Furtado donates $1M from Gadhafi gig

A message on Nelly Furtado's Twitter account referenced the Victoria-born singer performing a 45-minute show for the Gadhafi clan in Italy in 2007. (Twitter)

Furtado donates $1M from Gadhafi gig

Nelly Furtado is the latest recording artist to come under scrutiny for having performed for members of the Gadhafi family.

A post on the Canadian pop star's Twitter account notes she gave a private show for the family of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi four years ago.

"In 2007, I was paid $1 million by the [Gadhafi] clan to play a 45-minute show for guests at a hotel in Italy," reads the tweet, posted early Monday morning.

"I am going to donate this [money]."

A representative of Universal Music, Furtado's label, confirmed Monday afternoon that the Victoria-born singer wrote the short, online missive.

As the Arab world's recent wave of anti-government uprisings swept into Libya, Gadhafi ordered security forces to crack down on protesters, in an attempt to retain power.

Canada, the U.S., the U.K., the European Union and the UN Security Council have slapped sanctions on the country, once considered an ally of the West.



In the face of Gadhafi's actions, some have questioned performers from the West who have given private shows for the dictator's family in recent years.

News emerged in January 2010 that Beyoncé had performed at a lavish New Year's party hosted by one of Gadhafi's sons on the Caribbean island of St. Barts.

Meanwhile, recent leaked diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks note that a year earlier, Mariah Carey received $1 million US to sing four songs at the 2009 edition of the holiday party.

It's not unusual for musicians to take corporate and private gigs. Inevitably, some come under fire for performing for controversial hosts.

"Private events like this happen all the time. I think most [artists] aren't really used to ever thinking about the source of the money.... In most cases, there isn't anything quite so obvious to be thought about," David T. Viecelli, agent for Arcade Fire and other acts, told CBC News on Monday.

"A lot was known about Gadhafi and his politics, so I think maybe somewhere in the chain of their decision-making process, there should have been some consideration for what it meant to take money from people like that, to sort of tacitly endorse what Moammar Gadhafi and his family are known for."
Richie gig kept under wraps

Lionel Richie, who has a large following in the Arab world, performed for Gadhafi himself in 2006. The singer visited Libya on the 20th anniversary of U.S. air strikes against the country, made in retaliation for the 1986 Berlin nightclub bombing.

Richie received $5 million US for performing at a purported peace concert and at a Gadhafi family wedding, according to journalist Rich Poplak, author of The Sheik's Batmobile: In Pursuit of American Pop Culture in the Muslim World.

"It was very, very hard to chase down the story," Poplak told CBC News. "Lionel Richie made very small mention of it in a GQ article.

"I actually went to Libya to chase down what I could about the concert. Nobody would speak about it.… I eventually did get some off-the-record information."

With the recent bloody crackdown against Libyan citizens, people are now calling on artists to pay more attention to ethical considerations and the track record of those they're performing for.

"Personally, I think it's disgusting," Poplak said. "There's this huge moral disconnect for these stars, who often have these foundations sponsoring youth in trouble or cancer and all that, but they're accepting large amounts of money from very, very dodgy men.

"It's very different taking money from a corporation than from a dictator like Gadhafi. There's no surprise about who this guy was."
Donating fee

Furtado's decision to make a charitable donation for the same amount that she was paid for the performance, however, has the support of both Poplak (who called it a "lovely gesture") and Viecelli.

"That's the right thing to be doing now," Viecelli said.

"She should think carefully about who she donates that money to, so that it has some real relevance to the issue at hand ... and I hope that everybody else who has, you know, earned money in a similar way is right now making their plans to do the same thing."

Talks to start on makeup of Ireland's government

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny addressing party members at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011. (AP / Peter Morrison)

Talks to start on makeup of Ireland's government
 
DUBLIN — Two former Irish opposition parties were holding talks Monday about forming a new government to tackle the daunting task of rebuilding an economy battered by reckless property speculation and bank lending.

National broadcaster RTE said Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, soon to be Ireland's next prime minister, and his Labour Party counterpart Eamon Gilmore had agreed to meet face-to-face later in the day.

"We don't want a situation where this is going to be dragged out," said Kenny.

The initiative rests with Fine Gael, which has won 70 seats so far in the 166-seat lower house of Parliament after Friday's national election. Results are not yet complete.

Labour Party has won 36 seats, its best ever showing, while the long-dominant Fianna Fail party suffered its worst election in 80 years with only 18 seats so far.

Fianna Fail was punished for leading the government as Ireland's property boom collapsed, banks tottered under bad loans and unemployment soared above 13 percent. To avoid bankruptcy, Ireland was forced to accept a euro67.5 billion (US$92 billion) credit line from the European Central Bank, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

A Fine Gael-Labour coalition was widely expected after Friday's vote, but Fine Gael could also rule with the support of independents, who won 13 seats.

Gilmore is clearly eager to get his Labour party into government, arguing during the campaign that a coalition would best for Ireland.

"If Fine Gael want a government for a period of five years, strong, stable, that brings together the two largest parties ... the Labour Party is willing to play its part in that," Gilmore said.

"But I do say that the window of opportunity for that to happen is very narrow," he added, saying a deal should be completed before the legislature reconvenes March 9.

The bailout loan is contingent on Ireland cutting euro15 billion (US$21 billion) from its deficit spending over the coming four years and imposing the harshest cuts this year, but Fine Gael and Labour have some marked differences over economic strategy.

Fine Gael is committed to cutting the government annual deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2014; Labour wants the target moved to 2016. Fine Gael wants two-thirds of deficit reduction to come from spending cuts and one-third from taxes; Labour has advocated a 50-50 split.

Kenny says he will try to negotiate a lower interest rate on the bailout loan and make bond holders in Irish bank absorb a share of the losses. He has also promised to create 100,000 new jobs in five years.

Whether Ireland gets a Fine Gael-led coalition government with Labour or goes it alone with independents, analysts said more rocky times are ahead for Ireland and the European Union. Other EU nations are annoyed about bailing out Ireland while the island nation refuses to raise its low corporation tax rate.

"The major hurdle in any such renegotiating is more than likely to be a quid pro quo demand from many other EU nations on harmonizing corporate tax rates," said Mark Ostwald, strategist at Monument Securities in London.

"But with Fine Gael having committed to holding both the 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate and the top rates of income tax, and the Labour Party being fiercely opposed to an EU wide harmonization of corporate tax rates, finding some common ground between the EU and Ireland looks very difficult."
 

Demonstrators take to streets in Libyan capital

An anti-Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi protester shouts slogans during a protest, in Benghazi on Monday Feb. 28, 2011. (AP / Hussein Malla)

 

 

 

 

 

Demonstrators take to streets in Libyan capital

Several hundred demonstrators were reportedly marching in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, chanting slogans against Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

The protest involving about 300 people formed after the funeral of someone who had been killed in an attack by pro-Gadhafi militants.

The capital is one of Gadhafi's few remaining strongholds. Rebel groups have established control over large swaths of the east, including much of the nation's oil infrastructure.

There have been widespread reports of armed militia loyal to Gadhafi patrolling the streets and waging violence against demonstrators during clashes over the past two weeks.

In recent days gunmen have further clamped down on the capital, setting up checkpoints and patrols in an attempt to muzzle protests.

