Plane crash in Venezuela kills six

CARACAS: Six people were killed when their small plane crashed in Venezuela's Tachira state, the transportation ministry said on Wednesday.

"The six people who were aboard a Cessna 340 A, with tag YV 2402, which crashed near the town of San Pedro del Rio, Tachira, all died," the ministry said in a statement. All six bodies were recovered.

The plane had taken off from El Vigia airfield, in Merida state, en route to Santo Domingo, in Tachira.

Authorities were investigating to determine the cause of the crash.

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Frantic hunt as New Zealand earthquake leaves 400 dead, missing

CHRISTCHURCH: Hundreds of rescuers swarmed over twisted and smoking buildings Wednesday in a frantic search for survivors after New Zealand's catastrophic earthquake left nearly 400 dead or missing.

Emergency services cordoned off central Christchurch, which was devastated by Tuesday's shallow, 6.3-magnitude tremor, to hunt for anyone still alive along with an unknown number of bodies buried in the rubble.

Prime Minister John Key declared a national emergency as 75 bodies were recovered, punctuated by the rescue of about 30 overnight. About 300 people were still missing in New Zealand's worst natural disaster in 80 years.

Key said the quake had "wreaked death and destruction on a dreadful scale" in the country's second biggest city, six months after a 7.0-magnitude quake shook buildings violently in Christchurch but miraculously caused no deaths.

The latest tremor toppled many buildings and left central Christchurch strewn with debris. The city's landmark cathedral lost its spire. Dozens of aftershocks rocked the city, much of which was without power and water.

Rescuers had to amputate limbs to free some survivors, while one resident said he saw a woman die with her baby in her arms when she was hit by falling debris in Cashel St Mall. She was killed instantly, but the baby survived.

"We tried to pull these big bricks off (her)... she was gone," Tom Brittenden told the Christchurch Press.

Some rescue efforts were frustrated by a two-block exclusion zone around the city's tallest hotel, the Grand Chancellor, as the 26-storey building leaned precariously and looked close to collapse.

Elsewhere flickering hope was dashed when reports that 15 people had been pulled alive from the six-storey CTV building, which was razed to the ground, were denied by New Zealand's fire chief.

But there was applause when a woman wrapped in blankets emerged from the Pyne Gould Corporation building, some 24 hours after the quake rocked busy lunchtime streets at about 12:50 pm on Tuesday.

The survivor's sister, Sally Bodkin-Allen, said her sibling had ducked under a desk when the quake struck, an act of quick-thinking that saved her life.

"It just seems like a miracle... it must be a very strong desk and she must have got under it very quickly," Bodkin-Allen told Fairfax media.

Other media reports told of trapped people desperately phoning or texting relatives as they waited for help.

Resident Mark Maynard kept an anxious vigil outside the Pyne Gould building for his wife, who works on the first floor and called 20 minutes before the quake to say she had forgotten her mobile phone.

"It is still no good at the moment. I am hanging around waiting, what do you do?" Maynard told Fairfax.

The clock is ticking for those trapped, with New Zealand's emergency management chief John Hamilton saying rescuers may have just two or three days to pull out anyone still alive.

Police Superintendent Russell Gibson warned that the toll was certain to rise as more than 500 emergency workers combed through shattered buildings, listening out for tapping, shouting and other signs of life.

"There is incredible carnage right throughout the city," he told Radio New Zealand. "There are bodies littering the streets, they are trapped in cars and crushed under rubble.

"We are getting texts and tapping sounds from some of these buildings and that's where the focus is at the moment," he added.

The quake was the deadliest to hit New Zealand since 256 people died in a 1931 tremor, and Key's declaration of a state of emergency will free up national resources to focus on Christchurch.

Twenty-four Japanese citizens were among the missing, including 11 foreign-language students whose school had collapsed, Japanese reports said.

Two South Koreans - a brother and a sister in their early 20s - were also missing feared trapped in the same language school, the government in Seoul said.

Specialist teams from Australia, Britain, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States were due to join the New Zealand rescuers as an international effort swung into action.

Seismologists said that despite being smaller, the latest tremor was more destructive than the September quake because it was nearer to Christchurch's centre and much closer to the earth's surface.

New Zealand sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a vast zone of seismic and volcanic activity stretching from Chile on one side to Japan and Indonesia on the other.

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Major earthquake hits New Zealand, reports of several deaths

WELLINGTON: Rescuers dug frantically for bodies and people trapped after a major 6.3 earthquake caused "multiple" deaths in New Zealand's second city of Christchurch Tuesday, crushing buildings and vehicles.

Thousands of panicked and tearful residents thronged the city's streets after the quake struck at lunchtime, just six months after a 7.0-magnitude tremor shattered buildings but did not claim any lives.

Police warned the latest earthquake had left people dead. One office building housing 200 workers had collapsed, while Christchurch Cathedral's spire tumbled.

Local station TV3 said dead bodies had been pulled from a hostel, and a tourist had been crushed to death in a van. All flights across the country were briefly suspended after Christchurch control tower was damaged.

Declaring a state of emergency, Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said: "Everybody needs to understand that this is going to be a very black day for this severely shaken city.

"I've had reports of buses that are trapped under fallen buildings, car park buildings that have taken significant damage, collapsed or partially collapsed. In some of the inner-city streets we have people trapped in buildings."

As several strong aftershocks pummelled the stricken city of 340,000, which has endured continuous tremors since September's disaster, bleeding and limping survivors emerged from damaged buildings.

