Priest 'joins Nazi Holocaust row'

Father Floriano Abrahamowicz has expressed doubts about the Holocaust

A priest from a Catholic society rehabilitated by the Pope has questioned the Holocaust, reports say.

Father Floriano Abrahamowicz was quoted as saying that he did not know if anyone had died in Nazi gas chambers.

The reports were carried by Italian newspaper La Tribuna di Treviso, and the AP news agency said Fr Abrahamowicz had confirmed their accuracy.

Last week a bishop, whose expulsion was lifted last week by the Pope, sparked a row by questioning the Holocaust.

Richard Williamson is one of four bishops, who are members of the Society of Pius X, whose excommunication was lifted last week by the Pope.

He outraged Jewish leaders when he said he believed there had been no Nazi gas chambers.

The leader of the group has since said that the views "do not reflect in any way the position of the society".

The Vatican says it was unaware of Bishop Williamson's views on the Holocaust when the decision was made to readmit the group.

'No gas chambers'

The bishop angered Jewish leaders across the world when he told Swedish TV: "I believe there were no gas chambers. I think that 2-300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps but none of them by gas chambers."

Pope Benedict quickly distanced himself from the comments and expressed "full and indisputable solidarity" with Jews.

However, condemnation from Jewish groups was widespread and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel broke off official ties with the Vatican in protest over the Pope's decision to rehabilitate the bishop.

The Pope says the Holocaust "should be a warning for all"

Then Father Abrahamowicz expressed his own doubts about the Holocaust in an interview published on Thursday by Tribuna di Treviso.

"I know gas chambers existed at least to disinfect, I can't say if anybody was killed in them or not," he said.

On Thursday, Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St Pius X, asked for forgiveness from the Pope for the "dramatic consequences" of Bishop Williamson's comments.

Bishop Fellay said he had forbidden Bishop Williamson from speaking publicly about any historical or political questions and that his views "don't reflect in any way the position of the society".

He also referred to the "genocide of Jews" by the Nazis.

'No-one knew'

The cardinal who led negotiations with the society was quoted as saying that no-one at the Vatican knew about Bishop Williamson's views until after the decree lifting the excommunication had been signed.

"We absolutely didn't know anything about this

Naked ramblers face Swiss fines

The canton is keen to stamp out nude hiking before the summer

A local Swiss government plans to take action against a sudden and apparently unwelcome phenomenon - naked hikers.

Authorities in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden plan to introduce fines for anyone found walking in the picturesque mountain region without any clothes.

They decided to act before this year's hiking season began, after noticing a sudden influx of nudists last year - many of them from Germany.

"FKK", or "free body culture", is a popular pastime in Germany.

But Appenzell Innerrhoden is not keen to encourage its spread.

"We were forced to introduce the legislation against this indecent practice before the warm weather starts," said Melchior Looser, justice minister in the canton in north-eastern Switzerland.

"The point is many children visit our mountains in the summer," he told he Guardian newspaper.

A naked hiker was detained last autumn, but could not be fined as naked rambling was not outlawed, he said - hence the need for a new law.

Turkish PM storms off in Gaza row

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Turkey PM storms off in Gaza row

Turkey's prime minister has stormed off the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos after a heated debate on Gaza with Israel's president.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan clashed with Shimon Peres, whose voice had risen as he made an impassioned defence of Israel's actions, jabbing his finger.

Mr Erdogan said Mr Peres had spoken so loudly to conceal his "guilt".

He accused the moderator of not allowing him to speak and said he did not think he would return to Davos.

The Turkish PM stressed later that he had left the debate not because of his disagreements with Mr Peres but because he had been given much less time to speak than the Israeli leader.

Turkey is one of the few Muslim countries to have dealings with Israel, but relations have been under strain since the Islamist-rooted AK Party was elected to power in 2002.

Dinner time

Mr Erdogan was cut off as he attempted to reply to Mr Peres.

Many of the casualties in Gaza have been children, doctors say

Earlier he spoke himself, describing Gaza as an "open-air prison".

When the audience applauded Mr Peres, he said: "I find it very sad that people applaud what you said. You killed people. And I think that it is very wrong."

The moderator, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, had given him a minute to reply, then asked him to finish, saying that people needed to go to dinner.

"I do not think I will be coming back to Davos after this because you do not let me speak," Mr Erdogan shouted before marching off the stage in front of Mr Peres, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and an elite audience of ministers and international officials.

Mr Peres had told the audience Israel was forced on to the offensive against Hamas by thousands of rockets and mortars fired into Israel.

"The tragedy of Gaza is not Israel, it is Hamas," the Israeli leader said.

"Why did they fire rockets? There was no siege against Gaza. Why did they fight us, what did they want? There was never a day of starvation in Gaza."

He argued that Mr Erdogan would have reacted in the same way if rockets had hit Istanbul.