CTV's Janis Mackey Frayer said tanks and barricades are being set up around the city to prevent rebel groups from entering.

Many military members -- both officers and enlisted members -- have defected to the rebels and an active recruitment drive is underway to encourage them to do so, Mackey Frayer said.

"They're calling on ex-soldiers to come back and fight for them, fight for what they call the 'new Libya,'" she said.

"They're gathering their weapons and they're planning to march on Tripoli if that's what's needed to topple Gadhafi from power."

Meanwhile, the first international aid shipments are expected to arrive in Libya on Monday, offering some relief to the deeply divided nation.

French officials announced Monday the country was sending two planeloads of aid that would include doctors, nurses, medicine and medical equipment to Libya.

The planes would be destined for "liberated territories" in the east of the country and would represent "the beginning of a massive operation of humanitarian support," said Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

The French planes were to land in Benghazi.

The aid comes as the U.S., U.K., Canada and the UN Security Council all announced sanctions for Libya over the weekend.

In Tripoli, where Gadhafi is believed to be holed up, there were attempts to restore some semblance of normalcy on Monday.

Stores in the downtown reopened and many residents lined up at banks seeking the $400 per family payout Gadhafi was offering to citizens, in a bid to strengthen support.

The promised cash comes amid reports that food prices had skyrocketed in the capital, with rice hitting the equivalent of $40 for a five-kilogram bag.

Some schools reopened Monday, but only for half a day.

The most recent violence in the capital was on Friday, when reports said that pro-Gadhafi militias fired on demonstrators. Since then the city has been largely quiet.

International pressure has been mounting for Gadhafi to step down.

Over the weekend, U.S. President Barack Obama called Gadhafi an illegitimate ruler who must leave power immediately.

Obama's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Gadhafi to "call off the mercenaries" and other troops said to be waging a violent campaign against demonstrators.

"We've been reaching out to many different Libyans who are attempting to organize in the east and as the revolution moves westward there as well," Clinton said.

"I think it's way too soon to tell how this is going to play out, but we're going to be ready and prepared to offer any kind of assistance that anyone wishes to have from the United States."

Gadhafi, meanwhile, has vowed he will die a martyr on Libyan soil before leaving the country.

With files from The Associated Press

Police arrest man after 24 Sussex Drive bomb threat

Police investigate after receiving a call before indicating that there was a bomb at the prime minister's official residence, Monday, Feb. 28, 2011.

Police arrest man after 24 Sussex Drive bomb threat

A Quebec man will face questioning from police in Canada's capital region after an alleged bomb threat targeted the prime minister's official residence on Monday morning.

Ottawa police received a call before 1:30 a.m. indicating that there was a bomb at 24 Sussex Drive in the Ottawa neighbourhood of New Edinburgh. Police searched the prime minister's residence but found nothing.

RCMP Const. Julie Morel told CTV.ca in a Monday morning telephone interview that police launched an investigation into the source of the bomb threat after it was determined that there was "no immediate threat to the prime minister or his family."

The call to Ottawa police was made on a cellphone that was traced to a Gatineau address, Gatineau police Lieut. Steve Dessureault told CTV.ca in a telephone interview on Monday morning.

Police went to the residence to try speaking to a 35-year-old male resident, but he refused to co-operate with the officers on scene, Dessureault said.

While waiting for a search warrant to enter the residence, the man threw a rollerblade at the officers on scene, which Dessureault said was a threat against the officers.

Dessureault said the man has subsequently been taken into custody.

Investigators are still waiting to speak with the suspect regarding the alleged Sussex Drive threat.

Ottawa police are assisting the RCMP with the ongoing investigation, Const. Henri Lanctot told CTV.ca in a brief telephone interview on Monday morning.

Monday's incident is not the first time that Harper has seen security threats involving his official quarters.

Last August, a man was accused of starting a small fire on the sidewalk outside the prime minister's residence. But Harper and his family were not home at the time.

Just over four years ago, a Quebec woman was charged after driving her car through the gate at the prime minister's official country home in Gatineau Park. The woman reportedly wanted to meet Harper, who was then in his first term as prime minister. In that case, Harper was at the Harrington Lake residence, but his spokesperson said "the incident was minor in nature."

The National Capital Commission website says that the house at 24 Sussex Drive has served as the official residence of Canada's prime ministers since 1950. It was built in 1868.

Getting harassed by the Chinese police

Getting harassed by the Chinese police

Beijing, China (CNN) - I had thought China's situation was significantly different from the Middle East because the government has been successful in bringing better living standards to the people here. You would think that would make Beijing feel less vulnerable. But perhaps all authoritarian regimes react the same.

My crew and I went out Sunday afternoon to see if there was going to be a public response to anonymous calls on the Internet to stage protests and begin a Tunisia-style "Jasmine Revolution" in China. When we arrived at the shopping district Wangfujing, the designated protest location, hundreds of uniformed and plain clothes police patrolled the area. We waited to see if any protesters would show up. But after half an hour, there was no obvious demonstration.

We started shooting a short report and within minutes the police descended upon us. My cameraman was led away. My producer, Jo Kent, started filming me with a small camera when a plain clothes policeman batted it out of her hand. He and several other officers started shoving us around. Three bulky men grabbed my petite female producer. Three more nabbed me, holding my arms tight. We offered to walk on our own but the officers pushed, at times lifting us off the ground, before dragging us to a bank branch where police were already detaining other journalists.


The officers took down details of our press credentials and told us we needed a permit to conduct interviews in the area. However, there were no protesters and we weren't interviewing anyone. As far as we understood the regulations, we weren't breaking any laws. In an especially bizarre statement, the police denied that anybody had forced us into the bank, claiming that we showed up on our own volition. They returned our camera and we discovered they had deleted our video even though it was just me on the street discussing how there were no protests. When we insisted on being released, one officer said we were free to go at any time - just not until they said so.

After half an hour, we were released. We walked off the premises and I tried to explain on camera what had happened to us. We were again immediately surrounded by police who attempted to put us into an unidentified car which they said was an official vehicle. One of the men took my press card and refused to give it back until I wrested it out of his hands. I demanded that he show me his ID badge and he did eventually - while covering his name with his thumb.

We found out many other journalists were treated the same and, in some cases, much worse. A former colleague and friend of mine Steve Engle of Bloomberg News had been dragged into an alley by several police who beat him up. He ended up at the hospital.

What makes China's treatment of the international press so bewildering is that there had been no protests for us to cover here. Not that the government should be treating foreign journalists this way under any circumstances, but the authorities have been lashing out with such severity in an attempt to intimidate us even though we have nothing to report. All we would have done this weekend was shown that the streets of Beijing were perfectly peaceful and gone home.

My own experience and those of my colleagues show how incredibly terrified and paranoid the Chinese authorities are of any anti-government movement forming in China.

Quake penknife amputee 'wanted to die'

Recovering: Brian Coker with his family in hospital (AFP: HO/Kathryn Jenkin/Waikato District Health Board)

 

Quake penknife amputee 'wanted to die'

Pinned under a concrete wall and in agonising pain, a Christchurch quake survivor wanted to die before penknife-wielding surgeons hacked his legs off in a remarkable rescue.

