Developments in the region and abroad

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Former UN
secy general
Waldheim dies
LOS ANGELES, June 14 (Internet): Kurt Waldheim, the former president of Austria and also a former United Nations (UN) Secretary General, has died at the age of 88 of heart failure at a hospital in Vienna. He was admitted on May 28 after having an elevated fever and problems with his circulatory system.
Waldheim served as the UN's Secretary General from 1972 to 1981 and was elected to Austrian President in 1986.
Waldheim was involved in a scandal where he was part of a unit of a German army squad in World War II that was accused of war crimes. Waldheim first denied the alligations, but was later cleared from having done anything wrong.
PLO urges Abbas to dissolve govt
GAZA CITY (agencies): The umbrella organisation for Palestinian groups, the PLO, has recommended that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dissolve the unity government between Fatah and Hamas and declare a state of emergency.
Aides to Abbas have said he will announce his response in the coming hours.
Hamas, which is not part of the PLO, has tightened its control over the Gaza Strip after more than five days of intense factional fighting.
There have also been reports of more gun battles in the West Bank city of Nablus.
The Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said the first priority for all concerned is to stop the fighting.
Indian Airline employees call off strike
NEW DELHI (Internet): Agitating employees of the state-run Indian Airlines called off their strike after reaching an agreement with the federal civil aviation ministry Thursday, officials said. Thousands of passengers were stranded at airports across India after workers launched a strike late Tuesday night, demanding pay hikes and implementation of a career progression scheme.