More than 1,300 Palestinians and 14 Israelis were killed during the three-week conflict which began on 27 December.

At news conference later on Thursday, Mr Erdogan complained that he had been allowed to speak just 12 minutes to 25 for Mr Peres.

"I did not target at all in any way the Israeli people, President Peres or the Jewish people," he said.

"I am a prime minister, a leader who has specifically expressly stated that anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity."

Germany's grand coalition on the rocks

The SPD-CDU marriage has proved more harmonious than had been expected

By Steven Rosenberg BBC News, Berlin

Some marriages are made in heaven. But Germany's "grand coalition" was a marriage born of the ballot box.

After an inconclusive federal election in 2005, neither the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) nor the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) had enough votes to form a government without the other.

So, at the altar of German politics, the country's most bitter political rivals had little choice but to pronounce the words: "I do" (while secretly thinking: "We don't really want to, but we've got no choice").

The "marriage contract" paved the way for the CDU's Angela Merkel to become chancellor, but gave the bulk of cabinet posts to the SPD.

I think they haven't achieved anything, except that they've managed to stay together Alan Posner, Die Welt

There was little optimism surrounding the partnership.

At the time, critics dismissed it as a "marriage of elephants", predicting that the rival parties would lock trunks for the next four years, paralysing the whole system of government.

"It was a marriage of losers," Alan Posner from the newspaper, Die Welt, complains. "I think they haven't achieved anything. Except that they've managed to stay together."

Odd-ball couple

It is certainly true that the political partnership has not produced many grand reforms.

But the marriage has proved more harmonious than had been expected.

There was little optimism surrounding the partnership when it began in 2005

There has been surprisingly little infighting and that has gone down well with the German public.

"Germans have this tendency to be slightly in favour of a great majority," says Jan Techau, a political analyst.

"They like the idea of not too much bickering, of binding everybody into a great compromise. It has an intrinsic kind of appeal."

But the "grand compromise" of 2005 is coming under pressure.

The odd-ball couple of German politics is now experiencing the three-year itch.

With Germany gearing up for fresh federal elections this autumn, cracks have emerged inside the grand coalition.

Both sides have indicated they want out.

After September's election, the CDU (and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union) would prefer a coalition with the pro-business, liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP). The SPD is looking to pair up with the Green Party.

Economic crisis

But something strange is happening.

As keen as they are to split, the grand coalition partners have suddenly been forced to appear far more united than they really are.

In a situation like this, the general public wants government to function Ralf Neukirchen, Der Spiegel

That is a result of the economic crisis.

Germany is facing its worst recession for 60 years: the German public expects its government to pull together, not tear itself apart.

So Chancellor Merkel and the Social Democrat Vice-Chancellor, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, have been putting on a united front to help the government fight the downturn.

This week, the government adopted a second economic stimulus package worth 50bn euros (

Pope in bid to dampen bishop row

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'I believe there were no gas chambers' - Richard Williamson in November 2008

Pope Benedict XVI has expressed "full and indisputable solidarity" with Jews, distancing himself from a bishop who denies the Nazis used gas chambers.

Briton Richard Williamson was among four bishops whose excommunications were lifted by the Pope last week.

Bishop Williamson said recently: "I believe there were no gas chambers".

Jewish leaders, marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, reacted angrily to the rehabilitation of the bishop, saying it had harmed Catholic-Jewish dialogue.

The Pope told a Vatican audience on Wednesday the Holocaust "should be a warning for all against forgetting, denial and reductionism".

"While I renew with affection the expression of my full and unquestionable solidarity with our [Jewish] brothers, I hope the memory of the Shoah [Holocaust] will induce humanity to reflect on the unpredictable power of hate when it conquers the heart of man," he said.

Decision 'disturbing'

But Nobel Peace Prize winner and death camp survivor Elie Wiesel said that the Pope, by lifting the excommunication of the British-born cleric, had given credence to "the most vulgar aspect of anti-Semitism".

"What does the Pope think we feel when he did that?" he asked.

"That a man who is a bishop and Holocaust denier - and today of course the most vulgar aspect of anti-Semitism is Holocaust denial - and for the Pope to go that far and do what he did, knowing what he knows, is disturbing," he told the Reuters news agency.

The Pope visited the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz in 2006

Mr Wiesel agreed with other Jewish leaders who said the episode could be a setback in the fight against anti-Semitism.

"One thing is clear: this move by the Pope surely will not help us fight anti-Semitism. Quite the opposite," he said.

On Tuesday, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel - the supreme Jewish governing body in the country - broke off official ties with the Vatican in protest over the Pope's decision.

Haifa Chief Rabbi Shear Yishuv Cohen, chairman of the Rabbinate's commission, told The Jerusalem Post that he expected Bishop Williamson to publicly retract his statements before links could be renewed.