"I just wanted there to be a decent aftershock to finish it," Brian Coker said of his ordeal trapped in the rubble of an office block after the devastating tremor that has killed at least 148 people.

Quick-thinking surgeons, who were in Christchurch for a medical conference, saved Mr Coker's life by amputating his legs using a pocket knife and a hacksaw so the 52-year-old financial adviser could be pulled from the wreckage.

Mr Coker issued a statement from the Waikato Hospital where he is recovering, praising the surgeons who put their own lives at risk to operate on him in the still shaking building, using a Leatherman knife and builder's hacksaw.

"I'd like to meet the doctors and rescuers at some time... I would like to thank them," he said.

Mr Coker said he did not remember the amputation because he was anaesthetised, but he could recall the quake and drifting in and out of consciousness trapped in a stairwell beneath debris for six hours, not knowing if help would arrive.

"I was swept off my feet when a concrete wall fell on me," he said.

"I knew straight away I was pinned and there was no way I could get myself out... the pain was excruciating. I had blood dripping from my head."

He hesitated to text his wife because he "didn't want to worry her", eventually deciding to make contact for what he thought may be the final time.

"I wanted to tell her I loved her and that I may not survive," he said.

Rescuers finally found him in the wreckage of the Pyne Gould building, giving him a drink of water and some morphine to ease the pain.

"They kept reassuring me they would get me out," he said. "I could hear other people screaming in the building."

After seeing Mr Coker's horrendous injuries and realising they could not move the massive chunk of masonry crushing his legs, the rescuers enlisted the help of the visiting surgeons to get him out.

"I didn't know they were going to amputate my legs but I should have known. They cut my trousers and they did that while I was still conscious," he said.

"They had no choice."

Australian doctor Stuart Philip described last week how he and his colleagues turned the ruined building into a makeshift operating theatre and used the basic tools available to perform the amputations.

"I've never been so frightened in my life, but we just kept going," he told Australian public radio, adding a female New Zealand medic did most of the surgery because she could fit into the tight space in which Mr Coker was trapped.

Mr Coker said he would remain in hospital for several weeks while his stumps healed before beginning a long program of rehabilitation.

But while acknowledging his life would never be the same, he said his thoughts were focused on the people of Christchurch, particularly those who had lost loved ones.

"My heart goes out to them," he said. "I have colleagues who are injured and colleagues who are missing and my condolences go out to their families."

Video Games. Trading in games better than piracy for industry

A sign offering customers credit for used games can be seen in a GameStop store in New York City. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

 

 

 

Video Games. Trading in games better than piracy for industry
Developers should stop punishing players for buying used games
 
It's becoming pretty obvious that video game makers don't really like the retailers that sell their products. Why else would they continually be thinking of new ways to keep players from trading in their used games, which make up a good portion of sales at such stores?


It's the wrong attitude to take, though, because the used-game market is actually helping to insulate producers from the larger piracy problem that is plaguing their counterparts in the music and movie industries.

The way the resale market works is simple. A brand new top-shelf game usually retails for between $60 and $70 while the used version goes for at least $10 to $15 less. If the consumer trades in a new game within several weeks of its release, or later if the game is particularly in demand, the retailer will generally give a trade-in credit of $30 to $40.

Estimates suggest that, in the United States alone, about a third of all games are sold this way, costing developers about $2 billion US a year in lost sales.

But under the trade-in scheme, the retailer gets to sell the same game more than once, and the consumer gets a bit of a return on what is ultimately not a cheap entertainment expenditure. In turn, they inevitably spend that credit on more games. In effect, everybody wins.

So far, many of the efforts by game developers, such as Electronic Arts, Activision and Ubisoft, to fight trading-in have been benign, even consumer friendly, coming in the form of extra bonuses.

Some companies have included single-use tokens in the packaging that can be redeemed for extra downloadable content for the game, such as a new gun or character. Many other games feature addictive online multiplayer modes, with new downloadable maps being made available periodically.

These tactics either convince the player to buy new or to hold on to the game longer. Ultimately, they've had little impact on the used market because consumers view them simply as bonuses that they can easily live without.


Companies stepping up tactics

The heat is being turned up, though, and the climate might be turning nasty. EA, for one, has enacted a plan called Project Ten Dollar where a serial code must be input in order to activate a game's multiplayer mode. EA's recently released sci-fi horror shooter Dead Space 2 is one game that includes this code.

 The code is single-use, meaning that if a gamer buys a used copy, he or she must then purchase a new $10 code from EA in order to play the online portion.

Many gamers resent the move and say it's "double dipping," because they already pay monthly fees to some console makers to play online. Retailers don't like it much either, because it inevitably drives the resale price of a used game down by $10, which means less trade-in value for the consumer.

The game makers feel they are justified in enacting such measures — primarily because their products are expensive to produce. So-called triple-A titles can have production budgets comparable to those of Hollywood blockbusters, yet games don't have the same income streams. They only have retail whereas films have box office, DVD, television and other ancillary revenues.

Some producers also privately resent the fact that retail chains that tend to devote the majority of store space to used games, such as EB Games, are profiting off their marketing expenditures.

Gamers often don't see it that way. While a $70 game that might take 15 hours to complete certainly provides more initial bang-for-your-buck than a $30 two-hour movie or $15 one-hour CD, the value starts to come down after a while. While movies and music tend to be enjoyed again and again, few people play their games over and over — unless they have a good online mode.

While the game makers may think that putting further restrictions on products is a good way to stem the loss of revenue, it's ultimately a good way to alienate customers and drive them to getting their games through even cheaper means.

Games aren't exactly easy to pirate, at least not for consoles. They can be easily found on file-sharing directories, but the downloader needs a specially modified console to play them.

Like their fellow entertainment businesses, the game industry complains about piracy — especially on PCs, where it is easier to do. The difference is, game makers have yet to really rile up their customers against piracy the way that the music and movie businesses have.

Taking away customers' ability to reclaim some of their expenditure is a good way to motivate them to go through the trouble of modifying their console. While game makers will likely never support the used market, they should at least stick to trying to incentivize people to keep their games rather than punishing them for trading in.

Dead Space 2 from Electronic Arts has a serial code that players must input in order to activate the game's multiplayer mode - one of the measures companies use to dissuade customers from buying used games. (Electronic Arts/Associated Press)

Discovery crew prepares for spacewalks

Space shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crew members greet each other on Saturday after the opening of the hatches between the spacecraft in this still image taken from NASA TV. Reuters/NASA TV

Discovery crew prepares for spacewalks

Twelve astronauts hustled Sunday to haul fresh supplies from space shuttle Discovery into the International Space station and got ready for Monday's spacewalk, the first of two planned for the week.

During Monday's outing Stephen Bowen, with five spacewalks already under his belt, and Alvin Drew will move a broken ammonia pump to a better storage area on the station's exterior and install an extension power cable. The cable extension needs to be hooked up before a chamber full of supplies can be installed permanently on the orbiting lab. The Italian-built compartment was carried up aboard Discovery to serve as an extra closet.


On Sunday, Mission Control told the shuttle fliers that Discovery made it through its final liftoff on Thursday relatively unscathed, and that no further inspections would be needed before undocking from the orbiting station next weekend.

