The Italian carmaker Fiat has temporarily closed all its car factories in Italy after a big drop in demand. Analysts believe 350,000 fewer cars will be sold in Italy this year, a third of which would have been Fiat's. Duncan Kennedy reports from Rome.

The total shutdown of production at Fiat's five main car plants in Italy will last two weeks. Thirty thousand workers have been told to stay at home on reduced pay. Orders for new cars in January dropped by half compared to the same period of last year. That fall follows the government's decision to hold an incentive scheme where customers could trade in old cars for new ones.

Pilots of the German Airline Lufthansa have suspended strike action which led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights. They have planned four days of strikes, but will now resume talks with management. The dispute centers on the transfer of jobs to foreign subsidiaries. Elsewhere, cabin crew at British Airways have voted to strike over job's pay and working conditions. Their union Unite has not yet announced strike dates, but has ruled out taking action over Easter. In Greece, meanwhile, the two major airlines Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines are to merge.

This is the World News from the BBC.

Troops who overthrew the president of Niger last week say the leader of a new military government will act as head of state until a transition to democracy. The announcement came after Mamadou Tandja was removed from the presidency last Thursday and replaced by a military junta.