Iran to announce nuclear progress: Ahmadinejad

TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday the Islamic Republic would soon announce "very important" achievements in the nuclear field,
state TV reported.

He was speaking on the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic revolution. Tens of thousands of Iranians joined state-organised rallies across the country to mark the occasion.

Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America".

"In the coming days the world will witness Iran's announcement of its very important and very major nuclear achievements," Ahmadinejad told a crowd at Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square in a speech relayed live on state television.

He gave no details.

Tension with the West over Iran's disputed nuclear work has risen in recent weeks. The United States and its European allies have imposed new sanctions to try to force Tehran back to talks before it produces enough nuclear material for an atomic bomb.

Iran says its nuclear programme has only peaceful purposes

China jails prominent activist Zhu Yufu for 7 years

BEIJING: China jailed democracy activist Zhu Yufu for seven years on Friday for inciting subversion of state power, his wife said, ahead of a high-profile trip to the United States by Vice President Xi Jinping.

Zhu was convicted for collecting donations for relatives of dissidents in jail, publishing a poem online urging people to gather and call for greater freedoms and giving media interviews, rights groups say.

He is the fourth known activist to get an unusually lengthy jail sentence in the space of seven weeks, as China enters a sensitive time ahead of a once-in-a-decade leadership transition due to take place in the autumn.

His sentence also comes ahead of Xi's high-profile visit to the United States, which begins early next week.

"My husband was sentenced for seven years for inciting subversion," Zhu's wife Jiang Hangli told. "I am very surprised about the length of this sentence, it's very unfair."

Jiang said that after the verdict was read out Zhu shouted out that he would appeal the sentence.

Calls to the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court, where he was sentenced, went unanswered.

The US called for Zhu's release. "We are deeply concerned about these reports that he has been found guilty of inciting subversion of state power and sentenced to seven years in prison for writing a poem," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

Zhu was detained last year as part of a widespread crackdown on dissent that took place in China after anonymous online calls for protests similar to those that swept the Arab world spooked authorities.

He has spent much of the past decade in prison. Between 1999 and 2006, he was jailed for founding a controversial political magazine and served another two years from 2007 after he confronted a policeman who questioned his son

Mel Gibson close to finalizing divorce

LOS ANGELES: Lawyers for actor Mel Gibson and his estranged wife Robyn submitted a proposed divorce settlement to a judge on Friday, moving the pair closer to finalizing their split after 31 years of marriage.

Gibson, 55, and his wife married in Australia in 1980 and have seven children together.

The couple separated in 2006 after Gibson was arrested for drunk driving in Malibu, California, and made anti-Semitic remarks that generated headlines around the world.

The actor's wife sued for divorce in April 2009, citing irreconcilable differences following Gibson's relationship with Oksana Grigorieva, with whom he has a 2-year-old daughter.

The "Lethal Weapon" star pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery following an altercation with Grigorieva in 2010, and was sentenced to three years' probation.

He recently settled a custody battle with his former girlfriend, agreeing to pay Grigorieva $750,000 and share custody of their daughter.

The Oscar winner's turbulent five years since his arrest and the anti-Semitic rant have tarnished his reputation and set back a remarkable career that had made him one of Hollywood's highest paid actors, directors and producers.

While no details of the divorce settlement were released, the actor was previously estimated to be worth $900 million, and he owns several properties in the wealthy, seaside enclave of Malibu, outside Los Angeles.

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

PARIS: A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

The maiden flight of Vega culminates a decade-long plan to turn Europe's space base in Kourou, French Guiana, into the world's most versatile launch platform.

The launcher 30 metres (100 feet) long and three metres in diameter is designed to hoist loads ranging from 300 kilos (660 pounds) to 2.5 tonnes into orbits from 300 to 1,500 kilometres (187-937 miles) depending on mass.

If all goes well, Vega will complement the heavyweight Ariane 5, capable in its beefed-up version of lifting more than 20 tonnes, and the mid-range Soyuz, the Russian-Soviet veteran deployed to Kourou last year under a deal between Russia and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Vega aims to shoulder its way into a market already teeming with half a dozen existing or would-be competitors, including India, China and Russia -- which is selling launchers using a converted Cold War ballistic missile -- and US commercial firms.

