Politics this week

General David Petraeus, the commander of American forces in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, America's ambassador in Baghdad, provided Congress with an update on the progress of the war. Both men emphasised the achievements in reducing violence, but General Petraeus said that the gains were “fragile and reversible”. He recommended that troop levels be maintained at around 140,000 once the withdrawal of 30,000 troops sent to Iraq in a “surge” operation is completed in July. See article

In a renewed flare-up of violence, at least 73 people died in Sadr City, in eastern Baghdad, as American and Iraqi troops continued to fight Shia militias; 15 Americans were killed in the same period.

Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama all got their chance to question General Petraeus in Senate committee hearings. The event was a welcome distraction for Mrs Clinton in particular, who earlier sacked her chief campaign strategist, Mark Penn, for talking privately to Colombian officials about a free-trade deal that she opposes. Mr Penn has also come in for much criticism for his handling of Mrs Clinton's presidential bid.

Seizing the moment, George Bush decided to send the Colombian free-trade pact to Congress for approval. Colombia and the United States signed the agreement in November 2006; with the Democrats opposed, its passage is far from certain. See article

Michael Bloomberg's proposal for a congestion charge in Manhattan collapsed when the Democrats decided not to support it. New York's mayor wanted drivers to pay $8 to enter a busy zone in Manhattan as part of an effort to ease congestion and reduce the city's emissions, but the plan was opposed by politicians in New York's other boroughs.

Authorities in Texas carried out a raid on the ranch of a polygamist religious sect 160 miles north-west of San Antonio after reports of child abuse and forced marriages. More than 400 children and 130 women were removed and the premises searched. See article

Liberty, equality. Fraternity?

Kosovo moved its recently declared independence forward when its parliament adopted a new constitution. The document protects the rights of Kosovo's minorities, including Serbs. Serbia called the charter an illegal act.

Vandals desecrated 148 Muslim graves at a French cemetery for soldiers who fought in the first world war. Some 78,000 men from French colonies died in the war, many from Algeria and Tunisia. Neo-Nazis daubed swastikas on Muslim graves at the site last year.

A new Olympic sport

Getty Images

London, Paris and San Francisco saw protests against the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay by pro-Tibetan demonstrators. In London 37 people were arrested, the flame had to be extinguished in Paris, and San Francisco changed the route of its ceremony. China resisted calls to curtail the global relay and to rethink plans to send the torch through Tibet itself. See article

A suicide-bomb attack at the start of a marathon race in Sri Lanka killed 14 people, including the highways minister and some of the country's star athletes. The attack, blamed on the Tamil Tigers, also injured more than 90 people.

The ruling junta in Myanmar announced that a referendum on a draft new constitution would be held on May 10th. It published the draft for the first time, confirming expectations that it will entrench military rule despite allowing limited multiparty elections in 2010. See article

Fifty-four Burmese migrants died after suffocating in a lorry smuggling them into Thailand. They had been packed into an airtight container for the journey.

Ahead of elections on April 10th, Nepal was scarred by violence. In one of the most serious incidents, seven Maoist activists were shot dead by security forces. See article

Hunger pains

In Haiti, a hungry mob tried to storm the presidential palace in the capital, Port-au-Prince, in continuing protests over soaring food prices. UN troops fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse them.

France called off a humanitarian mission to Colombia to secure the release of Ingrid Betancourt, a French-Colombian politician, after the FARC rebels who are holding her hostage said they would not allow the delivery of emergency medical aid.

Ecuador's top four military commanders resigned after President Rafael Correa accused the army of aiding the United States in operations against the FARC. The resignations came hours after Ecuador's defence minister stepped down without explanation.

Four members of an army death squad in Peru were convicted of the murder in 1992 of nine students and a professor suspected of links with Maoist rebels. The verdict is likely to affect the trial of Alberto Fujimori, a former president, who is accused of authorising the death squad.

Presidential ambition

Twelve days after Zimbabwe's presidential election, results had yet to be officially declared, though most independent analysts presumed that President Robert Mugabe had lost to Morgan Tsvangirai and that the incumbent's hardline supporters were trying to enforce a run-off. After regional leaders failed to persuade Mr Mugabe to step down, Zambia called an emergency meeting of the Southern African Development Community, which it chairs. See article

Violence erupted in Kenya again after talks broke down between President Mwai Kibaki and the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, over the distribution of ministries in a power-sharing government. Mr Odinga had rejected the results of an election in December that most observers thought was rigged in favour of the incumbent, Mr Kibaki. See article

Tension between Israel and the Palestinian authorities in the Gaza Strip rose after two Palestinian militants attacked the Nahal Oz border crossing, where fuel is carried from Israel into the strip, killing two Israelis. Two Palestinian fighters and at least two Palestinian civilians were killed by Israeli counter-strikes.

Reuters

India hosted the first India-Africa summit, with 14 African leaders attending. The event reflected India's growing commercial interest in Africa; it was also deemed an attempt to counter the growing influence of China in the continent. See article