New leader rejects snap election calls

New Maldives President Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik has rejected calls by his predecessor for snap elections as a way of resolving a political stand-off.

Waheed told the BBC that the current environment was not conducive to holding "free and fair" elections.

Meanwhile, the US said it would work with the new government but was seeking clarification on the transfer of power.

Former leader Mohamed Nasheed earlier led a rally in the capital Male to protest.

Waheed has denied the claim, insisting that Nasheed stepped down voluntarily.

Nasheed's resignation on Tuesday was followed by demonstrations and clashes in the Indian Ocean nation.

Meanwhile, UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco is holding talks with both sides to try to find a way out of the impasse.

"This is not an environment in which you can have free and fair election," President Waheed told BBC Sinhala's Saroj Pathirana on Friday.

"The country is divided on political lines, the former president is still agitating and you know he is free, he can move around wherever he wants to."

Greece bailout: Cabinet approves draft bill for fresh cuts Greece's Cabinet has approved fresh austerity measures demanded by the eurozone and IMF in return for a 130bn-euro ($170bn; £110bn) bailout.

The draft bill must now be passed by the Greek parliament and approved by European finance ministers.

Five ministers have resigned from the government over the issue, with one junior party in the coalition saying the demands were "humiliating".

Unions began a 48-hour strike on Friday with protesters clashing with police.

Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has warned the country faces "uncontrolled economic chaos" if it fails to agree spending cuts and defaults on its debts.

"We cannot allow Greece to go bankrupt," he told his Cabinet, saying it was an "hour of historic responsibility".

"A disorderly default would plunge our country in a disastrous adventure," he said.

Syria government and rivals trade blame for Aleppo blasts

The crisis situation in Syria seems to be worsening over the last couple of days triggering a deadly wave of bomb explosions and the Syrian opposition and the government trading accusations against each other over the bomb explosions. BBC reports the latest development as "The Syrian government and opposition have blamed each other for two bombs targeting security compounds in the country's second city, Aleppo.

State television said at least 28 people were killed, including civilians and members of the security forces.

"Armed terrorist gangs" were responsible, according to State TV.

The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said it had clashed with security forces in the area but that the government was behind the explosions.

Also on Friday, US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford posted a note on the US Embassy in Damascus's Facebook page condemning "the use of heavy weaponry... against residential neighborhoods" in Homs, calling it "a new low for In pictures: Explosions Col Malik al-Kurdi, the FSA's deputy leader, told BBC Arabic the movement had been monitoring the activity of security forces personnel and members of the pro-government Shabiha militia inside a Military Intelligence compound and a riot police base in Aleppo on Friday morning.

"When they were gathering in a square to go to the mosques and repress demonstrations, two groups from the FSA targeted the two buildings with small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire," he said. "After violent clashes, there was an explosion inside the Military Intelligence building. We think it was the regime trying to stop the operation of the FSA."

Izzedine al-Halabi, an activist in Aleppo, told the BBC there had been suspicious activity by security personnel who sealed off the area around the main compound shortly before the blasts.

"We hold the Syrian regime entirely responsible for this explosion," he said.

Another FSA spokesman, Col Mahir Nouaimi, told AFP news agency the attacks were an attempt by the government to distract from the situation in Homs, which has been under heavy bombardment for days.