"Vega is a flexible vehicle, with a mission to meet demand for small payloads," said Benoit Geffroy, an engineer at ESA's launchers department. "The big selling point will be punctuality," he said.

Rivals may pitch a lower launch price but then delay their launch, which inflicts hefty indirect costs on a satellite operator, he argued.

Italy has shouldered nearly 60 percent of the 776 million euros (1.008 billion dollars) cost of building the rocket.

ESA members have committed another 400 million euros in launch contracts and other work to guarantee Vega's future.

The rocket is centred on an Italian design that has raised eyebrows for its complexity.

Rocket makers usually try to reduce the number of stages as far as possible to avoid the risk of failure if a stage does not separate or if a motor refuses to ignite.

But Vega uses four stages to propel a small payload into low orbit. The reason: the rocket uses solid fuel, an energy source that cannot be turned on and off as easily as liquid propellant, so having additional stages offers flexibility in swiftly boosting or slowing a flight.

Another innovation, said Carine Leveau of France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), is a first stage whose body is made of light-but-tough carbon fibre, a precious gain in the quest for low-cost reliability.

Monday's launch, scheduled for 1000 GMT, is a "qualification" flight with a scientific payload.

Its main satellite, a tungsten sphere called Lares, is designed to study the so-called Lense-Thirring effect -- a strange component of Einstein's theory of general relativity which says that as Earth (or any other big mass) rotates, it drags space and time around with it.

To measure this, Lares is studded with reflectors on which ground-based laser beams will be aimed in order to measure the satellite's time and distance as it zips around the globe.

The other principal satellite, AlmaSat-1, will test new civilian technologies in Earth observation.

The rest of the payload is taken up by seven so-called picosatellites, essentially cubes each weighing less than a kilo (2.2 pounds), in which European universities have each packed a separate experiment.

They include the very first Polish, Romanian and Hungarian satellites, according to ESA. (AFP)

Memo commission decides to record Mansoor Ijaz's statement via video link

ISLAMABAD: The judicial commission constituted by the Supreme Court (SC) to probe memogate scandal resumed the hearing in Islamabad High Court today and decided to record Mansoor Ijaz’s statement via video link,

The commission is chaired by Chief Justice of Baluchistan High Court Qazi Faiz Isa while other two members are Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Musheer Alam and Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman.

During today’s proceedings, the memo commission decided that Ijaz’s statement would be recorded through video link and issued orders for its implementation. The statement would be recorded in London on February 22.

The commission instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make necessary arrangements.

Barrister Zafarullah, while presenting his arguments, said that Mansoor Ijaz is an absconder in the US Supreme Court as well and that he would not appear even in the Pakistani High Commission in London to record his statement as it is also falls under the jurisdiction of Pakistan.

While giving arguments, Husain Haqqani’s lawyer Zahir Bukhari also told the court that Mansoor Ijaz is an absconder of an American court and that is why he is asking the commission to record his statement elsewhere. On this, Justice Isa told Bukhari that he would be heard completely on this issue once he gets the evidences of such accusations.

Mansoor Ijaz’s counsel Akram Sheikh told that the commission could record his client’s statement in London as he cannot come to Pakistan due to security reasons. On this, Barrister Zafarullah remarked that his statement should be recorded in the US.

During the break, petitioner in the memogate scandal Barrister Zafarullah and Akran Sheikh exchanged harsh words with each other on the issue of recording Ijaz’s statement abroad.

The Heroes who Made History Possible!

The 6th of February will always be remembered as the golden day in Pakistan’s cricket history. Not only did the Men in Green achieved the impossible by claiming a whitewash over England, they also tamed the English media that had called them chuckers, thrown ball tampering allegations at them as well as termed them spot-fixers during their last tour of the country.

 
This was the first time that Pakistan played like a winning unit in many years. Many of those who follow the game religiously had written off Misbah ul Haq and his men ahead of the series, and this scribe was one of them. I publicly apologize to the Pakistan cricket team for underestimating them, but aren’t they the best when cornered? Yes they are, and their unpredictable nature was one of the biggest factors that helped them tame the best in the world!


