Six In The Morning

20 December 2012 Last updated at 03:59 GMT

South Korea's Park stresses 'grave' North Korea challenge

South Korea's President-elect Park Geun-hye spoke of a "grave" security challenge from North Korea but called for "trust-based dialogue".

Ms Park, the ruling Saenuri Party candidate, defeated her liberal rival Moon Jae-in in Wednesday's election.

Speaking after a visit to honour late leaders, she pledged again to "open a new era" on the Korean Peninsula.

The North has not yet commented on her victory, but earlier labelled the Saenuri Party "maniacs".

A dispatch from state media outlet KCNA, released on Wednesday, accused the party of escalating tension on the peninsula during President Lee Myung-bak's time in office.

GREECE

Greek public sector workers strike against austerity

Greek public sector workers have begun a strike to protest against new austerity measures and planned layoffs. The 24-hour strike has disrupted local transport, grounded flights and shut down schools and offices.

Greek workers walked off the job on Wednesday to protest against wage cuts and tax hikes. The new austerity measures are demanded by Greece's international lenders in order to qualify for bailout loans.

The measures include earmarking 27,000 public sector jobs for eventual dismissal.

One Nation Under GunsPressure Mounts against Weapons Lobby after Newtown

By Marc Pitzke in New York

The Newtown massacre has created a moral crisis in the United States. The emotional debate that erupted in the aftermath has put the country's weapons lobby groups under pressure. Despite the passionate rhetoric, massive barriers stand in the way of true reform in the gun-obsessed culture.

The "Disney Princess" model, which comes in pink and pale blue and is adorned with smiling royal children, is meant for girls. The model "SwissGear" comes in a cool black and grey and are aimed at boys. And then there is the "Avengers" model, named after the comic book heroes.

Costing up to $400, these backpacks for school children aren't cheap. That's also why they come with a contemporary twist: They're bullet proof. "The backpack can be quickly brought to the front as a shield or can serve as center of mass protection while fleeing the scene of the shooting," the American maker of these ballistic backpacks, Amendment II, advertises on its website.

French president refuses to apologise for colonial Algerian past

19 DEC 2012 20:08 - JOHN IRISH, JULIEN PONTHUS

Francois Hollande refused to 'repent' for France's colonial past in Algeria, saying instead that he wanted to boost trade with the oil-rich country.

The trauma of the 1954-1962 Algerian war, in which hundreds of thousands were killed before France's departure, left deep scars in both countries which still hold back a partnership France believes could help revive the Mediterranean basin.

Speaking on his first state visit since his election in May, France’s President Hollande on Wednesday said the two had agreed on a friendship declaration and a five-year strategic pact covering economic, cultural, agricultural and defence ties.

"I want to define with Algeria a strategic partnership on an equal-to-equal basis," he told a news conference after meeting Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

As Mexico claws toward prosperity, some in middle class slide back

By William Booth and Nick Miroff, Thursday, December 20, 10:34 AM

In CHALCO, Mexico — Thirty years ago, Lourdes Huesca and her husband moved to a tiny patch of land in the muddy bean fields at the edge of Mexico City. The young couple lived in a shack, with no water or electricity, in the poor, rural, old Mexico.

Huesca, who never learned to read but could add numbers in her head, marched her sons to the schoolhouse every day. The family struggled, sacrificed, saved.

A generation later, the family owns a shoe stall in the market and a nice cement-block home with three bedrooms, landscape oil paintings on the wall, and a new flat-screen TV, a gift from the eldest son, an environmental systems engineer.

“Mexico has given me so much,” Huesca said.

Israel moves to further seal off Jerusalem from West Bank

 Israeli officials approved plans for 2,612 homes on Givat HaMatos, a hill between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Critics say the move would so fragment Palestinian areas that drawing borders of a future state would be unworkable. 

JERUSALEM; AND BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK

Israeli officials today approved plans for 2,612 new homes to be built on Givat HaMatos, or Airplane Hill, which is set to become the first new Jerusalem neighborhood to be built outsideIsrael's internationally recognized borders since 1996.

The placement profoundly concerns Palestinians and advocates of a two-state solution. They say that it and other building projects under way would make drawing the borders of a future Palestinian state unworkable by fragmenting Palestinian areas, and thus could deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution.

“I believe that Givat HaMatos is a deal-breaker,” says Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli attorney and founder of Terrestrial Jerusalem, which tracks developments that could jeopardize a two-state solution. “How many times can you cut a worm in half and the worm starts wiggling?”