1.   The flow of the Tigris has been regulated with locks and sluices and the river banks raised to prevent water reaching the marshes.

2.   Bond prices had earlier fallen in response to U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan testifying before Congress that U.S. interest rates may be raised to prevent inflation.

3.   For investors, though, a key question is whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates this summer to prevent inflation from accelerating.

4.   If it raises rates to prevent overheating in Spain and Ireland, it risks of stifling the still tentative economic recovery in Germany and France.