Christchurch airport was closed and The Press building, a centre for newspapers, was badly damaged. Reports said trapped survivors were desperately phoning their families from the wreckage.

"The details that we have are extremely sketchy. But the worry and fear of course is that this earthquake has taken place at a time when (residents) were going about their business," said Prime Minister John Key.

"It is a very populated time with people at work, children at school," he warned. "Sadly I cannot rule out whether there have been fatalities."

The quake struck at 12:51 pm (2351 GMT Monday), five kilometres (three miles) from Christchurch at a depth of just four kilometres.

Emergency services said it was more damaging than September's quake, which struck before dawn with most people safely at home.

"The shake has been a lot worse, maybe not in intensity but as far as damage is concerned, and there are numerous people trapped," a fire service spokesman told Radio New Zealand.

Cars were buried under rubble and roads buckled as the tremor opened ruptures in the ground. Police feared multiple deaths, including in two buses that were crushed by falling debris.

"Multiple fatalities have been reported at several locations in the central city, including two buses crushed by falling buildings. A doctor and emergency services are attending," a police statement said.

"Other reports include multiple building collapses, fires in buildings in the central (city) and persons reported trapped in buildings."

On September 4, Christchurch suffered the most destructive quake to hit New Zealand in 80 years when a 7.0-magnitude tremor damaged 100,000 homes, leaving a clean-up bill estimated at NZ$4.0 billion dollars (US$3.0 billion).

The city remained under a state of emergency for weeks with police cordoning off the centre for fear of collapsing buildings, as thousands of aftershocks hit the region.

At the time, authorities gave a clean bill of health to Christchurch's 36,000-capacity AMI stadium, one of the venues for the rugby World Cup starting in September.

New Zealand sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a vast zone of seismic and volcanic stretching from Chile on one side to Japan and Indonesia on the other.

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Thousands protest in Yemen demanding president quit

SANAA: Thousands of Yemenis, including students and MPs, joined a protest near the university campus in the capital Sanaa on Monday calling on veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit, a reporter said.

Security forces surrounded the protesters as they gathered in a nearby square carrying banners saying: "People want change," "People want to overthrow the regime" and "Leave".

Students, who have been protesting daily over the past week, were joined on Sunday by opposition MPs, who vowed in a statement to take to the streets.

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Libya in turmoil, thousands seek repatriation

TRIPOLI: Libya's Muammar Gaddafi will fight a popular revolt to "the last man standing", one of his sons said on Monday after protests broke out in the capital for the first time following days of unrest in the city of Benghazi.

Anti-government protesters rallied in Tripoli's streets, tribal leaders spoke out against Gaddafi, and army units defected to the opposition as oil exporter Libya endured one of the bloodiest revolts to convulse the Arab world.

Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi appeared on national television in an attempt both to threaten and calm people, saying the army would enforce security at any price.

"Our spirits are high and the leader Muammar Gaddafi is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are behind him as is the Libyan army," he said. "We will keep fighting until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing ... We will not leave Libya to the Italians or the Turks."

Wagging a finger at the camera, he blamed Libyan exiles for fomenting the violence. But he also promised dialogue on reforms and wage rises.

A Tripoli resident, who did not want to be identified, said the streets of the capital were calm early on Monday morning but that there was no sign of police, which is unusual for the city.

He said that late on Sunday night anti-Gaddafi protesters had been replaced by his supporters, who rallied in the centre of the city around Green Square until about 5 am (0400 GMT).

"After Saif al-Islam's speech, the pro-Gaddafi people, especially the youth, were touring the streets, particularly in the centre, cheering Gaddafi. These people stayed up the whole night, they were marching all night, some driving in cars.

"They were in Green Square and along Omar al-Mokthar street. I would say there were hundreds," he said.

"I talked to someone near the square where the clashes were taking place and he told me it was quiet and they (anti-government demonstrators) have now departed.

"Last night during the rioting there were police around and they were shooting into the air. But after that there have been no police around," added the Tripoli resident.

Saif al-Islam's cajoling may not be enough to douse the anger unleashed after four decades of rule by Gaddafi — mirroring events in Egypt where a popular revolt overthrew the seemingly impregnable President Hosni Mubarak 10 days ago.

"People here in Benghazi are laughing at what he is saying. It is the same old story (on promised reform) and nobody believes what he says," a lawyer in Libya's second city told the BBC after watching the speech.

"He is liar, liar, 42 years we have heard these lies." The international community must do everything it can do prevent Libya sinking into civil war, French government spokesman Francois Baroin said on Monday.

"We're extremely worried and shocked and we strongly condemn what's happening, this unprecedented violence, which could descend into an extremely violent and lengthy civil war," Baroin said in an interview on Europe 1 radio.

"The repression has begun and everything must be done at diplomatic level to coordinate the American and European positions to prevent something drastic happening."

The United States said it was weighing "all appropriate actions" in response to the unrest.

"We are analysing the speech ... to see what possibilities it contains for meaningful reform," a US official said.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that around 3,000 Turkish citizens had applied to be repatriated from Libya since Friday and the first plane was sent to Benghazi on Sunday morning, with more planes to be sent once permission was granted.

But CNN Turk reported that one Turkish Airlines plane had returned without landing amid reports that the airport had been taken over by opposition protesters. It was unclear if this plane was the same as the one mentioned by the foreign ministry.

In Benghazi, protesters appeared to be largely in control after forcing troops and police to retreat to a compound. Government buildings were set ablaze and ransacked.

