Business Pivot Point

The West African regional bloc Ecowas has told incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo to stand down or expect to face “legitimate force”.

The statement came at the end of emergency talks on the crisis sparked by a disputed election last month.

The 15-member bloc and other international bodies have recognised his rival Alassane Ouattara as winner.

Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his hope for an end to conflicts around the world, in his traditional Christmas Day message from the Vatican.

In his address from St Peter’s Basilica, he called on Israelis and Palestinians to co-exist in peace.

He urged China’s Christians to remain hopeful in spite of limitations, and prayed for those hit by natural disasters in Latin America.

He also appealed for peace in Somalia, Darfur and Ivory Coast.

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Hundreds of passengers slept in airports in France and Germany as they waited for their cancelled flights to be rescheduled

Thousands of flights and train services have been cancelled across Europe because of snow and ice, leaving many travellers stranded.

Few flights were leaving London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, and one third of flights were cancelled in major hubs like Paris and Frankfurt.

Roads in a number of countries have been described as treacherous.

The UK, France and Germany were among the worst-hit areas, with forecasters warning of freezing weather all week.

The UN Security Council has urged all parties in Ivory Coast to recognise opposition leader Alassane Ouattara as president and extended the mandate of the peacekeeping force for six months.

Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo had ordered the 10,000-strong force to leave the country after the UN said he lost November’s disputed run-off vote.

He and Mr Ouattara have both named a cabinet amid a stand-off in Abidjan.

Meanwhile, officials said the EU would impose a travel ban on Mr Gbagbo

A fire at a budget hotel in the northern Philippines has killed 15 people and injured 12, officials say.

The blaze began on the ground floor of the five-floor hotel in in the city of Tuguegarao, in Cagayan province.

It burned for several hours, gutting the building. Most guests were asleep when the fire began but dozens were rescued or managed to escape.

Nine of those killed were reported to be nursing students who had been preparing for a licensing exam.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Suicide attackers have targeted Afghan military bases in two cities, leaving 13 members of the security forces dead, along with at least five assailants.

In the northern city of Kunduz, suicide bombers stormed an army recruitment centre, sparking a long gun battle.

On the outskirts of Kabul, attackers ambushed an army bus outside the country’s main recruitment centre.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, which President Hamid Karzai called “criminal”.

Veteran US diplomat Richard Holbrooke has died following a second round of surgery to treat a heart condition.

He fell ill on Friday while meeting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

He was President Barack Obama’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The presidents of both nations had called to wish him well, prior to his death.

Nicknamed The Bulldozer, the 69-year-old gained a reputation over the years for confronting warring leaders to get them to come to the negotiating table.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed frustration at the latest setback to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, but insisted that the US would continue to push for progress.

She vowed to promote indirect talks on “core issues” including borders, settlements, refugees and Jerusalem.

Direct talks were set up with great fanfare by President Barack Obama.
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But earlier this week the US abandoned efforts to persuade Israel to stop new construction of Jewish settlements.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians resumed in September after a break of almost two years.

Russia has been chosen to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar has been selected to stage the 2022 tournament.

The Russian bid was picked ahead of England, Spain-Portugal and Holland-Belgium to host the 2018 event.

Qatar got the better of the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea to stage in 2022.

Both decisions were made on Thursday following a secret ballot of football’s world governing body Fifa’s 22 executive members in Zurich.

Russia received nine votes in the first round of voting and an outright majority of 13 in the second round, while Qatar obtained an outright majority of 14 in the fourth round of voting for 2022.