16/04/2013 00:00
TW
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A general election on May 6 was called in Britain by prime minister Gordon Brown. Predictions that economic recovery would dominate the election were quickly confirmed as the first week of campaigning was dominated by a Conservative initiative to reduce a National Insurance tax increase proposed by Labour. The initiative was immediately endorsed by many leading companies but Labour and the Liberal Democrats argued strongly that the loss of some 12bn pounds in tax could not be replaced mainly by the “efficiency economies” in government claimed by the Conservatives.

In Prague Presidents Obama and Medvedev signed an extention of the START Treaty by which both the United States and Russia will reduce their stockpile of nuclear weapons by one-third and accept independent monitoring of their progress in doing so.

Bombings were resumed in Baghdad while the two leading parties in the recent election continued complex and prolonged discussions with other parties to try to form a viable government coaltion with the necessary support in parliament.

The government of Kyrgyzstan was overthrown by street protests but the president refused to resign. In Thailand massive street protests in favour of an election did not succeed in moving the government's refusal to agree to one.