'Irish people need political certainty'

The junior partner in the Irish Republic's governing coalition has called for a general election in January, after an EU-led bailout of the country's ailing economy.

The Green Party said the Irish people needed "political certainty" after the government accepted up to 90bn euros (£77bn; $124bn) of EU-led loans.

In a statement, Green Party leader John Gormley did not say the party was pulling out of the coalition but made a number of demands.