"Security now, it is by the people," the lawyer said. In the first sign of serious unrest in the capital, thousands of protesters clashed with Gaddafi supporters. Gunfire rang out in the night and police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, some of whom threw stones at Gaddafi billboards.

South Korea said hundreds of Libyans, some armed with knives and guns, attacked a South Korean-run construction site in Tripoli, injuring at least 4 foreign workers.

Human Rights Watch said at least 223 people have been killed in five days of violence. Most were in Benghazi, cradle of the uprising and a region where Gaddafi's grip has always been weaker than elsewhere in the oil-rich desert nation.

Habib al-Obaidi, a surgeon at the Al-Jalae hospital, said the bodies of 50 people, most of them shot, were brought there on Sunday afternoon. Two hundred wounded had arrived, he said.

Members of an army unit known as the "Thunderbolt" squad had brought wounded comrades to the hospital, he said. The soldiers said they had defected to the cause of the protesters and had fought and defeated Gaddafi's elite guards.

The Libyan uprising is one of series of revolts that have raced like wildfire across the Arab world since December, toppling the long-time rulers of Tunisia and Egypt and threatening entrenched dynasties from Bahrain to Yemen. The West has watched with alarm as long-time allies and old foes have come under threat, appealing for reform and urging restraint.

Support for Gaddafi, the son of a herdsman who seized power in 1969, among Libya's desert tribes was also waning. The leader of the Al-Zuwayya tribe in the east threatened to cut oil exports unless authorities halted "oppression of protesters".

Libya is Africa's fourth biggest oil exporter, producing 1.6 million barrels of oil a day.

Oil jumped by more than $1 a barrel to $103.5 a barrel on fears the unrest could disrupt supplies.

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NASA to launch shuttle Discovery on Feb 24

WASHINGTON: The space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to begin its final flight to the International Space Station Feb 24. It will carry a human-like robot to the permanent station, NASA said.

The Discovery's 11-day mission will start at 2050 GMT, the US space agency said Friday.

Discovery's launch date was announced at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Xinhua reported.

The six astronauts for the mission will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) to ISS. The PMM was converted from the multipurpose logistics module Leonardo and will provide additional storage for the station crew.

The PMM also carries Robonaut 2, the first human-like robot in space, which will become a permanent resident of the station.

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35 anti-govt protesters shot dead in Libya

LIBYA: At least 35 people were shot dead and 200 others injured in a crackdown on anti-government protests in Libya.

According to the Sun, the troops fired on the protesters in the city of Benghazi on Friday as they rallied outside a military compound used by ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi.

"People were shot in the legs, chest and head," one witness said.

A source at a Benghazi hospital confirmed it saying that the most common injuries were bullet wounds to the head, chest and neck.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International said that security forces had killed at least 46 people during the past three days.

"The alarming rise in the death toll, and the reported nature of victims' injuries, strongly suggests that security forces are permitted to use lethal force against unarmed protesters calling for political change," said Malcolm Smart, the Amnesty's director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Colonel Gaddafi is the Arab world's longest-serving leader, having ruled oil-rich Libya since a coup in 1

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Obama admn asked to ensure Pak doesn't use aid for N-programme

WASHINGTON: Voicing serious concerns over the increasing nuclear arsenal of Pakistan, a top US Senator has sought a clear assurance from the Obama administration that the American aid money is not used by Islamabad to fund its atomic weapons programme.

In a joint letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Robert Gates , Virginia Senator Jim Webb threatened that in the absence of such an assurance, he would introduce a legislation in the Congress that would "require a certification" from the administration that US funds are not used by Pakistan for its nuclear weapons programme.

"Published reports indicate that Pakistan has steadily increased its nuclear arsenal over the past two years, putting it on a path to overtake Britain as the world's fifth largest nuclear weapons power," Webb, a Democrat, wrote in the February 17 letter to Clinton and Gates released to the media yesterday.

"I am writing to restate my concern that no US funds appropriated for assistance to Pakistan be used to support, expand or assist the government of Pakistan in the development of its nuclear weapons," he wrote.

In the absence of such clear assurances from the administration, Webb said he would be compelled to re-introduce the legislative amendment he had introduced in this regard in 2009.

Two years ago, Webb, a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act that would have required certification that no funds appropriated for assistance to Pakistan would be used to advance programmes outside of direct US security interests, including expansion of Islamabad's nuclear weapons programme.

Following assurances of greater transparency and accountability from administration officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Webb decided not to pursue the amendment.

"Recent press reports on Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme are troubling," Webb said in his letter. "Just last week, the Washington Post reported that Pakistan has begun work on what appears to be a fourth plutonium-producing reactor, another signal that Pakistan continues ambitious efforts to modernise and expand its nuclear weapons."

"I am writing to restate my concern that no US funds appropriated for assistance to Pakistan be used to support, expand, or assist the Government of Pakistan in the development of its nuclear weapons. Absent clear assurances that this is not the case, I will feel compelled to re-introduce the amendment I offered in 2009," Webb wrote.

There was no immediate reaction from the State Department.

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45 killed in Libya protests

CAIRO/TRIPOLI: Libyan security forces were expecting violent demonstrations Friday, a day after an estimated 45 people were killed in clashes across the country.

Online postings by opposition groups called for demonstrations against the country's ruler of 41 years Muammer Gaddafi to start after Friday prayers.

Violent clashes erupted between demonstrators and security forces across the country Thursday in what opposition organisers had billed as a "Day of Anger".

Videos posted online appeared to show the bodies of several young men in different locations, and hundreds of demonstrators tearing down a monument in honour of Gaddafi's Green Book in the eastern coastal town of Tobruk.