NASA officials said they did not suspect any damage from a section of insulating foam that broke off the fuel tank and struck Discovery's belly. At least four pieces of debris came off the tank during Thursday's launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, though none posed a safety concern.

More than 300 digital photographs snapped from the space station during Discovery's close approach Saturday confirmed the shuttle's thermal armour is free of any serious deformities. The pictures still are being analyzed, but nothing worrisome has popped up, said LeRoy Cain, chairman of the mission management team.

This is the last flight for Discovery, after 39 missions spread over 26 years. The shuttle will be retired when it returns to Earth in just over a week and sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Two shuttle launches remain by Endeavour in April and by Atlantis at the end of June.

Gingerbread houses for HTC Desire range in Q2

Gingerbread houses for HTC Desire range in Q2

HTC has confirmed that the Froyo touting HTC Desire, HTC Desire HD, HTC Desire Z and the newly on sale in the UK, HTC Incredible S will all get Gingerbread updates in Q2.

The Android 2.3 update (or 2.4?) will land on the selected handsets sometime from April onwards, although sadly there's no Gingerbread action planned for the popular budget option HTC Wildfire - that'll be permastuck on Froyo for ever and ever amen it seems.

Although Three has confirmed that its soon to be launched follow-up, the HTC Wildfire S, will be packing Gingerbread 2.4.

Pocket-lint also told you last week how the Samsung Galaxy S Gingerbread update would be coming in March.

TalkTalk pays out over bill errors

TalkTalk pays out over bill errors

Thousands of broadband users who were hit with bills despite cancelling their service have received £2.5 million in compensation.

 The refunds and goodwill payments were made to 62,000 customers after regulator Ofcom took action against TalkTalk and its Tiscali UK subsidiary following the receipt of more than 1,000 complaints relating to incorrect bills.

The watchdog is still receiving complaints and warned it could issue TalkTalk with a fine if it found evidence that the firm had continued to breach regulations.

TalkTalk has been dogged by customer service problems following its takeover of rival Tiscali's UK business in 2009.

Among the billing errors, one customer received bills for £109.77 from TalkTalk after she switched to another provider. Another customer paid Tiscali UK £610 despite cancelling her account in February 2006, after being sent bills from debt collection services.

Under chief executive Dido Harding, TalkTalk has created a central support team to improve service quality and rectify the problems. It said: "We're pleased that Ofcom has recognised the significant steps we've taken to fix the billing issues identified.

"We moved all of our customers to our single billing platform at the end of January and our focus on resolving any outstanding billing issues continues. We remain committed to providing great value and service to our 4.2 million phone and broadband customers."

Ofcom launched an investigation into TalkTalk in July which led to it giving the company a deadline of December 2 to remedy the breach in regulations and pay refunds to customers.

It ordered TalkTalk to provide refunds to all consumers who were billed for cancelled services since January 1 2010, cancel debt collection action and take steps to repair the credit ratings of affected customers.

Because TalkTalk had taken significant steps to fix the problem within the deadline, Ofcom said it could not fine the company for the original offences. But it can take additional action against TalkTalk, including a possible fine, if it finds evidence of a further breach of the rules.

iPhone 5 screen surfaces - suggests thinner bezel

iPhone 5 screen surfaces - suggests thinner bezel

There have been several rumours that the iPhone 5 will have a bigger screen size, with some suggesting that it will feature an edge-to-edge display. And, according to a pic appearing on a Chinese website (which deals in and resells iPhone parts), that could be the case. 

 The picture shows what is claimed to be the digitiser panel of a fifth gen iPhone, and if genuine, the bezel is markedly thinner than the one on the iPhone 4. It therefore allows for a larger display within the same sized body as the current generation handset. Indeed, it matches other suggestions circulating around the web that the iPhone 5 will feature a 4-inch screen.
Obviously, it's early days yet, and we're pretty sure that Cupertino has its hands full prepping the launch of the iPad 2 (on Wednesday), so it could be some time before we see whether this sheet of plastic ever makes it onto a device.

There's no point hanging around in Californian bars just yet.

The Razzies name 'The Last Airbender' the worst movie of 2010

Actor Noah Ringer attends the premiere of "The Last Airbender" at Alice Tully Hall on June 30, 2010 in New York City

The Razzies name 'The Last Airbender' the worst movie of 2010

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The night before Hollywood gathers to honor its best Sunday, Razzie voters sifted through what they dubbed the cinematic rubble and (dis)honored "The Last Airbender" as the worst movie of 2010.

The M. Night Shyamalan action-flick, which was panned by critics upon its release last year, won (or should that be 'lost'?) for Worst Director, Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Supporting Actor and a new category -- Worst Eye-gouging Misuse of 3-D.

The other movie that took home multiple gold spray-painted statuettes Saturday night was "Sex and the City 2" for Worst Screen Ensemble and Worst Actress -- presented jointly to the four leading ladies: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Davis.

The Razzies -- or the Golden Raspberry Awards -- are decided by 637 voters in the United States and 17 countries, according to its website. It began in 1980 as "a logical antidote to Tinsel Town's annual glut of self-congratulatory awards," it says.

Actors and actresses who are nominated rarely attend the ceremony, though Sandra Bullock attended last year to pick up her award for her performance in the box office bomb "All About Steve." The next night, she took home the Best Actress honor at the Academy Awards for her role in "The Blind Side."

Held this year at Hollywood's Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, here is a list of the 2010 "winners":

Worst Picture: "The Last Airbender"

Worst Actor: Ashton Kutcher for both "Killers" and "Valentine's Day."

Worst Actress: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Davis for "Sex and the City 2"

Worst Supporting Actor: Jackson Rathbone for "The Last Airbender" and "Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (the other most-nominated title of the year)

Worst Supporting Actress: Jessica Alba for "The Killer Inside Me," "Little Fockers," "Machete" and "Valentine's Day"

Worst Eye-gouging Misuse of 3-D: "The Last Airbender"

Worst Screen Couple or Ensemble: The cast of "Sex and the City 2"

Worst Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Worst Screenplay: "The Last Airbender"

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: "Sex and the City 2"

Donald cools off Kaymer to land WGC Match Play crown

Luke Donald was always in command in the final in Arizona against Martin Kaymer.

Donald cools off Kaymer to land WGC Match Play crown

(CNN) -- England's Luke Donald beat new world number one Martin Kaymer by 3&2 to win the snow-hit WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona Sunday.

Freezing overnight conditions and the unexpected snowfall struck the Dove Mountain course ahead of the 18-hole final, but once it begun it was Donald who warmed to his task from the start.

He pulled three clear by the fifth, play briefly held up by a hailstorm which left the players sheltering for cover, and was never headed.

But Germany's Kaymer hit back when Donald three-putted the short sixth and a birdie on the par-5 eighth saw the gap cut to just one hole.

PGA champion Kaymer drew level as Donald made a hash of the ninth, finding the desert rough with his second, but that was as close as he got to victory.

Donald took the lead again with a birdie on the long 11th, extended it at the next as Kaymer bogeyed and went three-up with a further birdie on the 15th.

He closed out the biggest victory of his career on the short 16th and the $1.4 million check.

It was his third win on the PGA Tour, but first since 2006, taking him to a career-high number three in the new rankings Monday behind Kaymer and compatriot Lee Westwood.