"I understand the Pope's efforts to bring about unity in the Church, but he should be aware that, indirectly, he hurt Jews. We expect him to do the best to repair the situation," he told the paper.

'Mistake'

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that following the Pope's words at the audience, he hoped the Chief Rabbinate of Israel would re-think its position and continue "fruitful and serene dialogue".

France's Europe Minister, Bruno Le Maire, said he was "deeply upset" by the Pope's action.

"I believe that it was a mistake and for a Catholic such as myself, this is something that is difficult to understand," he said.

The four bishops whose excommunications were lifted are members of the Society of St Pius X, which was founded by a French archbishop, Marcel Lefebvre, in 1970 as a protest against the Second Vatican Council's reforms on religious freedom and pluralism.

The late Archbishop Lefebvre made them bishops in unsanctioned consecrations in Switzerland in 1988, prompting the immediate excommunication of all five by the late Pope John Paul II.

The Vatican said the four men had been asked to recognise the authority of the Pope and the Second Vatican Council, and that future talks would seek to resolve the "open questions" in the Church's relationship with the Society of St Pius X.

Serena will meet Safina in final

AUSTRALIAN OPEN Venue: Melbourne Park Date: 19 January-1 FebruaryCoverage: BBC Red Button, Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Sport website (Red Button coverage streamed on website throughout fortnight)

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Williams took advantage of Dementieva's crumbling serve

Serena Williams and Dinara Safina will fight for the world number one ranking in the final of the Australian Open after wins in Melbourne on Thursday.

Second seed Williams beat fourth seed Elena Dementieva 6-3 6-4 in their semi-final as the Russian's serve fell to pieces after a promising start.

Dementieva double-faulted twice to hand Williams a crucial second-set break.

Third seed Safina scrapped past fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva, seeded seventh, 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to reach the final.

"I was really calm," said Williams, who will now face Safina on Saturday for the title.

To fight for the number one spot in the world is unbelievable Dinara Safina

"I'm happy to have gotten this far, all my hard work is paying off.

"My goal isn't to be number one. My goal is to win one more singles match here at the Australian Open."

Safina, who will play Williams for the number one world ranking, said the opportunity was her "dream".

"To fight for the number one spot in the world is unbelievable," she said.

"Vera had won so many matches 6-0 whereas I've been struggling, playing three sets.

"But now was the time to play and I was ready for anything."

Williams, searching for her fourth Australian Open title, got the vital break to win an attritional first set which gradually developed into engrossing tennis.

The first three games all went to deuce, 27-year-old Williams saving two break points before squandering a chance to break Olympic champion Dementieva.

The American's unforced errors made Dementieva, also 27, look fairly comfortable when on serve, but Williams slowly improved her focus while her first serve often left the Russian standing.

In the eighth game, a loose backhand from Dementieva opened up the first cracks in her game, and the second seed did not require a second opportunity.

Another wide backhand from Dementieva handed Williams the break, and the Russian gestured despairingly at her racquet as a dismal drop-shot attempt surrendered the first set.

I allowed Serena to be very aggressive and dictate the game Elena Dementieva

The second set began with ferocious hitting as both players tried to find an extra level.

The powerful Dementieva backhand won the Russian a break of serve to send her 3-0 up in the set, but another abysmal drop-shot allowed Williams to come roaring back as she produced a string of unusually delicate forehand winners.

A series of double faults in the fifth game of the set proved Dementieva's undoing, throwing away her advantage and self-confidence.

In her next service game the Russian fired limply back into the net as her serve and concentration deteriorated at a worrying rate.

Though she broke back at the first time of asking, another Dementieva service game punctuated by a double fault left Williams to serve out for her place in the final.

"I was maybe not aggressive enough and maybe I was playing not deep enough, which allowed her to be very aggressive and dictate the game," said Dementieva.

Safina battled past Zvonareva as both players struggled on serve

"My first serve was not good enough for her today, and I double-faulted at some bad moments."

Safina went into her semi-final having won five of her nine meetings with Zvonareva.

But Zvonareva, two years Safina's elder at 24, had won the three most recent clashes between the two, all on hard courts similar to Rod Laver Arena.

Safina surged into an early lead in an untidy first set, swatting away a nervy Zvonareva serve to break before holding serve with promising movement and pace.

However, Zvonareva replied with a far better service game then broke back with a strong forehand down the line.

Both women continued to offer up break points on their own serve, and Safina's backhand, which had been looking vulnerable, came good at just the right moment to restore her break advantage in the seventh game.

This time the 22-year-old held serve, reaching up to her full height to produce a devastating first serve that Zvonareva, though the more mobile of the pair, could not combat.

And Safina was building valuable momentum as she fought back from 40-0 down to break Zvonareva for a third time and claim the first set.

The second set went with serve until the fifth game but, as the match entered its second hour, Safina went long to hand her opponent the break.