In the Green Book, first published in 1975, Gaddafi outlines his philosophy of direct democracy through popular committees. Critics say that he actually uses those committees for political repression.

Coverage of the unrest in the Libyan media has shown pro-government demonstrators taking to the streets to proclaim their support for the country's leaders.

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs may have only six weeks to live: Report

Internet is abuzz with the rumour that Apple CEO Steve Jobs may have only six weeks to live. US-based tabloid National Enquirer claims to be publishing photos of Jobs taken on February 8 outside Stanford Cancer Center that show the Apple founder looking extremely thin and frail.

According to various media reports, in the photos, an extremely "skeletal-looking" Jobs can be seen getting out of his car at the center, just one day after he was spotted at work on Apple's Cupertino campus.

In January, fifty-five-year-old Jobs took third medical leave from Apple in seven years. Apple founder Jobs is suffering from pancreatic cancer. The CEO, 55, has been regularly attending the cancer treatment center, RadarOnline.com confirmed.

The Enquirer is reported to have interviewed critical-care physician Dr Samuel Jacobson who viewed the photos and said the Jobs appeared "close to terminal."

"I would say he has six weeks," Jacobson reportedly said.

Dr Gabe Mirkin a physician with supposedly 40 years of experience told the tabloid, "He is terminal. What you are seeing is extreme muscle wasting from calorie depravation, most likely caused by cancer. He has no muscle left in his buttocks, which is the last place to go."

"He definitely appears to be in the terminal stages of his life from these photos. I would be surprised if he weighed more than 130lb," Mirkin reportedly told the tabloid.

Jobs' battle with cancer started in 2004 and he reportedly went to Switzerland in 2009 to undergo a rare radiology treatment.

Earlier, Wall Street Journal reported that Jobs also had a secret liver transplant in Memphis.

Jobs announced his medical leave in January in an email to employees, explaining that "the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health."

"I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company," Jobs added.

Interestingly, there are also reports quoting US officials that President Barack Obama will meet ailing Apple chief Steve Jobs and other US high-tech gurus in California on Thursday.

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Obama asks Pakistan to release 'diplomat' Raymond Davis

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has asked Pakistan to treat Raymond Davis, who allegedly shot dead two men in Lahore, as a diplomat and release him.

While insisting that Pakistan must not prosecute Davis, Obama said he was concerned about the loss of Pakistani lives in the incident, the Dawn News reported on Wednesday.

"Obviously we're concerned about the loss of life," Obama said at a press conference.

However, he said Davis should be treated as a diplomat. "There's a broader principle at stake that I think we have to uphold."

In his first public remarks on a case that has strained US relations with Pakistan, Obama noted that the Vienna Convention for diplomatic immunity granted Davis some rights, the report said.

"We expect Pakistan to abide by the same convention," he said. "We're going to be continuing to work with the Pakistani government to get this person released."

Davis, an official with the US diplomatic mission in Lahore, has been in judicial custody pending investigation. He was arrested Jan 27 for killing two men at an intersection in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Davis claimed to have acted on self-defence, saying the two men were trying to rob him.

According to US media reports, Pakistani officials would present documents to the Lahore High Court to support Davis' claim for immunity.

The US state department said that it too would provide evidence in the Lahore High Court to show that Davis was entitled to diplomatic immunity.

State department spokesman Philip J Crowley said that the US government would file a petition for Davis' release Thursday and provide evidence of his diplomatic status.

Crowley, however, rejected a suggestion that the US had put its relationship with Pakistan at risk by insisting on Davis' release.

"We are building a strategic partnership with Pakistan. We are going to build this relationship for the long term," he said.

But the US also "respects its international obligations, and we expect other countries, including Pakistan, to do the same". Crowley rejected Pakistan's former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's claim that Davis was not a diplomat.

"He does have diplomatic immunity. Pakistan has an obligation to certify that under the Vienna Convention, and we continue to engage Pakistan to insist that he be released," said Crowley.

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Afghan war costs USD 300 million a day: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: The withdrawal of American troops from Iraq will allow for a reduced US defense budget in 2012 but the war in Afghanistan still costs the United States close to 300 million dollars a day.

Under the Pentagon's proposed budget, the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will drop to USD 117.8 billion for fiscal year 2012, a reduction of 41.5 billion from the previous year.

As the US war effort winds down in Iraq, the budget sets aside USD 10.6 billion for "Operation New Dawn," with the remaining 50,000 US troops there due to withdraw by the end of 2011.

Spending for the Afghan mission calls for USD 107.3 billion, down slightly from the last budget, which requested USD 113.5 billion.

President Barack Obama has vowed to start a withdrawal in July of the roughly 97,000 troops now in Afghanistan.

The budget released on Monday offered no insight into the scale of the planned drawdown, with the Pentagon's budget document assuming an average of 98,250 troops on the ground by the end of 2012.

Gates said the Pentagon had "decided to budget conservatively" as it was too soon to predict how many troops would be withdrawn after July.

"But that's not to say that we will have 98,000 troops at the end of FY 2012. In fact it's a lead pipe cinch we won't."

The budget for Afghanistan and Iraq includes USD79.2 billion for operations, USD10.1 billion to counter the threat posed by homemade bombs -- the main killer of NATO-led troops in the war.

Some USD11.9 billion is devoted to repairing and replacing equipment lost or damaged and USD12.8 billion for training and arming Afghan security forces, who are supposed to gradually take over security duties between now and 2015.

