BBC news 2010-12-05 加文本

BBC news 2010-12-05

BBC News with Marion Marshall

There's a tense political standoff in Ivory Coast after two rival presidential swearing-in ceremonies took place within hours of each other following last Sunday's disputed elections. First to take the oath was the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, whose victory claim has been hotly disputed by his opposition rival Alassane Ouattara, along with the country's election commission and the UN. Some hours later, Mr Ouattara was sworn in. From Abidjan, John James.

In a small, packed room at the presidential palace that's traditionally used for swearing-in presidents, Laurent Gbagbo pledged to respect the constitution and protect the rights and liberties of Ivorian citizens. But the room was notable for the absence of almost every foreign diplomat based in Abidjan. The international community has strongly backed opposition politician and former International Monetary Fund economist Alassane Ouattara. The international community helped pay for these elections, one of the world's most expensive relative to population ever held, and they seem reluctant to see the results change so Mr Gbagbo can stay in power.

Internationally there have been widespread calls for Laurent Gbagbo to step aside. The African Union said it would take action against those who attempted to undermine the election results in Ivory Coast, and the International Monetary Fund said it would only work with an Ivory Coast government backed by the UN.

President Obama has hailed a new free trade deal between the United States and South Korea as a major boost to the US economy and vital for ensuring security on the peninsula. He said opening the Korean market would boost jobs and expand the American export industry.

"The tariff reductions in this agreement alone are expected to boost annual exports of American goods by up to $11bn. And all told, this agreement, including the opening of the Korean services market, will support at least 70,000 American jobs. It will contribute significantly to achieving my goal of doubling US exports over the next five years."

The Spanish authorities say about 90% of air traffic controllers have returned to work, and flights should return to normal within two days. Tens of thousands of travellers were stranded, and the government used special powers to deal with the strike. Sarah Rainsford reports.

Almost all Spain's air traffic controllers have returned to work now, opening the airspace across the country. Slowly flights are resuming after the government declared a state of alert and ordered controllers back to their posts or be prosecuted. It was a dramatic response to the wildcat strike over changes to pay and conditions. But the government defended its actions, saying the situation was extremely serious, and the country could not be held to ransom.

Iraqi officials say at least 14 people have been killed in a series of explosions in the capital Baghdad. Two of the bomb attacks, which occurred in separate parts of the city, appeared to target Iranian pilgrims.

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Palestinian firefighters have joined international efforts to put out the huge forest fire in northern Israel. In a rare phone call on Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his support. Here's Shahzeb Jillani.

The two leaders are not believed to have spoken since the end of September when peace talks between the two sides were suspended over Mr Netanyahu's refusal to halt Jewish settlement construction. Israeli officials described Saturday's conversation as warm and friendly. They quoted Mr Netanyahu as telling the Palestinian leader that neighbours should always help one another. For Israel, these fires are a huge disaster, and it says it can use all the help it can get.

A Russian airliner has made an emergency landing in Moscow, colliding with buildings and splitting into two parts, but only two people were killed. Here's Steve Rosenberg.

The Tupolev-154 jet took off from Moscow's Vnukovo airport. It was bound for the Russian Republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus. But half an hour into the flight at 30,000 feet, the aircraft suffered a sudden and dramatic system failure. All three of its engines are reported to have cut out one after the other. The Dagestani airline's plane, with more than 150 people on board, was forced to make an emergency landing at another Moscow airport, Domodedovo. As it neared the ground, it lost power. Its navigation system stopped working. It touched down, but skidded off the runway and broke into pieces. The Russian authorities have launched an urgent investigation.

The authorities in Ecuador have begun evacuating people from the slopes of the Tungurahua volcano after it started spewing ash. Scientists with the country's Institute for Geophysics said fast-moving currents of extremely hot gas and rock could be seen flowing from the volcano's crater. Tungurahua is about 130km southeast of the capital Quito.

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