However, she broke back in controversial circumstances when an impressive winner was clearly ruled in by HawkEye, Zvonareva dubbing the umpire's refusal to replay the point "ridiculous" before slamming a ball across-court in disgust.

Zvonareva briefly appeared to find a new gear as a result of her anger, treating the previously-dangerous Safina serve temporarily with contempt.

She broke Safina once again to serve for the second set, but in a match where neither player ever settled on serve, Safina immediately broke back to send the set to a tie-break.

Sheer tension prevented any real rallies developing in a surprisingly rapid tie-break, but Safina picked off two Zvonareva serves to win, reaching the final with the benefit of another HawkEye call.

"I remember watching my brother on TV winning this tournament, and if I still watched it today I would have tears in my eyes," said Safina,

"It's great that I can follow in his footsteps. He was my idol - he still is my idol - and the fact that I'm doing as well as him is amazing."

Untouched East Germany flat found

The Soviet bloc state of East Germany existed for about 40 years

A flat apparently untouched since before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 has been discovered in the German city of Leipzig, German media report.

An architect who renovates buildings in eastern Germany unlocked the door last week and was shocked to find himself in a veritable East German time warp.

It appears the inhabitant of the humble flat fled in a hurry and shrivelled bread rolls still lay in a string bag.

Grocery brands from the Socialist state filled the kitchen.

"When we opened the door we felt like Howard Carter when he found the grave of Tutankhamun," Mark Aretz told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

"Everything was a mess but it was like a historic treasure trove, a portal into an age long gone."

A wall calendar showed August 1988 and an empty bottle of Vita Cola, Marella margarine, Juwel cigarettes and a bottle of Kristall vodka were in the kitchen.

Plastic crockery and aluminium cutlery completed the picture of a bygone state.

The only foreign product to be found was a West German bottle of deodorant.

A zinc bath stood upright against a wardrobe. There was no toilet in the flat - the occupant had to use a communal one on the landing.

According to Mr Aretz, documents and letters in the flat suggest the occupant was a man aged 24 who was in trouble with the East German authorities, and who left in a hurry some time before the Wall came down in November 1989.

Robinho bailed over 'sex assault'

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Football star Robinho issued a statement on his website

Manchester City forward Robinho has been arrested and bailed by police investigating an alleged sex assault.

The Brazilian international, 25, met police as part of a "criminal investigation" into the alleged attack at a nightclub in Leeds.

Robinho "strenuously denied any allegation of wrongdoing" and had been released on bail, his spokesman said.

West Yorkshire Police said a man had been arrested on Tuesday in connection with an alleged incident on 14 January.

Robinho said he was "happy to co-operate with police"

Robinho's spokesman, Chris Nathaniel, said: "[Robinho] strenuously denies any allegation of wrongdoing or criminality and is happy to co-operate with the police if further required."

Robinho, whose full name is Robson de Souza, joined Manchester City from Spanish giants Real Madrid in September for

Pope in bid to dampen bishop row

The Pope visited the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz in 2006

Pope Benedict XVI has expressed "full and indisputable solidarity" with Jews, distancing himself from a bishop who denies the Nazis used gas chambers.

Briton Richard Williamson was among four bishops whose excommunications were lifted by the Pope last week.

Bishop Williamson said recently: "I believe there were no gas chambers".

Jewish leaders, marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, reacted angrily to the rehabilitation of the bishop, saying it had harmed Catholic-Jewish dialogue.

The Pope told a Vatican audience on Wednesday the Holocaust "should be a warning for all against forgetting, denial and reductionism".

"While I renew with affection the expression of my full and unquestionable solidarity with our [Jewish] brothers, I hope the memory of the Shoah [Holocaust] will induce humanity to reflect on the unpredictable power of hate when it conquers the heart of man," he said.

But Nobel Peace Prize winner and death camp survivor Elie Wiesel said that the Pope had given credence to "the most vulgar aspect of anti-Semitism".

Decision 'disturbing'

"What does the Pope think we feel when he did that?" Mr Wiesel said to Reuters news agency.

"That a man who is a bishop and Holocaust denier - and today of course the most vulgar aspect of anti-Semitism is Holocaust denial - and for the Pope to go that far and do what he did, knowing what he knows, is disturbing."

Mr Wiesel agreed with other Jewish leaders who said the episode could be a setback in the fight against anti-Semitism.

"One thing is clear. This move by the Pope surely will not help us fight anti-Semitism. Quite the opposite," he said.

Pope Benedict brought the four bishops back into the Catholic fold to heal a schism with traditionalists.

He has asked them to recognise "the authority of the Pope and the Second Vatican Council".

The four were members of the Swiss-based "Lefebvrist" fraternity, which rejected the Second Vatican Council's teaching on religious freedom and pluralism.