By October, the United States and NATO plans to expand the Afghan army to 172,000 soldiers and the police to 134,000 police.

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'Mubarak moves assets from European banks to Gulf states'

NEW YORK: Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has reportedly moved his family assets from European banks to institutions in Gulf region after Swiss authorities took steps to freeze his foreign accounts.

"We're aware of some urgent conversations within the Mubarak family about how to save these assets," a senior intelligence was quoted as saying by the state-run Iranian channel Press TV.

"We think their financial advisers have moved some of the money around... If he had real money in Zurich, it may be gone by now," he said.

According to channel, former president is believed to have transferred a fortune to friendly Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The report comes after Swiss authorities have announced to freeze his bank accounts. Estimates of the former Egyptian President's fortune varies -- there is a widespread rumour that it worth as much as $70 billion. However, US officials quote his family's wealth between $2 billion and 3 billion, New York Times said.

Within hours of Mubarak's resignation on Friday, "Swiss officials ordered all banks in Switzerland to search for --- and freeze --- any asset of the former president, his family or close associates," it reported.

After Mubarak's fall, there are growing calls for an accounting to begin and Egyptian opposition leaders have vowed to press for a full investigation into his finances.

"Now we open all the files," George Ishak, head of the National Association for Change, an opposition umbrella group, said. "We will research everything, all of them: the families of the ministers, the family of the president, everyone."

According to the report, his family was "woven" into the Egyptian economy.

However, tracing Mubarak's money will be difficult since business in Egypt is largely conducted in secret among a small group connected to him.

Critics have said following the privatisation of Egypt's economy in 1990s, Mubarak's family and other elite families have held stakes in the sale of state assets and in new business ventures.

The article stated after former President's younger son Gamal left his job at Bank of America in London in mid-1990s, he joined forces with Egypt's largest investment bank. Today, he has a significant stake in a private equity company with interests throughout the Egyptian economy, from oil to agriculture to tourism, corporate records and interviews show.

"The corruption of the Mubarak family was not stealing from the budget, it was transforming political capital into private capital," Samer Soliman, a professor of political economy at American University in Cairo, said.

It has also been rumoured that the family has vast real estate holdings.

But the only property outside of Egypt that has emerged is the London townhouse at 28 Wilton Place in Knightsbridge where Gamal lived when he was an investment banker there, the report added.

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World praises Egypt, welcomes change

LONDON: Fireworks and celebratory gunfire rang out in Tunisia and Lebanon, South Africans recalled Nelson Mandela's euphoric release from prison, and two words _ "Congrats Egypt" _ dominated social media sites as the world cheered the ouster of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.

US and European officials on Friday saluted the resilience of the demonstrators in Cairo _ who mobbed the capital for 18 days to demand their rights, despite attacks from pro-government thugs _ and pledged assistance to help Egypt make the transition to democracy.

"In their eyes, you can see what power freedom can have," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said of the protesters, adding that, by stepping down, Mubarak had rendered "a last service to the Egyptian people." Merkel herself had lived under another autocratic regime, growing up behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany.

President Barack Obama _ whose administration has walked a fine line between backing the protesters' demands and supporting Mubarak, a long-term U.S. ally _ welcomed the wave of peaceful change washing across the country.

"The people of Egypt have spoken. Their voices have been heard. And Egypt will never be the same," he declared. And while he noted that many important questions remain unresolved, Obama said: "I'm confident the people of Egypt can find the answers."

But mixed with the messages of hope was concern for the future of a critical partner in the Middle East peace process, lingering fear of violent unrest _ and guilt over the close partnership that many Western countries shared with Mubarak's regime.

"Mubarak's tyranny was typical across the region, and it is Europe's shame that we sustained them," said Edward McMillan-Scott, the European Parliament's vice president for democracy and human rights.

Merkel expressed hope that whoever comes to power works to "uphold peace in the Middle East and respect the treaties concluded with Israel," while French President Nicolas Sarkozy said reforms are needed quickly so Egypt "can keep its place in the world at the service of peace."

Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado warned that "we will face a very dangerous situation" if the transition isn't completed soon. Peru's foreign minister said he feared a rise in the price of oil amid continued instability.

Whatever the uncertainty, euphoria ruled the streets. In Tunisia, whose people-powered revolution pushed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali into exile just last month and sparked the Egyptian protests, cries of joy and a thunderous honking of horns greeted the news.

In Beirut, fireworks and celebratory gunfire erupted over the capital only moments after Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman said Mubarak had handed power over to the military. In the West African nation of Mauritania, pedestrians and cars filled Nouakchott, the capital, to celebrate. Across the world, Egyptian expatriates celebrated in boisterous rallies at their country's embassies and consulates.

In South Africa, officials noted that Mubarak's resignation took place exactly 21 years to the day after Mandela's historic release from prison.

"One can't escape the symbolic importance of this day and the release of Mandela and how that ushered in a new process for South Africa," said Ayanda Ntsaluba, director general of South Africa's foreign affairs department. "Let's hope this happy coincidence will also one day make the Egyptian people look back and say this indeed was the beginning of better times in Egypt."

Tunisia's caretaker government, put in place after the nation's leader fled the country, praised the Egyptian people for forcing Mubarak out of office and expressed hope that it will lead to the "triumph of Arab causes."

Some European and U.S. officials have expressed concern that instability in Egypt could throw the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians into chaos _ and provide an opening for Islamist forces such as Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. Many are also worried that the military takeover may not necessarily spell an end to the rights abuses perpetuated during Mubarak's nearly three decades in power.

Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski of Poland, whose own nation threw off repressive communist rule 21 years ago, said the changes sweeping Egypt "create both hope and anxiety." Amnesty International's Secretary General Salil Shetty agreed, saying that Mubarak's departure "is not the end."

"The repressive system that Egyptians have suffered under for three decades has not gone away and the state of emergency remains in place," he said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the "early establishment of civilian rule," a sentiment that was shared across Europe, whose leaders had increasingly pushed Mubarak to open up Egyptian society and worked quickly to shake off any links to the deposed leader.

Sarkozy described Mubarak's resignation as "necessary," while Swiss officials froze assets belonging to Mubarak and his family.

An unusual joint statement from EU president Herman Van Rompuy, foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Jose Manuel Barroso, head of the executive European Commission, said the EU "salutes the courage of the Egyptian people" and called for the formation of a civilian government, while Britain's foreign minister warned Egypt's newly installed military authorities against backsliding.

In a Twitter message, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said: "Congratulations to the Egyptian people." A flood of support poured onto the micro-blogging site, where the words "Congrats Egypt" were among its most popular terms.

Even Iran, which had crushed its own pro-democracy protests in 2009, praised the uprising, which it claimed would doom Israel and give Washington a black eye. The U.S. condemned that statement as hypocritical.

While many Latin American countries expressed support for the resignation _ Ecuador's vice foreign minister called it "not only a joy for the Egyptian people but a joy for the world" _ Venezuela condemned what it saw as U.S. interference.

"Nobody should meddle in the domestic affairs of Egypt's people," Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said. "It's truly appalling ... how Washington is attempting to watch over (and) hold sway over a strong country like Egypt with statements from President Obama, the State Department, the head of the CIA."

There were guarded comments from other authoritarian governments, with Russia's foreign minister saying the developments showed "authorities have approached the problem responsibly" and calling for a rapid return to stability. The United Arab Emirates said it had confidence in the armed forces' ability to manage Egypt's affairs "in these delicate circumstances."

Mubarak's departure also came 32 years to the day after the collapse of the shah's government in Iran _ and one European academic said Mideast governments should not ignore Friday's seismic shift in the old world order.

"This is the popular demonstration that proves any leader can be toppled," said Eugene Rogan, the director of the Middle East Center at St. Antony's College in Oxford. "For all the other rulers in the region, it's a very sobering moment."

In South Africa, U2 rehearsed Friday at the country's historic FNB Stadium _ known as Soccer City when it hosted the World Cup last year.

"This continent is on fire," marveled lead singer Bono.

TOI

Mubarak's 30 years in power in Egypt

CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned on the 18th day of protests against his rule.. Here is a timeline of Mubarak's rule:

* Oct. 6, 1981 - Vice-President Hosni Mubarak is thrust into office when Islamists gun down President Anwar Sadat at a military parade. He is approved as president in a referendum in November and re-elected in Oct. 1987 and Oct. 1993.

* June 26, 1995 - Gunmen attack Mubarak's car as he arrives at an Organisation of African Unity summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. He is unhurt and returns to Egypt. Mubarak later blames a Sudanese man for the attempt.

* Nov. 17, 1997 - Egypt's biggest Islamic militant group, al-Gama'a al-Islamiya (Islamic Group) kill 58 tourists and four Egyptians at an ancient temple near the southern town of Luxor. Six gunmen and three police also die. The state crushed groups including al-Gama'a al-Islamiya and Islamic Jihad, which targeted tourists, Christians, ministers in a 1990s campaign for an Islamic state and kept a tight lid on such groups afterwards.

* Oct. 5, 1999 - Mubarak is sworn in as president for his fourth term and names Atef Obeid as prime minister after the government led by Kamal Ganzouri resigns.

* Dec. 22, 1999 - Egypt agrees to sell its natural gas through what Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's office calls a "Pipeline of Peace".

* March 2005 - Street protests by the Kefaya (Enough) Movement draw hundreds across Egypt to oppose a fifth term for Mubarak or any attempt to install his son Gamal in his place. Days before, police say they detained about 200 members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.

* May 11, 2005 - Parliament votes to change the constitution to allow contested presidential elections, dismissing opposition complaints that strict rules would prevent genuine competition. A referendum later in May overwhelmingly confirms the constitutional change.

* Sept. 27, 2005 - Mubarak is sworn in for a fifth consecutive term after winning the first contested presidential election on Sept. 7. Rival Ayman Nour is the only member of parliament to remain seated during the ceremony, apparently to show his refusal to accept the official vote count.

* Dec. 8, 2005 - The Muslim Brotherhood increase their seats in parliament after an election marred by violence, but Mubarak's party retains a big majority. Eight people were killed on the last day of voting on Dec. 7. The Muslim Brotherhood says it has won 12 seats, expanding its parliamentary bloc to 88, nearly a fifth of the seats and its strongest showing ever.

* Nov. 19, 2006 - Mubarak says he will retain his responsibilities for the rest of his life.

* June 4, 2009 - U.S. President Barack Obama in a speech in Cairo calls for a "new beginning" in ties between Washington and the Islamic world.

* March 26, 2010 - Former U.N. nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei makes first public appearance after his return to Egypt in February. ElBaradei has said he would consider a presidential bid if demands are met, including constitutional changes to limit power.

* March 27, 2010 - Mubarak returns to Egypt to reassume presidential powers after three weeks recovering from gallbladder surgery in Germany.

