Pakistan coalition party to withdraw cabinet ministers

28 December 2010 Last updated at 00:03 GMT

Prime Minister Gilani now risks losing his majority in parliament

A key party in Pakistan's ruling coalition has said its two ministers are quitting the federal cabinet, dealing a major blow to the government.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) cited corruption and rising prices as the main reasons behind its decision.

It said it would decide soon whether it would leave the coalition altogether.

The move comes just weeks after a smaller coalition partner left the cabinet of PM Yusuf Raza Gilani led by his Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

Major challengers

"As a first step, it has been decided that both our federal ministers are leaving the cabinet," the MQM, the second-largest political party in the coalition, said on Monday.

"As far as the decision to part ways with the federal government and the future relationship with the provincial government (in Sindh) is concerned, a decision will be taken soon."

If the MQM, which dominates the political scene in the city of Karachi, leaves the coalition, Mr Gilani's government would lose its majority in parliament.

The coalition currently holds 181 seats - including the MQM's 25 - in the 342-member parliament. This is just nine more than the 172 needed to preserve its majority.

Earlier this month, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), a smaller coalition partner, withdrew from the government after a minister belonging to the party was sacked.

Mr Gilani's coalition faces a number of major challengers, including a growing Taliban insurgency.

The cabinet is also struggling to implement reforms needed to secure a new tranche of an $11bn (£7bn) loan by the International Monetary Fund to keep afloat the country's fragile economy.

Airports reopen after monster blizzard in north-east US

28 December 2010 Last updated at 04:05 GMT

Many flights are still experiencing severe delays, US officials say

Airports have reopened in the north-eastern US after blizzards caused some 7,000 flights to be cancelled over the busy post-Christmas travel period.

Services have now resumed into and out of New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

But officials warn it could take days to clear the flight backlog for tens of thousands of stranded passengers.

Analysts say the storm and its aftermath could cost the airlines up to $100m (£64m). The blizzards also disrupted rail and road traffic.

The conditions were blamed for a car crash in Maine in which a 59-year-old man died, and for stranding two buses carrying some 50 passengers on a New Jersey motorway.

National rail operator Amtrak - who earlier shut its New York-Boston route - now announced a limited resumption of services.

The US National Weather Service says the monster snow storm is the result of a low pressure system which originated off North Carolina.

However, forecasters are now expecting milder weather for the rest of the week, which could help in speeding up the clearing of snow.

'Jigsaw puzzle'

Many passengers had to camp out on floors in terminals

Three airports serving New York - JFK, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International Airport - and also Boston's Logan and Philadelphia International reopened on Monday evening.

They had been closed since early morning, forcing thousands of passengers to camp out on floors in terminals.

Overall, nearly 7,000 flights were cancelled on Sunday and Monday.

Although the worst weather is thought to have passed, many flights are still experiencing severe delays because of strong winds and what remains of the snow.

And airline officials warn that it could take days to rebook passengers whose flights were delayed or cancelled.

"Any airline scheduler will tell you it's like playing with a jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces keep changing shape," American Airlines spokesman Ed Martell was quoted as telling the Associated Press.

"In some cases we can't give them a new seat because we don't know."

Sales hit

Six US states - Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia - earlier all declared emergencies.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick warned that the storm was "expected to produce widespread heavy snowfall, periods of zero visibility, high winds, power outages, coastal flooding, and beach erosion", AFP reported.

Power had already reportedly been cut to tens of thousands of homes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The New York area received up to 51cm (20in) of snow over the last two days.

The southern states of Georgia and South Carolina had their first white Christmas in more than a century.

But Washington DC escaped the blizzard, with only a dusting of snow.

The storm moved to Canada's Atlantic coast early on Monday. Around 27,000 homes in Nova Scotia and 11,000 consumers in the New Brunswick area were reportedly left without power.

The timing of the snowstorm meant disruption for many thousands travelling after Christmas reunions and hampered the start of the shopping sales season and the return to work for many commuters.

