As for our military presence, which, again, is drawing down significantly and has drawn down significantly, we have said now for a long time that we would consider a request by the Iraqi government for some sort of continued presence beyond the agreed departure date of December 31st.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

But the date of Mr Mori's departure is still not set and, worse, none of the likely candidates to succeed him inspires much confidence.

ECONOMIST: Japan adrift | The

Mr Brown's nail-chewing insecurities have been eased by knowing (roughly) both the date of Mr Blair's departure and that he will probably not face a serious contest for the leadership.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

Even if it goes ahead, the referendum seems not to allow for a change of the 2003 departure date.

ECONOMIST: The navy's troubles

And weeks of negative headlines about secret loans and the Tessa Jowell affair - coupled with continuing uncertainty about Tony Blair's likely departure date - have added to the sense of gloom, with all of these subjects reportedly coming up on the doorstep.

BBC: Analysis

Nor is securing parliamentary approval when the vote is taken in March, a couple of months before Mr Blair is expected to announce his departure date.

ECONOMIST: The decision to renew Trident was a foregone conclusion

And he urged Tony Blair to set a date for his departure, to end speculation about it and ensure a smooth handover of power to Gordon Brown, the man widely expected to be the next Labour leader.

BBC: Activists' gloom over by-election

They said the e-mail stated he had told the police authority of his intention to leave for personal reasons, but he has not set a date for his departure.

BBC: Essex police chief Jim Barker-McCardle to 'stand down'

Its scheduled departure date is March 25, and it will splash down in the Pacific with a payload of 2, 300 pounds of equipment and experiment samples from the Space Station.

FORBES: SpaceX Dragon Will Return To The Space Station On March 1