* Nov. 29, 2010 - The Muslim Brotherhood says a rigged election has all but wiped out its presence in parliament, virtually eliminating opposition to Mubarak's ruling party before a 2011 presidential vote. The group skirts a ban on religious parties by running independents.

* Jan. 25, 2011 - Anti-government protests across Egypt begin as demonstrators voice anger, complaining of poverty and repression.

* Jan. 28 - Mubarak orders troops and tanks into cities overnight to quell demonstrations across Egypt. The U.N. later says around 300 people have been killed in the protests.

* Jan. 31 - Egypt swears in a new government. New Vice-President Omar Suleiman says Mubarak has asked him to start dialogue with all political forces.

* Feb. 1 - More than one million people around Egypt call for an end to Mubarak's rule.

* Feb. 6 - Opposition groups, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood, hold talks with the government, chaired by the vice-president.

* Feb. 8 - Suleiman says Egypt has a timetable for the peaceful transfer of power.

* Feb. 10 - Mubarak says national dialogue underway, transfers powers to vice-president but he refuses to leave office immediately as protesters demand.

* Feb. 11 - Mubarak steps down and a military council will run the country's affairs, Vice President Omar Suleiman says on state television.

TOI

Julian Assange has four 'love children': Book

BOSTON: Embattled WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, fighting an extradition case over sexual misconduct, has at least "four love children" with mistresses across the world, according to leaked excerpts of a tell-all book by a WikiLeaks defector.

Former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who left the organisation amid tensions with Assange, has revealed in his forthcoming book that the 39-year old Assange used to "boast" about how many children he has fathered across the world.

"Often I sat in large groups and listened to Julian boast about how many children he had fathered in various parts of the world. He seemed to enjoy the idea of lots and lots of Julians, one on every continent.

"Whether he took care of any of these alleged children, or whether they existed at all, was another question," Domscheit-Berg writes in his book, an excerpt of which was leaked to gossip website Gawker.

Last month, Domscheit-Berg launched a rival site OpenLeaks.

"From his bombastic OKCupid profile to his creepy love letters to a 19-year-old girl, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's has some strange romantic proclivities. Strangest of all is his apparent obsession with littering the world with offspring," the report in Gawker said.

According to leaked police documents on Assange's ongoing rape and sexual molestation case, WikiLeaks volunteer and Swedish journalist Donald Bostrom has told investigators in Sweden that Assange had "at least" four children.

Gawker said this was a number "independently confirmed" to it by a former WikiLeaks volunteer and a former friend of Assange.

The youngest little Assange is a mere six months old, according to the former friend. The oldest, and the only one of Assange's offspring previously reported, is 20-year-old Daniel Assange who lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Assange fathered him in his teens with his then-girlfriend. Daniel however has not seen his father since 2007.

Gawker said ages of the other two children are unknown but both are in Australia. It is not known who the mothers of these children are.

"The fixation on seeding the world with mini-leakers springs from a sense of inborn superiority," Gawker quotes a source as saying.

"He (Assange) feels obliged to spread his genes. In other words, he thinks he is so good that the world needs more of his kids."

Assange is currently fighting extradition in London. The WikiLeaks founder is wanted by Sweden, which is investigating charges of sexual-assault allegations against him.

He is accused of sexual misconduct by two women he met during a visit to Stockholm last year. He denies any wrongdoing.

The US government has also been trying to prosecute Assange for espionage after his whistle-blower website released thousands of secret documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as a flood of state department cables. No specific charges against him have been framed.

TOI

Mubarak uses sop tactic to hold on

CAIRO: Egypt's embattled regime announced on Monday a 15% raise for government employees in an attempt to shore up its base and defuse popular anger amid ongoing protests demanding President Hosni Mubarak's ouster.

The cabinet decision follows earlier promises to investigate election fraud and official corruption. The gestures so far have done little to persuade the tens of thousands occupying downtown's Tahrir Square to end their two-week long protest, leaving the two sides in an uneasy stalemate. The protesters have vowed to stay put until Mubarak steps down, while the regime wants him to stay in office until elections in September.

Newly appointed finance minister Samir Radwan said some $960 million will be allocated to cover the salary and pension increases, which will take effect in April for the 6 million people on public payrolls.

"We don't trust him and he's a liar — he's made many promises in the past," said Salih Abdel-Aziz, an engineer with a public sector company. "He could raise it 65% and we wouldn't believe him. As long as Mubarak is in charge then all of these are brittle decisions that can break at any moment."

The regime appears confident in its ability for the moment to ride out the unprecedented storm of unrest, and maintain its grip on power, at least until September elections, but it has made a number of moves in response to protesters' demands. Egypt's state-run news agency reported that Mubarak ordered the country's parliament and its highest appellate court to re-examine lower-court rulings disqualifying hundreds of ruling party lawmakers for campaign and ballot irregularities, that were ignored by electoral officials — possibly paving the way for new elections.

The ruling National Democratic Party won more than 83% of the 518 seats in the 2010 parliamentary elections, which were widely condemned as being rigged.

Judicial officials also promised to start the questioning on Tuesday of three former ministers and a senior ruling party official accused of corruption charges after they were dismissed by Mubarak last week. Meanwhile, the city enjoyed the most normal weekday routine than on any day since the Jan. 25 start of the unrest. ap

TOI

Immigrants must know reasonable standard of English: Cameron

LONDON: Britain is planning to introduce tougher rules to ensure that immigrants specially from the Indian sub-continent have a "reasonable standard" of English, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.

"Migrant families have an obligation to teach their children English before they start school. We will bring forward tougher rules to ensure those arriving in the UK have a reasonable standard of English," Cameron told the House of Commons .