Israel rules out apology to Turkey

Israeli prime minister says he is prepared to express only "regret" to Turkey for loss of life in Gaza flotilla raid. Last Modified: 28 Dec 2010 00:11 GMT

Israel's prime minister had rejected comments by his foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, ruling out apology [Reuters] Israel's prime minister has said that his country will not apologise to Turkey for a May commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship that killed nine Turkish activists. Binyamin Netanyahu said on Monday that talks to mend ties have so far fallen short. "They [Turkey] want an apology and we of course do not want to apologise," he said in an interview on Israel's Channel 10 television. "We are prepared to express regret, as we have, on the loss of life". "We want one thing: Foremost to protect our soldiers and our commannders ... that there will be Turkish recognition that Israel did not act with malice aforethought and that Israel's soldiers acted in self defence," Netanyahu said. Breaking the silence Netanyahu broke his silence after his ultra-nationalist coalition partner, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, poured scorn on Turkey's demand that Israel apologise for the killing of its nine citizens aboard the ship. "I'm sorry to say a redeeming compromise formula still has not been found. We are continuing to try but public talk on this matter does not help," Netanyahu said. Israel's relations with Turkey plummeted after Israeli soldiers stormed the Mavi Marmara ship on May 31, part of a convoy attempting to bring supplies to the blockaded Gaza Strip. Turkey has demanded that Israel formally apologise for the deaths of the activists. Envoys of the two countries met in Geneva earlier this month for rapprochement talks. High-ranking Israeli and Turkish officials recently held two days of talks in Geneva aimed at mending ties after Turkey sent firefighters to help Israel fight a wildfire earlier this month. The two countries built strong military and economic ties over the past 15 years, with Turkey becoming Israel's closest ally in the Muslim world. However, relations soured when Turkey's government began to increasingly criticise Israel's treatment of Palestinians

Source: Agencies

Bolivian bus drivers launch strike

After government cuts petrol subsidies in South American nation, drivers announce open-ended protest against price hike. Last Modified: 28 Dec 2010 00:52 GMT

Demonstrators, protesting fuel hikes, battled with riot police in front of the presidential palace in La Paz [Reuters] Bolivian bus drivers have announced an open-ended strike to protest an 83 per cent hike in the price of petrol and a 73 per cent hike in the price of diesel. Alvaro Garcia, the vice president, decreed the price increases on Sunday by removing subsidies that kept the cost of fuel artificially low for more than a decade. It was the sharpest price increase since 1991, when prices went up 35 per cent, and follows six years of stable prices. President Evo Morales defended the meausre, saying previous subsidies were a "drain on the economy". "That money should stay here and the resources we will obtain from this move will be spent on productive local irrigation projects," Morales said at a ceremony at the presidential palace on Monday. Faced with the growing criticism, Morales vowed the step would "not hurt anyone." "The government and the president will never ignore the workers, but we cannot allow the money to continue trickling out through smuggling and corruption," the socialist president told mayors of towns near La Paz. But Franklin Duran, the head of the Confederation of Drivers, which represents some 175,000 workers urged the government to "go back on this measure." "We reject the measure taken by the government, and so we declare an indefinite strike" across Bolivia starting on Monday, Duran said. Natural gas conversion Private companies operate the buses and mini-buses that provide public transportation in Bolivia under socialist President Evo Morales. Up to now only the drivers and a union representing city teachers have voiced opposition to the sudden price hikes. While some taxis and city buses operated early Monday with unregulated higher prices, army trucks were drafted into service to shuttle between the working class neighborhood of El Alto and downtown La Paz. Exempted from the price increase is natural gas for household use and for vehicles. The government is encouraging city buses to modify their vehicles to run on natural gas. But at the moment, fewer than three per cent of public transportation vehicles have converted. Residents rushed to fuel stations before the price increase went into effect at midday Sunday. Garcia said the price increase was necessary because subsidized fuel was being smuggled across Bolivia's borders to neighboring countries. Economic stability Luis Arce, the finance minister, said that prices should stabilise by mid-January. But economic analyst Gonzalo Chavez, a teacher at Catholic University, said gasoline prices are the benchmark for the entire transport sector, and transportation is a benchmark for dozens of other products. "We already were finishing the year with inflation rising to six per cent and this is going to drive up inflation even further for the next three to four months," he said. Alberto Bonadona, a Catholic University economist, said the measure was hitting ordinary Bolivians the hardest. "Not just transport but food prices are going to be going up. Then there will be pressure for wage hikes," he said.