"It couldn't have gone any better -- not to get to the 18th hole in any match this week and pretty much go through reasonably stress-free," Donald told the official PGA Tour website.

"I played solid this week. It's nice to get the victory."

Donald had never trailed throughout his six matches and needed just 73 holes to reach the final, beating Tiger Woods' record of 77.

Kaymer will console himself with taking over as No.1 from Westwood, but called Donald a "very tough opponent" as he could never get to grips with his Ryder Cup teammate in the cold conditions.

In the all-American third place play-off, Matt Kuchar beat Bubba Watson 2&1 in a scrappy match.

Facebook page calls for Qatar emir's ouster

Palestinians protestors burn a picture of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani decorated with a Star of David during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Hebron, January 2011. A Facebook page demanding the ouster of Qatar's moderate, pro-Western emir, accusing him of being an agent of Israel, had attracted 18,262 fans in the latest web-driven push for change in the Arab world.

Facebook page calls for Qatar emir's ouster

DUBAI (AFP) - A Facebook page demanding the ouster of Qatar's moderate, pro-Western emir, accusing him of being an agent of Israel, had attracted 18,262 fans by Saturday in the latest web-driven push for change in the Arab world.

In what is apparently the first call for change in the gas-rich state since popular revolts began sweeping the Arab world, the page has a profile picture with an image of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, crossed out in red.

Against a backdrop of Qatar's flag is the tagline: "For Qatar: try the traitor, an agent of Israel."

Entitled "Freedom Revolution, March 16, Qatar," the page calls on Qataris to hit the streets to demand change."

It could not be determined how many of the page's followers are in the gas-rich emirate, nor how many many might turn out.

Among other demands are the exclusion from public affairs of the emir's wife, Sheikha Mouza, and an end to Qatari ties to Israel and the United States, which has a military base in the small Gulf state.

Qatar does not have diplomatic relations with Israel but did maintain informal ties with the Jewish state.

It broke off those ties and closed Israel's trade office in Doha in protest at Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip over New Year 2009 in which more than 1,400 Palestinians were killed.

The page features pictures of Hamad and others with Israeli officials accompanied by angry comments about the emir being a "traitor like Mubarak."

Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak pursued close ties with Israel during years of efforts to help broker a peace deal with the Palestinians.

The number of Facebook users in the Arab world rose by 78 percent in 2010, from less than 12 million to around 21 million, according to a report published by the Dubai School of Government.

Facebook and Twitter have played a significant role in a wave of anti-government protests around the Arab world, fanned by poverty and unemployment, that have grown into major revolts.

A popular uprising led to the ousting of Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt's Mubarak, and similar revolts have sprung up in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.

Earlier this month, a page dedicated to Saudi Arabia surfaced on Facebook, urging political, social and economic reforms. By Saturday, the page had attracted more than 9,400 fans.
On Wednesday, in an apparent bid to keep his citizens happy, Saudi King Abdullah announced a boost in social benefits, a 15 percent pay rise for state employees and an increase in cash available for Saudi housing loans.

Videogame makers seek footing on shifting landscape

Visitors are seen here playing with Xbox 360 games consoles during a game convention in France, in 2010. Videogame makers from around the globe are gathering to seek paths to fortune and glory on a landscape upset by social networks, smartphones, tablet computers, and the Internet "cloud

 

 

 

Videogame makers seek footing on shifting landscape

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Videogame makers from around the globe are gathering to seek paths to fortune and glory on a landscape upset by social networks, smartphones, tablet computers, and the Internet "cloud."

More than 18,000 industry insiders are expected to attend the weeklong Game Developers Conference that kicks off Monday in downtown San Francisco.

The event has grown into the world's largest confab of videogame professionals since it started in 1988 with about two dozen computer game loving software developers meeting in a living room.

Major themes at GDC will include adapting to the booming popularity of "social games" at online communities such as Facebook and casual play on smartphones or tablet computers.

"In past years developers treated social games like second-class citizens to consoles," said Scott Steinberg, lead videogame analyst at TechSavvy Global.

"Now, they are facing the reality that this is where the future might lie."

Revenue from social games is likely to exceed a billion dollars this year, according to industry tracker eMarketer.

Facebook stands to benefit nicely from the trend, since about half of its more than 500 million members play games and the social network takes a 30 percent cut of revenue from game transactions.

Internet game playground Hi5 will introduce at GDC a SocioPay platform designed to ramp-up the amount of money developers pump from their creations.

SocioPay will complement a recently-launched Hi5 SocioPath portal that enables game applications to break free of Facebook while letting players stay connected to friends at the social network.

"Think of these as services that give social games the monetization platform and social network features they get from Facebook, but they don't need Facebook to do it," Hi5 president Alex St. John told AFP.

"Social gaming is going to continue to grow dramatically, and one of the ways is it is going to escape from the confines of Facebook," he added.

SocioPay times offers of virtual goods to when people are likely to accept and shows video ads to penurious players.

Fewer than two percent of social game players pay anything, according to industry statistics.

"The system intelligently separates people who will pay and who won't, then monetizes non-payers with ads," said St. John, whose background includes founding game website Wild Tangent and working on Microsoft's Xbox videogame console.

"Not only does it double your money, players like it better."

Hi5 shares in revenues from games it publishes.

Startup Blue Noodle at GDC will unveil Clickstrip technology that pays players in-game currency for clicking on-screen bars to watch 30-second video ads.

"Brands are really interested right now in the social space," said Blue Noodle chief executive Lesley Mansford. "Social networking social gaming is huge."

Habbo Hotel owned by Finland-based Sulake Corp. boasts being the biggest social game community for teenagers, with 16 million young people using the website monthly.

Habbo sells virtual components for people to create online games. It is free to join and play.

For example, someone will buy a virtual soccer field, goals, and ball, then invite friends to take part in matches for free.

A hot game involves creating faux hospitals where friends represented by animated characters play at being doctors, nurses or patients, according to Habbo executive vice president Teemu Huuhtanen.

A version of Habbo tailored for tablet computers is poised for release later this year when a second-generation iPad and devices running on Google's "Honeycomb" software take hold in the market.

"Social games are going to go to tablets," Huuhtanen said. "I don't think a lot of people understand how fast the world is going toward tablets and mobile."

Topics at GDC will include crafting games to be played on mobile gadgets and in Internet browser windows, as well as titles hosted as services online.

Developers will also explore the promise of 3D games and titles for play using motion-sensing controls for Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) videogame consoles.

Kinect for Xbox 360 and Move for PS3 have been hits since their releases late last year in a sign there is still money to be made with blockbuster console titles.

"The game industry continues to be an area of turbulence because everyone is trying to figure out where the future lies," Steinberg said.
"You continue to see studios close, publishing giants re-invent themselves, and the developer community realize the power it has to sell directly to shoppers."

Chilean miner runs Tokyo Marathon

Chilean miner Edison Pena reacts after completing the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday. Pena, one of the survivors of last year's Chilean mine accident, was one of more than 35,000 runners who took part in the fifth running of the marathon. (Shizuo Kambayashi/Pool/Associated Press)

Chilean miner runs Tokyo Marathon

Chilean miner Edison Pena finished the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, shaving more than 30 minutes off the time he set in New York in his second such race since he was among the 33 men rescued in October.