Russian move would reduce tensions

By Paul Reynolds World affairs correspondent, BBC News website

Moscow had said its Iskander missiles were to counter the US system

The reported Russian decision not to deploy short-range missiles to Kaliningrad could, if confirmed, represent a significant move towards de-escalating tensions between Russia and the United States.

A Russian official, quoted by the Russian news agency Interfax, said that Russia was responding to "the fact that the new US administration is not rushing through plans" to deploy its missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

In November, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Iskander missiles, with a range of up to 400 km (248 miles), would be moved to the Kaliningrad enclave to counter the anti-missile system.

The US has said that the system is designed to stop missiles from Iran and other "rogue states" and would not affect Russian security.

'Remarkable gesture'

"If confirmed, this is a pretty remarkable gesture," said Dr Paul Cornish, head of the international security programme at the Chatham House think tank in London.

"It could be very important, not only regionally, where it will make a difference in the perception of Russia, but also in broader terms of US-Russian relations. It looks like a major concession and, if so, is a pretty major development and quite a big step."

The Russians appear to have concluded that President Barack Obama is in no hurry to put into practice the plans developed by President George W Bush to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a mid-course correction radar in the Czech Republic. The Bush administration reached agreements with both governments on such a deployment.

In particular, the Russians will have noted comments made by then President-elect Obama's transition team after Mr Obama spoke to Polish President Lech Kaczynski in November.

After Mr Kaczynski indicated that Mr Obama had said the project would continue, the Obama team issued a statement saying that the president-elect had "made no commitment on it". His position continued to be, the statement said, that he would support deployment if the technology proved workable.

Questions

Two key questions coming up are these: will Mr Obama deploy the system and, if he did, would the Russians change their minds and take an active part in it, rather than seeing it as a threat?

"It's too early to say what President Obama will do," said Dr Paul Cornish. "I think it is very unlikely that he will cancel it as a bad Bush idea. The effect in central and eastern Europe in that case would be severe. They are already rattled there by Russian actions in Georgia and over Ukraine.

"But there has always been a question about whether the Russians would be in on this. They have said no in the past. Maybe they will revise their views."

If the Russian move is confirmed, it could also herald a new period of progress in wider strategic arms talks with the US.

Of particular importance is the 1991 Start 1 Treaty, which is due to expire in December this year. Its verification measures provide the basis of mutual monitoring measures, which are used to control other treaties, and these measures will have to be renewed.

In the meantime, plans to develop the anti-missile system continue to progress. The US Missile Defence Agency carried out what it called a "successful intercept" in December. It reported that a "threat-representative target missile" had been launched from Alaska and that an interceptor missile fired from California "intercepted the threat warhead".

Paul.Reynolds-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Serena survives Kuznetsova test

AUSTRALIAN OPEN Venue: Melbourne Park Date: 19 January-1 FebruaryCoverage: BBC Red Button, Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Sport website (Red Button coverage streamed on website throughout fortnight)

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Williams fought back to win with the arena roof closed

Second seed Serena Williams produced a gritty display to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova on Rod Laver Arena and reach the Australian Open semi-finals.

The American beat the Russian eighth seed 5-7 7-5 6-1 on Wednesday to set up a semi-final against Elena Dementieva.

Fourth seed Dementieva beat surprise package Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-2.

Both ties were affected by searing heat in Melbourne, with officials opting to close the Rod Laver Arena roof midway through the Williams-Kuznetsova tie.

Williams treated the crowd to the latest in what is becoming a production line of remarkable comebacks, having given Kuznetsova the chance to serve for the match in the second set.

I was having an out-of-body experience, it was so hot Serena Williams

But both players began unsteadily, each losing their serve in unimpressive fashion.

Kuznetsova, 23, will have been particularly frustrated with her start, brilliantly breaking serve but losing concentration in the aftermath as Williams fought back to assume a 3-2 lead.

However, the Russian recovered to win the ninth game in some style, breaking an uncharacteristically shaky Williams serve.

Once again the second seed raised her game to level the set after several testing rallies, but Kuznetsova served out to love magnificently, taking the first set.

With a stoppage in play to allow the closure of the roof over Rod Laver Arena, Kuznetsova had to endure a 30-minute interruption to her momentum - one that was to prove critical.

An improvement in the quality of play from both players was immediately noticeable on the resumption of play, but particularly from Williams as fired down her first ace of the match.

The second set went with serve until the seventh game, where Williams faced down two break points before Kuznetsova's well-placed cross-court shot forced her opponent to hammer the ball into the net.

Officials closed the Rod Laver Arena roof in a bid to keep players cool

Kuznetsova had the opportunity to serve for the match, but Williams once more dug deep to convert her third break point as the Russian's nerves took over.

The American, 27, then found some of her old energy and enthusiasm, first easily holding serve before wrapping up the second set with a delighted scream.