Source: Agencies

Job protests escalate in Tunisia

Demonstrations involving around 1000 people in the capital are halted by security forces before they reach main street. Last Modified: 28 Dec 2010 00:13 GMT

Tunisian security forces stood guard as people demonstrated to show solidarity with residents of Sidi Bouzid [AFP] Tunisian police have used batons to disperse a rare demonstration in Tunis, the capital, calling for jobs in a show of solidarity with youths protesting in poorer regions. Around 1,000 people took part in the demonstration on Monday, called by independent trade union activists. Security forces prevented them from marching towards a main Tunis thoroughfare. A Reuters reporter saw at least a dozen protesters sustaining light injuries from police batons, mainly to the head, and some others fainted. Protests are rare in Tunisia - which has been run for 23 years by President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and works closely with Western governments to combat al-Qaeda - but have been gathering force in recent weeks. The Tunis protest followed the deadly shooting by police of a jobless graduate in Bouziane, south of Tunis, last Friday. Clashes broke out earlier this month in the town of Sidi Bouzid after a man committed suicide in a protest about unemployment. The protests later spread to several neighbouring cities such as Sousse, Sfax and Meknassi. Show of support One young woman at the Tunis demonstration told Reuters: "Our demand is employment ... We are here to support the youth of Sidi Bouzid and demand work". The protesters chanted slogans such as "We need work" and "Stop the corruption", and carried banners including one that read "Free Sidi Bouzid's prisoners". Officials have declined to say how many people were detained over the clashes in Sidi Bouzid. Tunisia remains relatively prosperous compared to African peers but several international right groups say its government crushes dissent, an accusation it denies. The North African country has become a regional focus for international financial institutions since announcing a plan to complete current account convertibility of its dinar currency over the 2010-2012 period.

Source: Agencies

Israel 'interim deal' for Palestine

Binyamin Netanyahu's idea gets shot down by Palestinians who insist on including the issue of Jerusalem and refugees. Last Modified: 28 Dec 2010 00:11 GMT

Illegal Jewish settlements and Palestinian refugees remain the sticking points in Israeli-Palestinian talks [Reuters] Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has suggested that an "interim agreement" with the Palestinians could be a solution to reaching a comprehensive peace accord in the Middle East. But the Palestinians swiftly rejected the idea, insisting instead on an overall agreement that would take into account the fate of refugees and the thorny issue of Jerusalem. "There could be a situation in which talks with the Palestinians hit a brick wall over the issues of Jerusalem and the right of return [of refugees], and in that case the result would be an interim agreement," Netanyahu said in an interview on Channel 10 private television. "If ahead of time we will tell [the Palestinians] let's [work on an interim deal] it is not certain that they will agree so easily, but it could be the outcome of a diplomatic initiative" Binyamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister "It certainly is a possibility," he said. "But if the Palestinians accept a demilitarised state and renounce de facto to the right of return, I'll go all the way and I think that the majority of the country [Israel] will follow me." It was the first time Netanyahu said there could be an alternative path in peace talks to the US-brokered talks that stalled after Israel refused to extend a partial West Bank building freeze on September 26. Netanyahu said he recognised that the Palestinians would not agree to enter talks over an interim agreement but that it might be where the talks would end up. "If ahead of time we will tell [the Palestinians] let's [work on an interim deal] it is not certain that they will agree so easily, but it could be the outcome of a diplomatic initiative," said the Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu said in the event the Palestinians agreed to recognise Israel as a Jewish state he would be willing to jeopardise coalition agreements to pursue a peace deal. "If the Palestinians will recognise a Jewish state ... I tell you here and now I will go all the way with this, no coalitional consideration will stop me ... Not in reaching the agreement and not in presenting it to the people and the majority of the people will support me," he added. Palestinian objection Netanyahu's suggestion however was shot down by a spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. "For the Palestinians, any suggestion of reaching an interim agreement is unacceptable because it omits Jerusalem and the issue of refugees," Nabil Abu Rudeina, Abbas' aide, said. talks about talks December 2008: Palestinians suspend talks after Israel launches Gaza war. March 2010: Abbas agrees to indirect talks, then freezes them over settlements. May 2010: Indirect talks begin with a four-month timeframe.August 2010: US expected to announce resumption of direct talks.September 2010: West Bank settlement freeze scheduled to end on September 26. "Jerusalem is a red line as it is to be the capital of a future Palestinian state ... going back to talk about a state without determining its borders is unacceptable, and it will not lead us to a true peace," added Abu Rudeina. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, also dismissed Netanyahu's suggestion saying: "interim solutions are rejected part and parcel". "It's now time for final solutions that include Jerusalem, refugees, borders, security, settlements, water and the release of all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails," he said. In Washington, a US state department spokesman said the government was working hard to reach a peace deal. "Our position is clear: we remain hard at work with the parties to achieve a framework agreement on all the core issues," Mark Toner, a spokesman, said in response to Netanyahu's comments. Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the first for nearly two years, began in Washington on September 2 but stalled when a partial 10-month freeze on Israeli settlement building expired on September 26. The Palestinians refused to resume negotiations without a new moratorium and the US admitted on December 7 that it had failed to convince Israel to renew the building curbs. Palestinian negotiators have emphasised a set of alternatives to new talks, including seeking recognition of a Palestinian state along the borders that existed in 1967, before the Six Day War.

