2010-04-19 BBC
As forecasters say that a cloud of volcanic dust spreading from Iceland across Europe shows some signs of moving, officials have expressed hope that up to half of all flights across Europe could operate on Monday. The European transport commissioner and Spanish minister for Europe were speaking after talks with the air traffic agency Eurocontrol. Warren Bull reports.
After adopting a cautious approach up till now, the airline industry has increasingly pushed the European authorities to end the flight restrictions which have caused travel chaos in Europe and beyond. Several airlines, including KLM and Lufthansa, have expressed anger that the decision to ground flights appears to have been taken solely on the basis of a computer simulation. They say they've carried out their own test flights and reported no problems. Conscious of a need to show strong leadership over the air travel crisis, European Union transport ministers are expected to hold an emergency video conference on Monday.
The Polish President Lech Kaczynski has been buried with his wife in the city of Krakow, eight days after they died in a plane crash in Russia. Crowds threw flowers as the hearses passed through the streets to the cathedral which is the burial place of Polish kings and statesmen. The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who attended the funeral, said later that tragedies like the plane crash often drew people together. It was a theme echoed by the Archbishop of Krakow, Stanislaw Dziwisz, in his funeral address.
"The tragedy of eight days ago released a lot of good flowing from people and from nations. Compassionate help which we've experienced over these days from our Russian brothers inspires hope for unifying and bringing closer our two Slavic nations. I direct these words especially at the president of Russia."
During his visit to Malta, Pope Benedict has told a group of alleged victims of pedophile priests that the Church will do everything in its power to secure justice for those who've suffered abuse. In his first foreign trips since the scandal came to a head, the Pope promised to implement what he called effective measures to protect young people in the future.
Turkish Cypriots have elected the veteran nationalist politician Dervis Eroglu as the new president of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He defeated his main rival Mehmet Ali Talat, who's been pursuing a process aimed at reuniting Cyprus. Tabitha Morgan reports.
Mr Eroglu has been prime minister for the past year. He's strongly opposed to the diplomatic process in which Mr Talat was engaged, seeking to reunify the island in accordance with principles adopted by the United Nations and the Republic of Cyprus. The Eroglu's solution to the long-standing Cyprus problem would involve separate Greek and Turkish Cypriot states, linked by loose confederal ties. It's a vision which is totally unacceptable to the majority of Greek Cypriots.
Tabitha Morgan in Nicosia
This is Mike Cooper with the latest World News from the BBC.
Reports from South Africa say the youth leader of the governing African National Congress, the ANC, Julius Malema faces a disciplinary hearing for bringing the party into disrepute. Local media said the charges are set to include promoting racism and fermenting intolerance. Genc Lamani of our Africa desk reports.
Mr Malema, who leads the ANC youth wing, has recently embarrassed party leaders by ejecting a BBC journalist from a news conference and defying an ANC order to stop singing a song inciting hatred against white farmers, which was banned by the South African courts. He also ignored party policy by publicly supporting Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe. The reported hearing follows several calls by the ANC and President Jacob Zuma, who had urged party leaders to avoid making public statements that could be misunderstood.
A court in Iran has sentenced a journalist to three and a half years in prison and 50 lashes for criticizing the country's top leadership. Mohammad Nourizad was arrested last November for denouncing the government over the unrest that followed the disputed presidential election. Mr Nourizad maintained his right as a journalist to criticize.
Three Italian medical workers arrested in Afghanistan last week have been set free. They were accused of involvement in an alleged plan to assassinate the governor of Helmand province. A statement from the Afghan National Directorate of Security said investigations had shown the Italians were not guilty.
A foreign affairs minister in the Indian government Shashi Tharoor has resigned over a scandal involving the country's premier cricket league. Press reports said that Mr Tharoor, who served for decades as a prominent diplomat at the United Nations, was asked to step down by the Prime Minister Manhohan Singh. It's been alleged that a female friend of the minister was granted a free stake in a new cricket team from his home state. Mr Tharoor has denied any wrongdoing.
BBC News.