A round-up of today's other stories in brief
New bird flu cases feared in Hungary
BUDAPEST -As the World Health Organisation confirmed the deaths of two more women from bird flu in Indonesia and Egypt, the disease is thought to have broken out again in the EU, writes Seán Mac Connell.
Hungary's chief veterinary officer, Miklós Süth, has told the EU that it is investigating an outbreak of H5NI in a geese flock in Csongrád county.
"The geese flock contained 3,298 geese before the start of killing today. The first clinical signs appeared on January 21st, 2007," he said.
Prodi denies KGB allegations
ISTANBUL -Italian prime minister Romano Prodi yesterday rejected British TV allegations that he had had links to the Soviet KGB, and his spokesman said Britain's two biggest television channels had fallen victim to "news piracy".
Both the BBC and ITV broadcast programmes on Monday showing video footage of Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian state security former operative, who was murdered by radiation in London in November, making the claim against Mr Prodi. - (Reuters)
Royal denounces media intrusion
PARIS -French presidential hopeful Ségolène Royal urged the media yesterday to stop prying into her private life after reports of tensions between her and her partner François Hollande - the head of the Socialist Party.
The couple have come under intense scrutiny since Ms Royal won the party nomination last November, with the media suggesting that recent policy rifts reflected problems on a personal level. - (Reuters)
UN to back new status for Kosovo
PRISTINA -A UN proposal on the future of Kosovo to be presented on Friday recommends the breakaway Serbian province be granted the right to join international bodies. Kosovo should be given "the right to seek membership of international organisations and institutions", the proposal states, according to sources. - (Reuters)