Source: Agencies

Fears of Cote d'Ivoire unrest grow

Ouattara's coalition looks towards possible intervention by nation's West African neighbours to oust Gbagbo. Last Modified: 28 Dec 2010 02:42 GMT

A man, with body paint in the colours of the national flag, holds a bible during a peace prayer session [Reuters] Fears of renewed fighting in Cote d'Ivoire have grown, following a threat from West African neighbours to force out Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent leader, if he does not soon heed international calls to step down from power. West African leaders are giving Gbagbo an ultimatum this week to step aside, though he has shown no interest in doing so since the demand was made on Friday. While doubts exist about whether the region could carry out such a military operation, Alassane Ouattara's camp remains confident that help is coming soon. "It's not a bluff," one senior Ouattara adviser said on Monday on condition of anonymity. "The soldiers are coming much faster than anyone thinks." Residents remain fearful of the violence such an intervention could unleash if attempted. Dozens of people gathered on Monday outside the Nigerian embassy in Abidjan, the capital, holding signs that read: "We don't want a military intervention" and "Let Ivoirians solve Ivoirian problems". Nigeria has the strongest army in the region and is expected to play a major role if an operation is launched to oust Gbagbo. Mass grave report Elsewhere in Abidjan, dozens of women gathered to pray for peace after weeks of violence that have left at least 173 people dead, according to the UN. The toll is believed to be much higher, as the UN said it had been unable to investigate reports of a mass grave because of restrictions on UN personnel movements. "We are in trouble and we don't know what to do," Edith Esther, an Abidjan resident, said. "We are stressed - that's why we have come here to cry to God." The UN declared that Ouattara won the presidential runoff election held nearly one month ago, but Gbagbo refuses to concede defeat and leave despite admonitions from the UN, US, EU and AU. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS is sending a high-level delegation of three leaders to Abidjan this week to meet Gbagbo as "an ultimate gesture". Presidents from Sierra Leone, Cape Verde and Benin will be traveling to Cote d'Ivoire early on Tuesday morning, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, Sierra Leone's information and communication minister, said. The leaders will also be joined by the president of ECOWAS. "In the event that Mr Gbagbo fails to heed this immutable demand of ECOWAS, the community would be left with no alternative but to take other measures, including the use of legitimate force, to achieve the goals of the Ivoirian people," the regional bloc said on Friday. Ouattara's supporters also called for a general strike to begin on Monday to step up the pressure, but shops were open and it was business as usual in central Abidjan - though the pro-Ouattara districts began shutting down in the early afternoon. Ghost town The strike was intermittently followed across the country. Bouake, the rebel capital, was a ghost town, while Gagnoa, a Gbagbo-stronghold, was open for business. Gbagbo has been in power since 2000 and has already overstayed his mandate by five years when the long-delayed presidential election was finally held in October. The vote was intended to help reunify the country, which was divided by the 2002-2003 civil war into a rebel-controlled north and a loyalist south. Instead, the election has renewed divisions that threaten to plunge the country back into civil war. While Cote d'Ivoire was officially reunited in a 2007 peace deal, Ouattara still draws his support from the northern half of the country, where residents feel they are often treated as foreigners within their own country by southerners.

Source: Agencies