Both the batsmen and the bowlers gave more than their 100% and the credit of the success goes to the captain, Misbah ul Haq who remained calm even in tense situations. The batsmen displayed patience and presence of mind, due to which the batting clicked throughout the series, to the disappointment of the English team and media. Out of the 6 scores of over 250 runs in an innings, Pakistan dominated the chart with 4, including the 365 all out in the final innings of the series. The 338 runs in the first test were also the highlight of Pakistan’s first win in the series, whereas England’s 327 at Abu Dhabi was not enough to save the match.


Pakistan’s Azhar Ali was the only batsman in the series who scored more than 200 runs. In fact, he not only scored 251 runs in 5 innings at an average of 50, he also posted the highest score of the series – 157 in the third Test. Younis Khan followed with 193 runs, 127 of which came in the last match of the series. He may have scored just one score of more than 50 runs, but Mohammad Hafeez came third in the batsmen’s list with 190 runs, followed by the skipper Misbah ul Haq at 180 and youngster Asad Shafiq with 167 runs. Batting proved to be the main difference between both the sides as the top English batsman – Jonathan Trott – came on the list of most runs at number 6 with 161 runs, behind 5 Pakistanis.


Similarly, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman dominated the bowling chart with 24 and 19 wickets respectively, followed by Monty Panesar with 14 scalps. While Ajmal remained the only bowler to take 10 wickets in the series, the left-arm spinners Rehman and Panesar shared two five-wicket hauls to finish at second and third position. Saeed Ajmal’s 7/55 at Dubai was the best bowling performance from either side, followed by Rehman’s 6/25 and Panesar’s 6/62 at Abu Dhabi.


The Test series is now over and will be followed by a one-dayer against Afghanistan and 4 one dayers and 3 Twenty20 internationals against England. It remains to be seen whether the selectors retain successful players like Azhar Ali for the limited overs or try youngsters against the reigning T20 World Champions. Whatever they decide, Pakistan will have the upper hand because they had outclassed, outsmarted and outwitted the world’s best side with determination, dedication and unity!

Drone strike kills six in North Waziristan

MIRANSHAH: At least six people have been killed when a drone fired two missiles in North Waziristan,

According to sources, an unmanned aircraft fired two missiles targeting a house. Six people were killed and several others injured in the strike in Spalga area.

The dead bodies and injured are being shifted to hospital.

21 civilians killed in Syria violence: activists

BEIRUT: At least 21 civilians and four soldiers were killed on Tuesday in violence across Syria, the majority of them in the flashpoint central city of Homs, activists said.

"At least nine civilians, including a woman, were killed by gunfire and shelling as (troops) attempt an assault on the Khaldiyeh neighbourhood of the city," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.

The Britain-based group said four Syrian troops were killed in the assault on Khaldiyeh, while six other civilians were killed in shelling of the Baba Amr neighborhood.

Elsewhere, five civilians were killed in clashes in Zabadani, located near the capital Damascus and the Lebanese border.

Clashes were also reported in Hula, in Homs province, where a 15-year-old boy was reported killed.

In Idlib, the army was shelling the village of Kafar Takharim, where there are members of the Free Syrian Army, made up of defectors and sympathisers, activists said.

"There are fierce clashes between soldiers and defectors," said the Local Coordination Committees, a loose umbrella organisation of opposition activists.

Clashes were also taking place in Basr al-Harir, in the southern province of Daraa, where 70 soldiers had defected, the LCC said.

According to rights groups, more than 6,000 people have died since the outbreak of the revolt in Syria mid-March. (AFP)

Maldives president resigns after police mutiny

MALE: The president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed announced his resignation Tuesday during a televised press conference after a mutiny by the police and weeks of demonstrations.

"It will be better for the country in the current situation if I resign. I don't want to run the country with an iron fist. I am resigning," Nasheed said. (AFP)

Hezbollah gets support from Iran: Hassan Nasrallah

BEIRUT: Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday acknowledged for the first time that his party was solely funded and equipped by Iran and denied allegations the group was involved in the drug trade or money laundering.

"We have been receiving since 1982 all kinds of moral, political and material backing from the Islamic Republic of Iran," Nasrallah boasted in a television address on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).

His statement marked the first time he has openly admitted the source of the military and financial backing for his party.