Williams, cranking up the pressure as the heat subsided with the roof closed, slammed forehand returns past Kuznetsova as the third set got under way.

Kuznetsova, beaten in all but one of her five previous meetings with Williams, lost her composure in the fourth game, her serve crumbling in the face of the world number two.

That, coupled with Kuznetsova's failure to take advantage of two break points in the following game, marked the effective end of her resistance.

"I was in a lot of trouble but I relaxed and I really wanted to fight, to at least go three sets," said Williams.

"Before I was having an out-of-body experience, it was so hot."

Kuznetsova insisted she had been "very comfortable" playing with the roof open, and said the decision to close the roof had led to a "big change" in the game.

Everybody was playing without the roof. Why did they have to close it today? Svetlana Kuznetsova

She added that she had been "angry" to be brought off court to allow the roof to be closed: "Why should I not be? The game was going my way.

"Everybody was playing without the roof. Why did they have to close it today? I didn't get it and that was why I was angry."

Playing earlier with the roof open, unseeded Suarez Navarro looked shell-shocked in the conditions as Dementieva raced to a 4-0 first-set lead on the Rod Laver Arena.

The 20-year-old, who had never previously faced Dementieva, finally snapped into life to hold her serve in the fifth game.

But in a mammoth sixth game, which involved 11 deuces, Suarez Navarro squandered five break points.

Though the rejuvenated Spaniard subsequently held her serve again, Dementieva made her four-game advantage pay as she served out for the set.

Following a lengthy interval for the players to cool down, Dementieva pushed on, though she was far from dominant.

It gets much hotter on the centre court so I'm glad to have won in two sets Elena Dementieva

The fourth seed's erratic serve should have been punished, but again Suarez Navarro could not convert numerous opportunities to break.

Both the heat and the Russian proved unforgiving and, though the world number 46 looked increasingly competitive, Dementieva ultimately cruised to victory.

"It gets much hotter on the centre court so I'm glad to have won in two sets," said Dementieva.

"The key for the match was to have a good start. She's a very solid baseline player and the plan was to go to the net, be aggressive and finish the point as quick as possible.

"It was a very tough, physical game and I played really well in the important points, when it was 4-1 in the first set."

Serbian general tried over Kosovo

Vlastimir Djordjevic is accused of trying to expel ethnic Albanians

A former Serbian general has gone on trial at the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, accused of war crimes during the Kosovo conflict.

Vlastimir Djordjevic was allegedly involved in the murders of hundreds of ethnic Albanians and the deportation of 800,000 others from Kosovo in 1998-99.

He was a close aide to the late Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who died in tribunal custody in 2006.

He denies charges of deportation, murder and persecution.

The indictment alleges he was part of a joint criminal enterprise aimed at expelling the majority of the Kosovo Albanian population to ensure continued Serbian control over the territory.

His trial is the fifth and last case concerning war crimes in Kosovo to be held at the tribunal, which is due to wrap up its work by 2012.

The judgement in another case against the former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and five co-accused, for war crimes in Kosovo, is expected within months.

Georgia 'seizes Russian soldier'

Russia has accused Georgia of capturing a Russian soldier in the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, Russian news agencies report.

A Russian defence ministry spokesman said soldier Alexander Glukhov had been seized in the Akhalgori region.

Georgia's interior ministry said the soldier had surrendered to its police, requesting Georgian citizenship.

The Akhalgori region was under Tbilisi's control until last August's war between Georgia and Russia.

During the brief war, Georgia's attempts to regain control of South Ossetia were repelled by Russian forces.

Tbilisi has urged Moscow to withdraw forces from Akhalgori after the conflict ended with an EU-brokered ceasefire.

EU discusses Guantanamo detainees

The US has 50 to 60 detainees whom it has been unable to repatriate

European Union foreign ministers are discussing whether their countries should take in detainees from the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.

The US has asked other countries to take detainees whom it does not intend to put on trial, and who cannot be sent home for fear they might be mistreated.

Some EU members have suggested they might agree to accept detainees, while others say it is solely a US problem.

US President Barack Obama has signed an order to shut Guantanamo within a year.

Last month, Portugal told the US that it would offer asylum to some inmates, and urged other EU members to "step forward".

Albania is the only country to have so far accepted Guantanamo detainees on humanitarian grounds, taking in five members of China's Uighur ethnic minority in 2006.

'American problem'

The closure of Guantanamo and the fate of its detainees are being discussed behind closed doors during a meeting of the 27 EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Speaking to reporters beforehand, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he believed countries would take in some inmates as long as they were given access to them and background information beforehand.

Many of Europe's politicians are almost mesmerised by the new American president... But when he starts asking favours there may be more than a bit of foot-shuffling BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell Euroblog: EU considers response

"This is an American problem and they have to solve it but we'll be ready to help if necessary... I think the answer of the EU will be yes," he said.

