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BBC News with Gaenor Howells

The government of the incumbent leader of Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo says it will cut diplomatic ties with any countries recognising ambassadors named by his rival Alassane Ouattara. The statement came as a delegation from the West African regional grouping Ecowas, which recognises Mr Ouattara as the winner of recent presidential elections, held separate talks in Abidjan with the two men. Ecowas is demanding that Mr Gbagbo step down or face the possibility of removal by force. John James reports from Abidjan.

So far, there's been no indication this mediation effort has met with any more success than those led by the former South African President Thabo Mbeki and the chairman of the African Union Commission Jean Ping. Meanwhile, a UN peacekeeping patrol came under attack by a crowd in a pro-Gbagbo area of Abidjan. One vehicle was burnt, and a peacekeeper was injured by a machete.

Christian and Muslim leaders in Nigeria have accused the country's politicians of stoking religious violence. They were meeting following a series of clashes in the central city of Jos. From Lagos, Tomi Oladipo reports.

Speaking in Lagos, the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria accused some politicians of attempting to make the country ungovernable. This joint statement comes after a weekend of violence in Jos in central Nigeria. At least 80 people have been reported killed, and 190 injured in the attacks which began on Christmas Eve. The atmosphere in Jos remains tense, and armed security forces are patrolling the streets.

The Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he'll be the first to recognise southern Sudan if it votes for independence in the referendum due on 9 January. Mr Bashir told thousands of supporters at a rally that a new southern Sudan would be welcomed as a brotherly state.

Thousands of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland are without running water after a thaw in the recent cold weather led to burst water mains. The local water company has described the situation as unprecedented and is handing out bottled supplies from its depots. But many people have been without water since last Friday and are complaining that they cannot get hold of bottled water or reach emergency information lines.

"I've been and bought bottled water from the supermarket. We are trying and using the buckets to flush the toilet, filling the kettle up to wash the bowls. For the baby, it's just hard to groom."

"The awful thing is that there's nobody answering phones. And it was only that my daughter who's staying with us for a couple of days put on the computer, and we found that there was water to be given out here."

President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered Russian prosecutors to investigate the management of Moscow's two main airports after fights broke out involving frustrated passengers. They were stranded when bad weather forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Travellers were seen trying to beat up staff at Sheremetyevo airport, and passengers at Domodedovo airport stormed passport control.

World News from the BBC

Russia has strongly condemned Western criticism of the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil tycoon who was convicted on Monday of financial crimes for a second time. The foreign ministry in Moscow said attempts to put pressure on the court were unacceptable and outsiders should mind their own business. It described as groundless a comment by the American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the verdict raised questions about selective prosecution.

Police in Italy say an anarchist group which sent parcel bombs to foreign embassies in Rome was responding to an appeal by a group that's carried out a similar campaign in Greece. Bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome last week, injuring two people, and another was defused at the Greek embassy on Monday.

The American economics professor who paved the way for low-cost air travel, Alfred E Kahn, has died aged 93. Mark Gregory looks back at his legacy.

Alfred E Kahn was instrumental in garnering the support needed to push through the US Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. The act stripped away an elaborate 40-year-old system of controls. That meant all decisions by airlines on ticket prices and routes were subject to approval by a government agency. Deregulation rapidly led to massive cuts in air fares. Some famous names in American aviation like Pan Am disappeared entirely as they failed to adapt to the new era.

A poll conducted by the governor of the American state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, is reported to show a majority in favour of pardoning the iconic 19th century Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid. Mr Richardson has until Friday when he leaves office to decide whether to act. Billy the Kid, who is reputed to have killed more than 20 people while still in his teens, was shot dead in 1881 after escaping from jail where he faced execution.

BBC News