"In the past we alluded partially to this truth," Nasrallah said. "We used to speak of a moral and political support while keeping silent when questioned about our military backing so as not to embarrass Iran. "But today ... we have decided to speak out."

Nasrallah denied reports that his organisation was linked to the drug trade or money laundering, saying it did not need to engage in such illicit activities.

"Drug trafficking is banned in Islam," he said. "And secondly, Iran's backing spares us the need for even a penny from anywhere in the world."

He added that Iran had never dictated conditions in exchange for its support.

Turning to Syria, Nasrallah denied reports that Hezbollah militants were fighting alongside government troops to put down a revolt that has claimed the lives of at least 6,000 people since mid-March according to opposition activists.

Hezbollah is the only party in Lebanon that refused to surrender its weapons after the country's 1975-1990 civil war on the grounds they are needed to protect the country from Israeli aggression. (AFP)

Two Karnataka ministers caught surfing porn

BANGALORE: Television cameras caught two BJP ministers — Lakshman Savadi and CC Patil — allegedly watching pornography on cellphone on the floor of the Karnataka assembly on Tuesday, The Times of India reported.

Savadi holds the cooperation portfolio while Patil is women and child development minister, the Indian media reported.

The Times of India writes that the ministers were caught in the act even as the House was in the middle of a heated debate. Close-ups of the ministers watching the salacious clip were beamed on TV channels in the evening, sparking a furore.

Soon after the news hit the airwaves, opposition parties, including Congress demanded the resignation of both ministers.

Chandio denies deadlock over 20th amend

ISLAMABAD: Claiming that the PML-N would soon come around on 20th constitutional amendment, Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Mola Baksh Chandio Tuesday rejected any deadlock over the same,

Talking to newsmen in the premises of Parliament House, he said that his government would follow the policy of reconciliation on 20th amendment and other issue.

He added that a constitutional amendment required complete consensus, which would be achieved soon.

No progress on 20th amendment: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday hoped that headway would be achieved on the 20th amendment of the Constitution by tomorrow,

Talking to media, he said no progress was made on the matter during negotiations today.

He said during the course of negotiations PML-N reiterated its stance.

Chaudhry Nisar said the legislators whose membership was suspended were not at fault because it was the Chief Election Commissioner who was actually responsible for this.

He said under the Constitution a chief election commissioner could not be granted extension in office term.

He said his party wanted a caretaker prime minister who enjoyed consensus of the entire nation. The caretaker PM should be capable of making possible the holding of transparent elections, he added.

"We have serious reservations over the word 'consultation' ….. the government only uses it as an information," he said, adding the government 'does not consult, it only informs'.

Appoint local commissioner for recording Ijaz statement abroad, asks Sheikh

ISLAMABAD: Akram Sheikh, the counsel for the central character of Memo scandal Mansoor Ijaz, Tuesday requested the judicial commission probing the issue to appoint a local commissioner to record his client’s statement aboard.

Shekih says Ijaz was ready to appear before the memo commission in Pakistan but changed his mind due to security concerns.

Lahore: 60-year-old recovered alive from debris

LAHORE: A 60-year-old woman was rescued alive from the rubble of a drug company after over 30 hours after the building collapsed due to a boiler explosion,

The woman has been rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Rescuers continue to search for survivours at the site of the factory collapse and say hope is not lost.

Three more dead bodies were recovered on Tuesday as the overall death toll rose to 19.

Suarez fails to inspire as Liverpool are held by Tottenham

Luis Suarez returned to Liverpool colors after an eight-game ban but the Uruguay striker couldn't transform his side's home fortunes as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Tottenham in the English Premier League.


Suarez's enforced spell on the sidelines came after the English Football Association found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra, but he couldn't break the deadlock in a tense game.
The point was a blow for both teams as third-placed Tottenham failed to grab a victory that would have seen them close within five points of leaders Manchester CIty, and three points of Manchester United in second.
For Liverpool, the draw is their eighth at Anfield this season -- a run that has hit their chances of qualifying for the European Champions League. They sit seventh, four points behind Chelsea in fourth.
After the match Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish suggested Suarez shouldn't have been banned in the first place.
He told Sky Sports: "I'm delighted that he is back. He should never have been away but we've taken the punishment and we've moved on. It would have been unfair to start him, he's not played since Boxing Day."

