Budapest  - Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany announced his resignation on Saturday, saying a new government with a new leader was needed to tackle his country's economic meltdown.

Hungary's main opposition party, Fidesz, promptly repeated its call for early elections, announcing that it plans to present a motion to dissolve parliament on Monday. If that motion is carried, it would complicate Gyurcsany's goal of passing his position on to another member of his party.

Bratislava/Prague - Slovaks are voting for their new head of state on Saturday, in an election that is likely to turn into a duel between the centre-left government and the right-wing opposition.

The race is led by incumbent President Ivan Gasparovic, 67, who is supported by the very popular prime minister, Robert Fico. Gasparovic's campaign has made heavy use of the association during the race.

Fico voiced his support for the incumbent as polls opened.

Budapest  - Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany announced his resignation on Saturday, saying a new government with a new leader was needed to tackle his country's economic meltdown.

Hungary has been particularly hard hit by the global recession and Gyurcsany has seen his personal popularity hit a rock bottom of 18 per cent - the lowest for any Hungarian premier since the fall of communism.

At a congress of his Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) in Budapest, the deeply unpopular premier spoke of the need for a wider social consensus to tackle the crisis.

Without even asking, and without the certainty that Sanjay Dutt will be able to contest the Lok Sabha elections , several of his pals have come forward and volunteered to campaign for their Sanju Baba’s victory in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Among the leading Bollywood stars who have already put a sizeable chunk of their time aside to follow Dutt on his campaign trail in Lucknow are Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi and director David Dhawan.

Among the leading ladies the one spunky and loyal volunteer is Amisha Patel. Yes, she will be campaigning for the star.

Luanda/Rome - The Angolese President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos on Friday is not allowing foreign press to formal visiting ceremony by Pope Benedict XVI despite a previous agreement.

Vatican spokesman Padr Federico Lombardi announced that the Vatican would request an explanation from the Angolan ambassador in Rome.

Vatican journalists reported that only representatives of Angola's national media were allowed into the ceremonial visit by the pope.

Budapest  - Hungary's economy is set to shrink by 4 to 5 per cent this year, the head of economic think tank Kopint-Tarki said on Friday.

The economic research institute has issued increasingly grim forecasts over recent months as Hungary's economic gloom has deepened.

In December, the estimate was a contraction of 1.3 per cent, said Kopint-Tarki head Eva Palocz.