Most flights by Iranian airlines were cancelled during the day as the oil ministry refused to supply them with fuel because of unpaid debts. The government says private Iranian airlines owe the state nearly 150 million dollars. The price of fuel in Iran has soared mainly because of international sanctions.
In one of his strongest public appeals, Pope Benedict has urged the international community to end what he called the endless slaughter in Syria. His comments come a day after the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad laid out terms for a peace plan but dismissed any prospect of dialogue with the rebels. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called President Assad’s speech disappointing. As our UN correspondent Barbara Plett reports.
The secretary general said Mr. Assad’s recent speech rejected the political transition spelled out in what’s known as the Geneva communique, an internationally agreed blueprint for change in Syria. It calls for a transitional governing body that includes members of both the government and the opposition and forms the basis of mediation efforts conducted by Mr. Ban’s Syrian envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. But the Syrian president refused peace talks with the armed opposition in a defiant speech just days after Mr. Brahimi visited Damascus. World News from the BBC
The Venezuelan Catholic Church has said it would be morally unacceptable to override the constitution to allow President Hugo Chavez to remain in power if he cannot be inaugurated owing to ill health. The head of the Venezuelan Conference of Bishops, Diego Pardron, said the constitution was clear. Mr. Chavez must attend his inauguration on Jan. 10. The Venezuelan attorney-general has said the inauguration could take place at a later date. The opposition says a new election should be called in 30 days if Mr. Chavez is unable to attend the ceremony.