The 35-year-old Pena had been training more than 10 kilometres a day and it showed, as he finished the race through the streets of downtown Tokyo in five hours eight minutes 19 seconds. In the New York City Marathon, he ran and walked on bad knees to finish in five hours 40 minutes on Nov. 7.

"It was not like the New York Marathon," Pena said. "I didn't walk, I ran the entire time."

Pena jogged through tunnels while trapped underground, and word of his dedication inspired NYC Marathon organizers to invite him to watch the race. Instead, he asked to run it.

Pena said there may be more marathons in his future.

"It's just a big challenge for me," Pena said. "It's an incredible thing to do and it's just amazing to be able to do something like this for a second time. I felt very good about my result today."

Executives from Remo System, a Japanese maker of shoe inserts and other training products, were in New York for the marathon and were moved to invite him to Tokyo. They worked with Fuji TV to get him into Sunday's race.

Remo plans to donate 2,000 pairs of shoes to needy Chileans in his honour.

Libya unrest sparks refugee crisis at Tunisia border

Thousands of Egyptians have been streaming into Tunisia from Libya

Libya unrest sparks refugee crisis at Tunisia border

ibya's border with Tunisia is being overrun with migrants, many of them from Egypt, fleeing turmoil in Libya, aid workers say.

A UN refugee official told the BBC that 20,000 Egyptians were stranded and needed food and shelter. Many are sleeping in the open despite the cold.

Some Egyptian refugees staged protests shouting: "We want to go home."

About 100,000 people have fled anti-government unrest in Libya over the past week, the UN estimates.

The BBC's Jim Muir at the Ras Jdir border crossing with Tunisia says the exodus of Egyptian workers from western Libya began on Wednesday, but has been intensifying daily since then.

Liz Eyster of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) told the BBC that Tunisian authorities were no longer able to cope with the influx.

"They've been accommodating people in shelters, schools and places of their own. But we're now aware of the fact that they're very much stretched and they need the support of the international community."

Monji Slim, the local representative of the Red Crescent, told AFP news agency: "It is a humanitarian crisis, our capacities to take in people are exhausted. The entire world should mobilise to help Egypt repatriate its nationals."


About 7,000 Egyptians have already been evacuated by air, but Ms Eyster said there was a "bottleneck in getting the Egyptians back home".

One stranded refugee said: "All the people here are demonstrating because they want to go to Egypt. All countries are sending aircraft to rescue their people - Turkey, Korea, India, Bangladesh - everyone is arriving and leaving except for Egyptians."

A number of countries have been evacuating foreigners by air and sea.

On Sunday a Greek ship carrying hundreds of migrants - mainly from Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, Portugal, the Netherlands and Britain - docked at the port of Piraeus near Athens.
'Revolution'

The exodus comes as the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, battles for political survival in an uprising that began in the east of the country.

 At least 1,000 people are believed to have been killed in nearly two weeks of violence in which eastern cities cities have fallen to anti-government forces.

Col Gaddafi is facing the biggest challenge to his 41-year rule, but still controls the capital Tripoli.

However the centre of Zawiya, about 50km (30 miles) to the west, was being held by the anti-government camp on Sunday. Pro-Gaddafi forces are surrounding the city.

"This is our revolution," some demonstrators, quoted by Reuters news agency, chanted.

A number of protesters stood on top of a captured tank while others crowded around an anti-aircraft gun, Reuters added.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington was "reaching out to many different Libyans in the east".

She was speaking on her way to Geneva to meet the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to discuss the crisis.

Opposition forces that control Benghazi and other eastern cities say they have formed a national council to act as the political face of the anti-Gaddafi movement.

 Late on Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously backed an arms embargo and asset freeze on senior Libyan government officials.

It also voted to refer Col Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.

In a telephone interview with a Serbian TV, he said the sanctions were null and void.

"The people of Libya support me, small groups of rebels are surrounded and will be dealt with," he added.

Col Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam denied that his father had any assets abroad.

"We are a very modest family and everybody knows that," he told ABC News. "They are saying we have money in Europe or Switzerland... It's a joke."

He also denied widespread reports that Libyan troops and mercenaries had fired on civilians.

Are you in Libya? What is your experience of the unrest? Are you an expat trying to leave? You can send us your experiences using the form below.

United States tells Gaddafi to 'leave now'

Hunkered down: Libyan leader Moamar Gaddafi (Reuters: Antony Njuguna)

United States tells Gaddafi to 'leave now'

US president Barack Obama has called on Moamar Gaddafi to "leave now," declaring that the Libyan leader had lost his right to rule after attacking his own people to put down a popular uprising.

Mr Obama's most direct demand yet that Mr Gaddafi step down was made in a telephone call with German chancellor Angela Merkel to coordinate their response to the crisis, the White House said.

"The president stated that when a leader's only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what is right for his country by leaving now," it said.

Hours later, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to order an investigation into crimes against humanity, an arms embargo and travel bans and asset freezes targeting Mr Gaddafi, his family and inner circle.

The resolution cited "gross and systematic violation of human rights, including the repression of peaceful demonstrators" and incitement to hostility and violence "from the highest levels of the Libyan government."

Australia has welcomed the decision, with Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd saying it sends a clear and unambiguous message to the Libyan regime that it must meet its responsibility to protect the Libyan people.

The UN resolution stopped short of demanding Mr Gaddafi be removed from power, something that Mr Obama had also refrained from doing while US citizens were being evacuated from Libya.

But the president and secretary of state Hillary Clinton sharply changed tack Saturday in back-to-back statements.

"Moamar Gaddafi has lost the confidence of his people and he should go without further bloodshed and violence," Ms Clinton said.

"The Libyan people deserve a government that is responsive to their aspirations and that protects their universally recognized human rights."

The diplomatic moves came as Mr Gaddafi hunkered down in Tripoli for what many feared would be a bloody showdown with rebels that have taken control of large areas of the oil-rich North African country.

The Libyan leader's son, Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, earlier told Al-Arabiya television that the crisis had "opened the doors to a civil war."

Foreigners flee


As the impasse deepened, thousands of foreign workers were trying to flee the country and embassies closed their doors. The United Nations estimates that more than 1,000 civilians have been killed so far.

The UN refugee agency said Sunday that "close to 100,000 people", mainly foreign migrants, have fled Libya to neighbouring countries during the past week of turmoil.

A UNHCR count showed that they were overwhelmingly foreign migrants, mainly Egyptians and Tunisians.

The Red Crescent said earlier that more than 10,000 people fled Libya into Tunisia at the Ras Jedir post on Saturday alone, most of them Egyptians, calling the situation a "humanitarian crisis" as the flow grew.

Before those arrivals, the Tunisian government said Saturday that 40,000 people had crossed from Libya since February 20, while Egyptian authorities accounted for 55,000 people fleeing since February 19, according to the UNHCR.

The refugee agency urged foreign help for Egypt and Tunisia to cope with the exodus.

The UNHCR revealed that its staff had crossed the border from Egypt, and met Libyan police and military nearby who said that they had defected from government forces and were working with local committees of tribal leaders.

Those tribal leaders told the agency there was a need for humanitarian assistance in Libya, "with a critical shortage of food throughout the eastern region, as well as shortages of some medical supplies," it added.