The US has said there are 50 to 60 so-called "hard cases" at Guantanamo, including several Chinese Uighurs, whom it has been unable to repatriate because of human rights concerns in the home countries.

Libyan, Uzbek and Algerian detainees are also said to be at risk.

Ahead of Monday's meeting, Portugal's foreign minister told the Publico newspaper that there were "at least six or seven" countries prepared to take Guantanamo detainees.

"We want a multilateral framework that allows the states to develop initiatives in accordance with their own guidelines," he said.

The prison camp was set up in 2002 to hold "enemy combatants" Q&A: Closing Guantanamo 'Struggle' over Guantanamo

The UK is so far the only EU country to have taken any former inmates back, and is now focusing on the eventual fate of two former residents who are still being held.

BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell says the Germans, Swedes, Irish and Finns are likely to help, and the Portuguese are pressing for a co-ordinated EU response.

"[Guantanamo's] closure is necessary for the USA, especially if the US wants to restore its credibility in the Middle East and in the Arab world. If Europeans are asked, we should not rule out helping," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the BBC.

At the other end of the scale, the Dutch say Guantanamo was a US mistake they advised against, and that it is up to the US to sort it out, our correspondent says.

With Mr Obama likely to ask for more troops for Afghanistan and tougher sanctions against Iran, this may be the first of several challenges for European politicians from a US president they want to please, he adds.

Iceland commerce minister resigns

Mr Sigurdsson (r) admitted Icelanders had lost faith in the government

Iceland's Commerce Minister, Bjorgvin Sigurdsson, has announced his resignation, saying he wanted to take responsibility for the economic crisis.

Mr Sigurdsson becomes one of the world's first politicians to step down as a result of the global crisis.

On Friday, PM Geir Haarde called an early general election and said he would step down for health reasons.

Iceland's financial system collapsed in October under the weight of huge debts built up during years of rapid growth.

The country's currency has since plummeted, while unemployment - once close to zero - is soaring. The economy is forecast to shrink by 9.6% this year.

In a series of increasingly frequent demonstrations, protestors have accused the government of leading the island into economic ruin.

The Icelandic prime minister's car is attacked by anti-government protesters

On Wednesday, people surrounded Mr Haarde's car outside the government building in Reykjavik, banging on the vehicle's windows and pelting it with eggs.

Announcing his resignation on Sunday, Mr Sigurdsson acknowledged that Icelanders had lost faith in their government and political system.

"I want to shoulder my part of the responsibility for that," he told reporters.

"The anger and distrust of the public is too deep for me to be able to regain their trust," he added. "This will not be regained until changes in key institutions have been made."

Mr Sigurdsson said the chairman and director of the Financial Supervisory Authority, which oversaw the nationalisation of Iceland's three main banks last year, also bore responsibility and would resign.

Greek police battle with rioters

Police find themselves up against rioters wearing gas masks

Hundreds of anarchist protesters in Greece have fought running battles with police through the centre of the capital, Athens.

The demonstrators were demanding the release of people arrested during rioting last month after a policeman shot dead a youth aged 15.

Rioters smashed shop windows and threw stones and petrol bombs, police say.

Officers responded with baton charges, tear gas and pepper spray and eventually dispersed the crowd.

Compared to the riots that swept Greece last month, Saturday's violence was on a relatively small scale but it showed that anger against the state and the police are still simmering, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant reports from Athens.

The street fighters and anarchists are trying hard to keep alive what they regard as December's insurrection and demonstrations covering a wide range of grievances are taking place on a daily basis, our correspondent says.

But the nature of the clashes may soon change, he adds.

The futility of firing tear gas at rioters who wear gas masks has dawned on the authorities and it is reported that Greece is taking delivery of water cannon, which should be ready for action within a fortnight, our correspondent reports.

France's Dati to quit government

Ms Dati will be second on the UMP party list in the Paris region

French Justice Minister Rachida Dati, the first politician of North African origin to hold a senior cabinet post in France, is stepping down.

Ms Dati, 43, has attracted criticism for her management style and gossip about her fashions and love life.

She is to run for the ruling UMP party in the June European elections.

President Nicolas Sarkozy did not explain why she was quitting, but made it clear that she could not stay in the cabinet if she became a Euro MP.

She will be number two on the centre-right UMP's list for the Paris region, after Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier. So she is almost certain to get elected to the European Parliament, correspondents say.

Earlier this month she came under fire from women's groups for returning to work just five days after giving birth.

Women in France are guaranteed by law 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, but the French labour code does not apply to ministers like Ms Dati.

A first-time mother, and single, she has kept the father's identity under wraps, telling reporters she had "a complicated private life" and sparking an intense guessing game in the French press.

Ms Dati shot to prominence in 2007, as a symbol of ethnic diversity in President Sarkozy's new administration.

