Irish P.M. Resigns Party Post

Out, but still in: Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has resigned as leader of the country's centrist Fianna Fáil party, but will keep his job as premier until the elections in March. Cowen resigned under pressure, marking the first time in Irish history that the leader of the government has not also been the leader of the majority party. Opposition party chiefs said they would hold a no-confidence vote next week, hoping to oust him as prime minister as well. Cowen's surprise move came after a run of bad luck with his cabinet, where he bungled an attempted reshuffling and ended up humiliated by the other parties and forced to call an election.