The reports of food shortages echo unconfirmed claims by some Libyan opposition members.

Canada suspends diplomatic presence in Libya

Libyans wave the former royal flag of Libya during a protest in the eastern city of Benghazi, Libya, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011. (AP / Tara Todras-Whitehill)

Canada suspends diplomatic presence in Libya

Six consular officials, including the ambassador, were among two dozen Canadians spirited out of Libya overnight, in a clear signal Ottawa is suspending its diplomatic presence in the embattled North African country.

The six officials and 18 other Canadian citizens were among a group of British citizens and Australian diplomats flown to Malta aboard a C17 in the early morning hours Saturday.

"What this means is Canada has now suspended its diplomatic presence in Libya, following the example of the United States and Britain," CTV's Richard Madan reported from Ottawa Saturday.

In total, 46 people left Tripoli on the flight, leaving about 100 Canadians in Libya who have indicated they wish to leave the country, which is being torn apart by protests calling for the ouster of autocratic ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

"The priority remains to continue to evacuate Canadians," Dimitri Soudas, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said Saturday.

So far, about 200 Canadians have managed to flee Libya, mostly on planes chartered by other countries, as well as a U.S. flagged ferry. On Friday, a plane chartered by the Canadian government was forced to leave Tripoli without any passengers because officials could not locate any Canadians at the airport.

Soudas defended the federal government's evacuation efforts, saying officials "have worked around the clock with partners around the world to ensure safe passage for Canadians by any and all means to reach safety as quickly as possible."

He added: "Canadians did not find themselves on charters of other nations by coincidence."

Senior government officials will remain in Malta to assist the Canadians who arrive there.

On Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada will enact strict new sanctions on Gadhafi's regime, echoing similarly strong words from White House officials, the United Nations and other countries around the world.

"I've instructed our officials to prepare a full range of sanctions against the Libyan regime, both in collaboration with our international partners or unilaterally if necessary," Harper said, emphasising that all options are being considered to dealing with both Gadhafi's regime and his family.

"No options have been ruled out."

Speaking Saturday, Soudas elaborated on the nature of possible sanctions, including forcing Canadian businesses there to temporarily cease operations.

Suncor Energy and SNC-Lavalin are just two of the Canadian companies who operate in the country.

The prime minister also suggested that any attacks on civilians within Libya could be cause for legal action at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

"Those responsible for ordering and carrying out atrocities against the Libyan people must be held accountable," Harper told reporters Friday night.

The prime minister added that Canada will support a push from the UN Security Council to enact an embargo on arms and to freeze the assets of the Gadhafi regime.

The White House also announced Friday that new, unilateral sanctions would be imposed on Gadhafi and his family. U.S. Treasury officials have also been asked to take extra precautions with "private banking accounts held by or on behalf of senior foreign political figures."

On Friday night, the Obama administration closed down its embassy in Libya and froze the U.S. assets of the Libyan government, Gadhafi and four of his children.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Monday to discuss further action against Libya.

In recent days, a string of Libyan ambassadors and diplomats around the world have abandoned the regime, as have the justice and interior ministers at home, and one of Gadhafi's cousins and closest aides, Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, who sought refuge in Egypt.

According to a partial count, the New York-based Human Rights Watch estimates 300 people have died in Libya since protesters first took to the streets on Feb. 15. Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of some 1,000 people killed were "credible."

York Minster vigil for missing Claudia Lawrence

Claudia Lawrence went missing in March 2009

York Minster vigil for missing Claudia Lawrence

A candlelit vigil is being held at York Minster later to mark the 37th birthday of missing chef Claudia Lawrence.

The service will be led by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, and the Dean of York, the Very Reverend Keith Jones.

The York University chef was last seen in the city on 18 March, 2009. Police have since scaled back their suspected murder investigation.

Her father Peter Lawrence said he still believed his daughter was alive.

The service will start with an informal procession from the Mansion House, in St Helen's Square, at 1430 GMT before entering the Minster at 1445 GMT.

Mr Lawrence, of Slingsby, North Yorkshire, is a member of the Minster congregation.

He said: "I think somewhere along the way, if anything had happened to Claudia, I would have felt it inside, and in fact the Archbishop expresses the same thing.

"Whenever he sees me he says, 'she's alive man, I can feel it'."

Miss Lawrence was born in Malton, North Yorkshire, and lived in the Heworth area of York.

Despite a high-profile investigation, one of the largest carried out by North Yorkshire Police, no trace of her has been found.

UK 'to end direct aid to 16 countries'

India is one of the biggest recipients of UK development aid

UK 'to end direct aid to 16 countries'

The UK is to stop direct aid to 16 countries, including Russia, China and Iraq, papers seen by the BBC suggest.

A draft copy of the government's review of its overseas aid budget - due to be published this week - also reveals aid to India will be frozen.

But overall, the international development budget will rise by a third in this Parliament as a new approach focuses on value for money, it says.

The report states that aid spending is good for Britain's economy and safety.
Malaria deaths

The draft document outlines plans for greater transparency and accountability, with an emphasis on funding programmes that deliver greater results and which, specifically, help girls and women.

Resources will be focused on the 27 countries that account for three-quarters of the world's maternal mortality and malaria deaths, such as Ghana and Afghanistan.

By 2014, 30% of UK aid is expected to go to war-torn and unstable countries.

The report confirms that direct aid to countries including Iraq and Kosovo will stop, whilst aid to India will be frozen.

India is currently one of the biggest recipients of UK development aid, and there have been media campaigns in the UK suggesting an economy growing at nearly 10% a year simply does not need British assistance.

But others point out that nearly half a billion people in India are still desperately poor, and efforts to reduce global poverty will not progress without significant aid.

Earlier this weekend, it emerged that the UK is threatening to switch funding away from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization - which focuses on longer term projects, such as providing seeds and tools for agriculture - unless its performance improves.

Instead, more funding could go to the World Food Programme, which deals with emergency food aid around the globe.

As a major aid donor, any cut or change in UK funding of UN programmes is likely to have a big impact.

Obama: It's time for Libya's Gadhafi to go

AP – A man carrying a bag of food walks past a burned-out police station in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Feb. 

Obama: It's time for Libya's Gadhafi to go

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has called on Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to leave power immediately, saying he has lost the legitimacy to rule with his violent crackdown on his own people.

With that shift Saturday, Obama dropped the careful condemnation, threats of consequences and the reminders to Gadhafi's regime about its responsibility to avoid violence.

The president called on Gadhafi to step down for the first time, saying the Libyan government must be held accountable for its brutal crackdown on dissenters. The administration also announced new sanctions against Libya, but that was overshadowed by the sharp demand for Gadhafi's immediate ouster.

"The president stated that when a leader's only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what is right for his country by leaving now," the White House said.

The statement summarizing Obama's telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel came as Libya's embattled regime passed out guns to civilian supporters and sent armed patrols around its capital to quash dissent and stave off the rebellion that now controls large parts of the North African nation.

Until Saturday, U.S. officials held back from fully and openly throwing all their support behind the protest movement, insisting that it was for the Libyan people to determine how they want to be led. The refrain echoed the public position maintained by the administration during the Egypt crisis, when the U.S. gradually dropped its support for longtime ally Hosni Mubarak but never explicitly demanded his resignation after nearly three decades in power.

