be free to make their own decision on attendance, he said. pDeadlock in Kenya on creation of powersharing government
KENYA: Kenya's opposition suspended talks with President Mwai Kibaki's party yesterday and police fired teargas to scatter opposition supporters protesting at deepening deadlock over a powersharing cabinet. pScientists turn to cloning in attempt to save Buddhism's holiest tree for posterity
INDIA: CONCERN OVER the health of the giant Bodhi tree, under which Buddha attained enlightenment in eastern India more than 2,500 years ago, has spawned a secret plan to preserve it for posterity through cloning. pItalian left does not have good taste in women, says Berlusconi
ITALY: Silvio Berlusconi, the favourite to win Italy's national elections on April 13th-14th, said his rivals have poor taste in women and that their female politicians are uglier and less educated than women in his party. pA space where the French and Irish can learn about each other
LETTER FROM PARIS: IRISH FRANCOPHILES may celebrate tomorrow when the National Centre for Franco-Irish Studies is officially launched at the Institute of Technology in Tallaght (ITT). The first and only organisation of its kind, the centre will promote the study of France from an Irish perspective and vice versa. It is born of the conviction of its director, Dr Eamon Maher, that the two countries have a lot to learn from each other. pIn Short
Today's other world stories in brief p