Heavy fog in Liverpool meant that Tottenham's manager Harry Redknapp was unable to attend the match -- his flight from London was canceled after he had spent the day in court where he is being tried on a charge of tax evasion.
The first half offered little in the way of chances, Jay Spearing's shot that arrowed just wide of Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel's post the highlight.
But the game came to life in the second half as Friedel saved Martin Kelly's long range shot before Suarez was introduced on 66 minutes to a standing ovation.

The striker wasted little time making an impact, but for the wrong reasons, as he was booked for kicking Scott Parker in the stomach while attempting a volley.
Suarez's strike partner Andy Carroll wasted a clear chance when he blazed over from 12 yards out after he'd taken down Steven Gerrard's cross.
It was Tottenham and Wales midfielder Gareth Bale who had the game's best chance as he went clean through on goal six minutes from time but he sent his shot straight at Pepe Reina.
In Spain, Granada beat Malaga 2-1 to climb out of the relegation zone in La Liga.
Odion Ighalo's opener for Granada was canceled out by Rondon but with nine minutes left Inigo Lopez scored the winner to move the home side into 14th place. Malaga remain eighth.

Namibia sponge fossils are world's first animals

JOHANNESBURG: Scientists digging in a Namibian national park have uncovered sponge-like fossils they say are the first animals, a discovery that would push the emergence of animal life back millions of years.

The tiny vase-shaped creatures' fossils were found in Namibia's Etosha National Park and other sites around the country in rocks between 760 and 550 million years old, a 10-member team of international researchers said in a paper published in the South African Journal of Science.

That means animals, previously thought to have emerged 600 million to 650 million years ago, actually appeared 100 million to 150 million years before that, the authors said.

It also means the hollow globs -- about the size of a dust speck and covered in holes that allowed fluid to pass in and out of their bodies -- were our ancestors, said co-author Tony Prave, a geologist at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

"If one looks at the family tree and projects this backward to where you have what's called the stem group, the ancestor of all animals, then yes, this would be our great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother," he told.

Prave said fossil evidence that animals emerged as long as 760 million years ago fit together neatly with what geneticists had hypothesised by looking at "molecular clocks", a means of gauging a species' age by looking at the percentage difference between its DNA and that of another species.

"The aspect of this that's rather satisfying, at least intellectually, is that it is in broad agreement with what geneticists would tell us based on looking at molecular clocks when we should see the first advent of large multi-cellular life forms," he said.

Philippine quake kills 43

MANILA: At least 43 people were killed when a powerful earthquake triggered landslides, collapsed homes and smashed bridges across the central Philippines on Monday, authorities said.

The 6.8-magntiude quake hit a narrow strait between the heavily populated island provinces of Negros and Cebu around lunchtime, with aftershocks nearly as strong causing further panic throughout the day.

The worst-hit area appeared to be Guihulngan, a coastal city in Negros close to the quake's epicentre, with 39 people confirmed killed there, according to local military commander Colonel Francisco Patrimonio.

He and local police said most of the victims had died as landslides buried homes, while others in the city of 100,000 people died as houses collapsed under the pressure of the quake itself.

"Some private homes collapsed along with our court house and parts of the public market. We got people out of the buildings but we could not evacuate the homes," police chief Senior Inspector Alvin Futalan told AFP.

Four other people were confirmed killed in other parts of Negros, where power outages were widespread and bridges as well as other vital infrastructure had been damaged, according to Patrimonio.

He and other government officials warned the death toll may rise, with reports of dozens of other people injured or missing in Guihulngan and nearby areas.

However, they said it was impossible to determine the exact number of missing, as power and many phone lines in the region were down and roads to the mountainous areas were impassable because of the landslides.

Patrimonio said that authorities were having to deal with looting, as well as the immediate rescue efforts, as some people took advantage of the chaos.

"Looting is now rampant in Guihulngan which forced us to commit (more troops) with the Philippine national police," he said.

In Cebu, a popular tourist destination and the country's second biggest city with 2.3 million residents, hotel guests scrambled to higher floors as unfounded rumours that a huge tsunami was bearing down spread by text message.

