Chavez has given himself free rein to push through legislation to entrench his self-styled "21st century socialism" revolution on all fronts.

The US is suing oil giant BP and eight other firms for allegedly violating federal safety regulations in connection with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

During an unannounced visit to Bagram Air Base near Kabul, Mr Obama said: "today we can be proud that there are fewer areas under Taliban control."

Wikileaks directed readers to a web address in Switzerland on friday after two U.S. Internet providers ditched it in the space of two days, and Paris tried to ban French servers from hosting its trove of leaked data.

The airline's threat is likely to escalate tension between the companies, which are both seeking to limit the damage to their respective brands in the aftermath of one of the most serious incidents in the aviation industry this year.

Geneva airport in Switzerland and Lyon-Bron airport in southern France were also closed as staff struggled to clear runways of snow.

Part of the crowd pushed onto a bridge, which became jammed with people falling under others. Many of those on the lighted bridge either fell or jumped off the bridge into the water.

The mayor of Greymouth, south-west of the pike river mine, said the situation was "pretty serious" but that rescuers were on hand.