Belgian PM offers his resignation

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has tendered his government's resignation to the king after failing to carry out political reforms.

Mr Leterme had set a 15 July deadline to push through measures to devolve more power to the regions.

He took office in March - after nine months of political deadlock - as the head of a coalition of Dutch and French-speaking parties.

King Albert II has yet to decide whether to accept the resignation.

The government coalition includes Mr Leterme's Flemish Christian Democrats from the north as well as Socialists from the French-speaking region of Wallonia in the south.

The prime minister was due to present a state reform deal in a speech to parliament on Tuesday.

Before last June's general election, Mr Leterme had promised his supporters even more devolved powers for regional governments in a country that is already Europe's most decentralised state.

In French-speaking Wallonia - where unemployment is higher and the economy sluggish - there were fears this would leave their region worse off.

No single party bridges the linguistic and geographic gulf between Belgium's two regions.

Traditionally, the prime minister comes from one of the majority Flemish parties.