"There is news going around of tsunami waves, so we are doing our best to keep everybody calm," Barbi Patino, a spokesman for the 17-story Parklane International Hotel, told AFP shortly after the quake struck.

Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said the violent shaking of buildings in Cebu -- 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the epicentre -- led to broken windows and cracks on some walls.

But no high-rises sustained major damage and no deaths were reported in in the city.

Pedro Baldomino, a student in Cebu, said he saw many office workers leaving their buildings after a public announcement on radio warned people to brace for expected aftershocks.

"I was having lunch when the ground shook. Water spilled from glasses and plates clanked. Some of the diners rushed outside, some of us stayed underneath the tables," he said.

Almost four hours after the quake struck, a strong 6.2-magnitude aftershock hit the central Philippines, and then another struck measuring 6.0, causing further panic.

Over 200 less-powerful aftershocks were detected throughout the day, said provincial disaster monitoring executive director Angelo Tiongson.

Philippine government seismologists initially raised a precautionary tsunami alert over the quake, but lowered it two hours later.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no danger of a widespread destructive tsunami.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" -- a belt around the Pacific Ocean where friction between shifting tectonic plates causes frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. (AFP)

Madonna dazzles in Super Bowl half-time show

INDIANAPOLIS: Madonna on Sunday dazzled the Super Bowl crowd with an high-octane half-time show that started with an army of Roman gladiators and ended with a plea for world peace.

The glittering 12-minute performance at Lucas Oil Stadium featuring several guest stars had legions of fans racing to Twitter to give their thumbs-up, with some going so far as to declare it one of the best in Super Bowl history.

"Now THAT was a halftime show!" said @michaelsette7 of Toronto in a typical tweet of approval. "All hail the queen. Bow down everyone, bow down!"

Entertainment Weekly critic Ken Tucker agreed, calling Madonna's performance "joyous, unironic, open-hearted ... She was both in full command and full of generosity towards her massive audience."

With a new album titled "MDNA" out March 26, the 53-year-old Madonna teamed up with choreographer Jamie King and Canada's Cirque de Soleil for the most-watched musical interlude of any major sporting event in the world. (AFP)

China 'bans' airlines from joining EU carbon scheme

China has "banned" all airlines in the country from joining the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) aimed at cutting carbon emissions.

The authorities have also barred the airlines from increasing their fares or adding new charges for the scheme.

The ban comes just weeks after the China Air Transport Association said its members did not support the ETS.
The scheme, implemented from 1 January, levies a charge on flights in EU airspace based on carbon emissions.
'Severe challenges'
The scheme has come in for severe criticism not just from China but also from other countries such as the US and Canada.
China has claimed that the plan could cost Chinese airlines 95m euros ($124m, £79m) in extra annual costs.

Analysts said that given the global economic conditions and an uncertain outlook for the travel industry, airlines were wary of the scheme hurting their profits.

"The sector is already facing quite severe challenges," Chris De Lavigne of Frost & Sullivan told the BBC.

"The airline industry as a whole has already been hit by high fuel costs in the past couple of years and no one wants additional cost factors coming in."

According to EU estimates, the scheme will see the cost of air fares rise by between 2 and 12 euros per passenger.

'Very tricky'
The move by the Chinese authorities is likely to complicate the issue as the EU will have to decide on what measures it will take from here on.

"It is going to be very tricky. You have to wait and see how the EU will react," Siva Govindasamy of Flightglobal told the BBC.

"They would be able to stop the Chinese airlines from flying to the EU, but that could see retaliatory action by China which will not be good for either side," he added.

Analysts said that given the differences between the various parties involved, the matter may have to be resolved by an international body.

"It could potentially end up on the desk of the World Trade Organization as the countries who are against it have said it is an unfair trade practice," said Frost & Sullivan's Mr Lavigne.

"Both sides have claimed that this is either fair or unfair, so it is very difficult to see how this is going to shape up."

Syria crisis: Army steps up Homs shelling

Heavy artillery fire has been rocking Homs, as Syrian troops step up an assault on the restive city.

A BBC correspondent there describes almost constant blasts, in the fiercest attack in the 11-month uprising.

US President Barack Obama said it was important to resolve the conflict without outside military intervention.