Federer eases past Safin in style

AUSTRALIAN OPEN Venue: Melbourne Park Date: 19 January-1 FebruaryCoverage: BBC Red Button, BBC One & Two (including all Andy Murray matches), Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Sport website (Red Button coverage streamed on website throughout fortnight)Friday: Wozniacki v Dokic followed by Federer v Safin live on Red Button from 0830 GMT

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Federer is still on course for a semi-final meeting with Djokovic

Roger Federer hit top form to secure victory over fellow former champion Marat Safin in an entertaining Australian Open third round clash.

The world number two beat Safin 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to set up a fourth round clash with Tomas Berdych.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic was given a stern test by Amer Delic before winning 6-2 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

Andy Roddick is also through to face Tommy Robredo after defeating Fabrice Santoro 6-3 6-4 6-2.

Federer, seeking a record equalling 14th Grand Slam win in Melbourne, quickly took charge against Safin.

The opening set was over in 26 minutes as Safin's serve was broken in the eighth game.

The Russian, who won the tournament in 2005 having beaten Federer in the semi-final, hit a number of big serves in the second set but was undone by breaks in the fifth and seventh games.

I thought Marat started to play really well towards the end so I'm happy I got through Roger Federer

Whilst Safin utilised his powerful serve and some expertly played lob-shots to good effect at times, his forehand play was not up to the standards needed to compete against such a strong opponent.

In contrast, Federer was the epitome of consistency and played some superb passing shots to win key points throughout.

The final set went to a tie-break and despite throwing away a 4-1 lead Federer served an ace at 5-5 to tip things in his favour.

"It's special to play Marat, we go way back," said Federer afterwards. "I think we like playing each other. It doesn't matter who wins, it is always a good contest."

Afterwards Safin confirmed he is likely to retire this year bringing to an end a career that includes two Grand Slam victories.

"I don't like this bye-bye part," he said. "It's just a sad story. It's not for me. I prefer to leave this way, quietly, nice, with a great match."

Djokovic was made to work much harder than expected against Delic, a Bosnia-born American who entered the main draw as a lucky loser.

Delic seemed nervous and struggled to find any sort of consistency in the first set, which Djokovic wrapped up in 32 minutes.

But with vocal sections of the crowd on his side, Delic began to relax, the winners started to flow and the second set followed.

Djokovic was pushed all the way by lucky loser entry Delic

Despite not playing his best tennis, Djokovic gained the single break required to snatch the third set but Delic hit form in the fourth.

The world number 127 took his ace tally for the match to 16, and to the tournament to 70, before going 40-15 up on the Djokovic serve at 5-4 ahead.

But the Serb world number three kept his cool to hold and then assert his authority in the tie-break.

He will now meet Marcos Baghdatis or Mardy Fish in the fourth round.

"It was a great battle. I look on the positive side - I played a tough match, which is good for my game and my rhythm," said Djokovic.

"I tried to finish it off in straight sets but he was serving well and I couldn't get my rhythm.

"He was serving at over 210 km per hour in the fourth set but I knew I had to stay with him, stay focused and take my chances in the tie-break.

"I tried not to think about a fifth set and I'm very happy to get through.

It's always good to play here - there is a big Croatian community and I hope they will be here for my next match Marin Cilic

Before the match, Delic had appealed for Serbian and Bosnian fans not to disrupt his match against Djokovic - and the supporters were well-behaved during the action.

But afterwards, police arrested two men and ejected another 30 people from the grounds after rival fans began throwing chairs and trading punches and kicks.

On the court, Roddick was in ruthless form as he brought Santoro's last Australian Open appearance to an end.

The 36-year-old Frenchman, who was the oldest man in the main draw, has said that 2009 would be his final year on the ATP tour.

Roddick will meet Robredo in the fourth round after the Spaniard comfortably beat David Nalbandian's conqueror Lu Yen-hsun 6-1 6-3 6-2.

Eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro produced another impressive display to see off Luxembourg's Gilles Muller in four sets.

Muller hardly put a foot wrong in the first set, which he took on a tie-break, but Del Potro's class shone through thereafter.

The Argentine took confidence from claiming the second set, reversed a break to power through the third and gained a decisive break a 5-5 before serving out the fourth for a 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-3 7-5 victory.

In the fourth round Del Potro plays Marin Cilic after the number 19 seed claimed a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-4 victory over Spain's David Ferrer, seeded 11.

The 20-year-old Croat has now reached the fourth round in three of his six appearances at Melbourne Park and is in tremendous form.

"I moved and served very well today, which I'm really pleased about," said Cilic. "I had to mix up my game and it worked.

"It's always good to play here - there is a big Croatian community and I hope they will be here for my next match."

In the doubles, Britain's Ross Hutchins and his partner Stephen Huss were knocked out in the second by Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski, the sixth seeds from Poland.