According to a report, one in six children do not speak English as their first language. Ministers believe that children brought up here stand a better chance of succeeding if their parents have a good grasp of the language.

Cameron spoke out after a Commons exchange with Yorkshire Tory MP Kris Hopkins, who said: "Sadly in Keighley, too many children start school and don't speak English."

He then asked Cameron: "Do you agree with me that there is a responsibility and an obligation upon parents to make sure their children speak English?"

Cameron replied: "I completely agree with you. The fact is, in too many cases this isn't happening.

"The last government did make some progress on making sure people learned English when they came to our country. I think we need to go further. If you look at the figures for the number of people who are brought over as husbands and wives, particularly from the Indian sub-continent, we should be putting in place - and we will be putting in place - tougher rules to make sure they do learn English so when they come, if they come, they can be more integrated into our country."

A recent study by MigrationWatch found that children who speak English as their first language are in a minority in some inner-city London schools.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Birmingham, Bradford and Leicester all have more than 40 per cent of pupils in primary schools who do not have English as a first language.

To date, the government's policies have focused upon marriage visas. Since September, those coming to Britain to marry UK citizens have been forced to sit pre-entry tests proving a basic level of English.

Lawyers argue that the tests, which apply only to those from non-English-speaking countries, are discriminatory, and breach human rights law. But Immigration Minister Damian Green argued that the English language requirement would allow for a "more cohesive society".

ET

Six killed in fresh violence in Egypt

RANIA CAIRO: Firing from assault rifles targeted anti-government protesters in the Egyptian capital's Tahrir Square today apparently from supporters of the embattled President, killing at least six people as violence escalated just a day before the opposition's proposed massive rally on Friday to oust Hosni Mubarak.

The Egyptian army arrested people after violence was sparked by supporters loyal to Mubarak in Tahrir square on Thursday, Al Arabiya television reported, without giving numbers.

Anti-government protesters who had camped out in the square after a peaceful protest on Tuesday have called on the army to intervene.

When the violence erupted on Wednesday soldiers had not intervened.

Supporters of President Hosni Mubarak had opened fire on protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Thursday, killing four people and wounding 13, witnesses and television said.

It was the biggest spike in violence since protesters angered by oppression and hardship launched an unprecedented challenge to Mubarak's 30-year-rule 10 days ago. Many accused the government of backing the pro-Mubarak supporters.

Still reeling from Wednesday's attack in which Mubarak supporters charged into the square on horses and camels, the opposition protesters were fired upon from a bridge near the square, killing three people on the spot, to bring the death toll to six in the last 24 hours.

The protesters refusing to quit from the Tahrir Square, which has become a hub of 'Down Mubarak' campaign, were fired upon at 4 am this morning and opposition spokesman claimed that violence was being unleashed by a force of paid thugs and plain clothes police to crush an unprecedented nine-day-old movement.

Witnesses reported at least three bodies being carried away in ambulances and said gunfire rained into the square from at least three directions and that the military deployed heavily did not intervene.

Pitched battles were also reported between pro-and anti-Mubarak groups for the control of a high vantage overpass leading to the square.

The clashing groups also hurled rocks and bombs at each other.

The fighting between the groups erupted 12 hours earlier as pro-Mubarak supporters charged with whips into the protesters, while others rained fire bombs and rocks from rooftops.

Soldiers ringing the square from all sides with tanks and armoured carriers fired occasionally in the air throughout the night but did not otherwise intervene.

The violence came after a beleaguered President went on air on Tuesday to say that he would not stand for re-election in September, but refused to quit immediately, triggering an ultimatum by the protesters setting Friday as a deadline for him to step down.

Mubarak, 82, has been in power since 1981. The unceasing violence has witnessed a sharp escalation of attacks on Western media men, which has come in for strong condemnation by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Western governments.

TOI

Mubarak says will not run for another term

Rania

Cairo, Feb 2 (PTI) Facing unprecedented public protests for his ouster, embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said he does not intend to run for another term after three decades in power but refused to bow out immediately.

The 82-year-old leader, facing the worst ever civil unrest during his rule, said he will ensure a "peaceful transition of power" after elections due in September this year.

"I do not intend to stand for election again. I will work during my remaining months as president to ensure that steps are taken to ensure the peaceful transition of power," Mubarak said on state television late last night as close to one million Egyptians from diverse sections gathered into central Cairo's Tahrir Square in an unprecedented mammoth rally to press him to quit.

Watching his speech on a giant TV, protesters booed and shouted slogan "Go, go, go! We are not leaving until he leaves.

Obama calls for immediate beginning of transition in Egypt

alit K Jha

Washington, Feb 2 (PTI) US President Barack Obama called for immediate beginning of an orderly transition in Egypt, which has witnessed massive protests seeking the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

"What is clear, and what I indicated tonight to President Mubarak, is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now," Obama said in his speech at the White House after he spoke for 30 minutes with Mubarak, who ruling Egypt for three decades.

The process of orderly transition must include a broad spectrum of Egyptian voices in opposition parties, he said.

"It should lead to elections that are free and fair.

And it should result in a government that's not only grounded in democratic principles, but is also responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people," Obama asserted.

Mubarak refuses to step down; promises reforms

Cairo: Making it clear that he was in no mood to give up power as of now, Mubarak said he would seek changes to the constitution and called on "parliament to discuss amendments to Articles 76 and 77 of the constitution to change the conditions for presidential candidacy and limit terms."

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