World watch

A Scots Labour and an English Conservative MEP have each written to Romano Prodi, president-designate of the European commission, urging him to intervene in Italy's long-running dispute over foreign-language lettori. Hugh McMahon, Labour MEP for Strathclyde West and Roy Perry, Conservative MEP for Wight and Hampshire South, said that the dispute risked seriously damaging EU credibility as the lecturers were still suffering flagrant job discrimination despite having won three cases at the European Court of Justice.