Meanwhile, Russia and China defended their veto of a UN draft resolution criticising Syria - a move that angered opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.

Later the US State Department said it had closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled out all remaining staff because of security concerns.

Washington had warned in January that it would close the embassy if the government did not step up security.

'Not safe at all'
Homs, one of the main centres of resistance to Mr Assad's rule, has been under attack from government forces for several days.

Shelling resumed shortly after daybreak on Monday, says BBC's Paul Wood who has managed to get into the city, and hundreds of shells and mortars have been fired throughout the day.

Eyewitness Danny Abdul Dayem told the BBC the army was using rockets for the first time, with more than 300 falling on his locality since dawn.

"It's not safe at all, a rocket could land in this house right now," he said

Some rebels fighters have been firing automatic weapons in return, in what our correspondent calls a futile gesture.

The rebels claim that the shelling has hit a field hospital in the Baba Amr district, causing casualties. However, our correspondent says this is impossible to verify.

The facility is treating dozens of people wounded in previous assaults on Homs.

Mr Dayem said only one field hospital with four doctors was still operating in the city, and it was virtually impossible to get additional medication without being shot.

Another anti-government campaigner told the BBC the government was also using helicopters and tanks in the assault.

Activists say at least 40 people were killed on Monday.

Syrian state TV said "terrorist gangs" had blown up buildings in Homs.

The state-run Sana news agency reported that an oil pipeline near the city had been hit by an explosion on Monday. It also blamed "terrorists".

Both Syrian media and activists are also reporting clashes in the northern city of Idlib and the town of Zabadani, north-west of Damascus.

The government says it is fighting foreign-backed armed groups. Thousands of former army soldiers have defected to the rebel side, forming the Free Syrian Army.

The BBC's Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon says the conflict is beginning to look increasingly like a civil war with dangerous sectarian overtones.

The uprising is largely rooted in poorer sections of the Sunni community, our correspondent says, while the government draws its support mostly from Alawites, Christians and other minorities fearful of an Islamist takeover.

15 militants killed in Upper Orakzai

ORAKZAI: Security forces pounded militant hideouts with jet fighters, killing at least 15 and injuring eight militants in different areas of Upper Orakzai,

According to sources, security forces jet fighters destroyed four militant hideouts in Khadzai, Mamozai and Torsamant.

At least 15 militants were killed and eight others injured in the attacks of fighter jets.

Heathrow airport resumes flights after snow cancellations

LONDON: London's Heathrow Airport returned almost to normal on Monday after heavy snow forced hundreds of flight cancellations over the weekend, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

"Heathrow is open and our usual flight schedule is operating today," said a statement from the airport, the world's busiest air hub in terms of international passenger traffic.

"There will, however, be a handful of cancellations as result of yesterday's disruption. We advise passengers to contact their airlines to check before they come to the airport."

Heathrow had cancelled half of the 1,300 flights planned for Sunday as snow and fog descended on Britain, part of a European-wide cold snap that has claimed more than 300 lives.

Mass evacuation in Australia as flood waters rise

BRISBANE: Flood waters rose Monday in parts of Queensland as the Australian state raced to complete the largest evacuation in its history with police boosting their presence to prevent looting.

Thousands of Australians have been forced to abandon their homes as a record deluge sweeps through areas still reeling from last year's devastating flooding.

The area in most danger Monday was the town of St George, in Queensland's south, with most of its residents fleeing Sunday evening, although some 400 have stayed to help limit the damage despite a mandatory evacuation order.

Local mayor Donna Stewart said the swollen Balonne River in St George, flooding for the third time in less than two years, had reached 13.48 metres (44 feet) and was expected to keep rising until at least Tuesday night.

Forecasters have estimated it could top 15 metres, breaching the town's 14.5-metre levee, with fears mounting for other small towns south of St George, including Cunnamulla and Dirranbandi.

No electricity load shedding from Tuesday: Naveed Qamar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar has said that there would be no electricity load shedding across the country from tomorrow (Tuesday).

Responding to a call attention notice during the National Assembly's session, he said that there would be no load shedding across the country from Tuesday.

Qamar added that the line losses of the distribution companies had been controlled to a great extent.