Explaining the change, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Libyans "have made themselves clear" that they want Gadhafi out.

The tougher tone set the stage for Clinton's trip Sunday to Geneva, where she will confer with foreign policy chiefs from Russia, the European Union and other global powers on how to drive home the message to a Libyan government determined to cling to power and crush opposition to Gadhafi's rule.

Obama and Merkel strategized on how the world should respond to the violence that, according to some officials, has killed thousands of people. Clinton spoke with the EU's top diplomat Catherine Ashton to coordinate the international pressure.

Acting on its own, the administration announced a new measure Saturday when Clinton said the U.S. was revoking visas for senior Libyan officials and their immediate family members. New travel applications from these individuals will be rejected, she said.

The visa ban followed the administration's moves Friday to freeze all Libyan assets in the U.S. that belong to Gadhafi, his government and four of his children. The U.S. also closed its embassy in Libya and suspended the limited defense trade between the countries.

It is unclear how far the U.S. — and its international allies — might have to go to convince Gadhafi that his four-decade reign in Libya must end. American military action is unlikely, although the administration hasn't ruled out participation in an internationally administered protective no-fly zone.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon was due in Washington on Monday for talks with Obama at the White House.

A nonviolent revolt against Gadhafi's government began Feb. 15 amid a wave of uprisings in the Arab world. Most of Libya's eastern half is under the control of rebels. Witnesses say Gadhafi's government has responded by shooting at protesters in numerous cities.

North Korea threatens to attack South Korea, US

AP – FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2011 file photo, South Korean marines on an inflatable boat aim their machine 

North Korea threatens to attack South Korea, US

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea threatened Sunday to enlarge its nuclear arsenal and mercilessly attack South Korea and the United States, as the allies prepared to start annual joint military drills which the North says are a rehearsal for an invasion.

North Korea routinely issues similar threats against South Korea and the U.S. over any joint military drills. The latest warning, however, could rekindle tensions on the Korean peninsula which sharply rose last year after two deadly incidents blamed on the North.

North Korea fired artillery at a front-line South Korean island in November, killing four people. The barrage came eight months after the sinking of a South Korean warship which killed 46 sailors. North Korea has denied firing a torpedo at the ship.

North Korea called the planned South Korea-U.S. drills a "dangerous military scheme."

"The army and people of (North Korea) will return bolstered nuclear deterrent of our own style for the continued nuclear threat by the aggressors," North Korea's military said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

It accused South Korea and the U.S. of plotting to topple the North's communist government. It said if provoked, North Korea would start a "full-scale" war, take "merciless counteraction" and turn Seoul into a "sea of flames."

North Korea also warned it will take "our own missile striking action" against what it called moves by the U.S. and South Korea to eliminate the North's missiles. The statement didn't elaborate.

Earlier Sunday, the North's military warned that it would destroy South Korean border towns if Seoul continues to allow activists to launch propaganda leaflets toward the communist country.

In a separate statement carried by KCNA, it accused South Korean activists and lawmakers of flying balloons carrying hundreds of thousands of leaflets and DVDs critical of North Korea's government on the North's most important national holiday, an apparent reference to leader Kim Jong Il's 69th birthday, which was Feb. 16.

It was unclear whether activists have launched more balloons since then.

A South Korean Defense Ministry official said his ministry was aware of the North's warning and was keeping a close watch on its military movements. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing ministry rules.

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told parliament Friday that North Korea may launch new attacks this spring and that South Korea's military is ready to cope with any hostilities.

The joint South Korean-U.S. drills will rehearse responses to any potential emergency on the Korean peninsula.

About 12,800 U.S. troops and some 200,000 South Korean soldiers and reservists are to take part in the drills, which will last 11 days and involve computer war games, live-firing exercises and other field training, according to the U.S. and South Korean militaries.

North Korea has called the drills a preparation for an invasion, although South Korean and U.S. officials have repeatedly said they are purely defensive.

After weeks of high tension following its November bombardment of the island, North Korea pushed for dialogue with South Korea and expressed a desire to return to stalled international talks on its nuclear program.

Military officers from the two Koreas met earlier this month but failed to make progress, with both sides accusing the other of rupturing the dialogue. North Korea later threatened not to hold any more military talks with Seoul.

The two Koreas are still technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to help deter potential aggression by the North.

Libya rebels gear for fight in city near capital

AP – Anti-Lybian leader Moammar Ghadafi gunmen celebrate the freedom of the Libyan city of Benghazi, Libya

Libya rebels gear for fight in city near capital

ZAWIYA, Libya – Hundreds of armed anti-government forces backed by rebel troops who control the city closest to the capital Tripoli appeared to be readying Sunday to repel an expected offensive by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi who have surrounded Zawiya.

An Associated Press reporter who reached Zawiya, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tripoli, confirmed the anti-government rebels are in control of the center of the city of 200,000. They have army tanks and anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks deployed. But on the outskirts, they are surrounded by pro-Gadhafi forces.

There were at least six checkpoints controlled by troops loyal to Gadhafi on the road from Tripoli to Zawiya. Each checkpoint was reinforced by at least one tank, and the troops concealed their faces with scarves.

Gadhafi has launched by far the bloodiest crackdown in a wave of anti-regime uprising sweeping the Arab world. The United States, Britain and the U.N. Security Council all imposed sanctions on Libya over the weekend. And President Barack Obama said it is time for Gadhafi to go.

Zawiya, a key city close to an oil port and refineries, is the nearest population center to Tripoli to fall into the opposition hands.

Police stations and government offices inside the city have been torched and anti-Gadhafi graffiti was everywhere. Many buildings are pockmarked by bullets.

"Gadhafi Out," chanted hundreds in the city center. The charred skeletons of many cars littered the city and most streets were blocked by palm tree trunks or metal barricades. "Free, Free Libya," chanted members of the anti-government forces at the city center.

"Down with Gadhafi, the mass murder," read graffiti scrawled in the city. An effigy of Gadhafi hung from a light pole in the city's main square. On its chest the words "Execute Gadhafi" were emblazoned.

Rebels from the town and army forces who defected from the regime to join them largely consolidated control of the town on Feb. 24, after an army unit that remained loyal to Gadhafi opened fire on a mosque where residents — some armed with hunting rifles for protection — had been holding a sit-in. There were reports from doctors of at least 10 deaths in the fighting.

That night, in a speech from the ramparts of a historic fortress in Tripoli, Gadhafi scolded the town.

"Shame on you, people of Zawiya, control your children," he said. "They are loyal to bin Laden," he said of those involved in the uprising. "What do you have to do with bin Laden, people of Zawiya? They are exploiting young people ... I insist it is bin Laden."

On Feb. 27, local forces repelled an attempt by militiamen and pro-Gadhafi troops to take back the town.

Later, Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, acknowledged to foreign journalists in Tripoli that there were "two minor problems" in Misrata and Zawiya. There, he said, "we are dealing with terrorist people," but he hoped to reach a peaceful settlement with them.

Gadhafi loyalists remain in control of nearby Tripoli, which was reported to be quiet early Sunday, with most stores closed and long lines outside the few banks open for business. Traffic in the city was close to its normal levels.