Early rocks to reveal their ages

The new technique involves recovering rare minerals from ancient rocks

A new technique has been helping scientists piece together how the Earth's continents were arranged 2.5 billion years ago.

The novel method allows scientists to recover rare minerals from rocks.

By analysing the composition of these minerals, researchers can precisely date ancient volcanic rocks for the first time.

By aligning rocks that have a similar age and orientation, the early landmasses can be pieced together.

This will aid the discovery of rocks rich in ore and oil deposits, say the scientists. The approach has already shown that Canada once bordered Zimbabwe, helping the mining industry identify new areas for exploration.

Dr Wouter Bleeker, from the Geological Survey of Canada, explained that much of the geology that exists today formed around 300 million years ago when the supercontinent Pangea existed.

"We really don't understand the [Earth's] history prior to Pangea," he told a recent meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Toronto.

Early landmasses

Analysis of rocks that formed when continents drifted apart can help geologists reconstruct early landmasses.

Dr Richard Ernst, a geologist from the University of Ottawa, explained that molten magma fills the cracks formed by shifting continental plates.

The magma cools to form long veins of basalt - a volcanic rock - that has a "distinct magnetic signature" revealing the rock's orientation and latitude when it formed.

By combining this "magnetic signature" with the ages of these rocks, researchers can tell whether rocks on different continents were once part of the same volcanic up-welling.

But until now, researchers have been unable to determine the ages of many of these ancient rocks because of the difficulty in extracting the minerals used to date them.

The researchers are dealing with such small mineral crystals - typically much less than 100 microns long - that grains are far smaller than the width of a human hair.

But with the development of new techniques, minerals - such as baddeleyite - can now be successfully recovered.

Baddeleyite is useful because it incorporates large amounts of uranium into its crystal-structure, and because uranium naturally decays to lead.

Scientists also know the rate at which this happens, so they can use these minerals as radioactive "clocks".

They then need to measure the amounts of uranium and lead very precisely.

In a large, international project, researchers hope to collect and date 250 rocks from around the world, and use this information to reconstruct how these continental fragments were once together to form giant landmasses that existed 2.5 billion years ago.

Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around.

Facts on honey and cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a "Ram Ban" (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January, 1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES:
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

ARTHRITIS:
Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

TOOTHACHE:
Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied three times a day until the tooth stops aching.

CHOLESTEROL:
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS:
According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural
Ingredient which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body.

CANCER:
Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.

FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than! than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

Pakistanis turn backs on 'erring' Taliban

As the fighting between the Taliban militants and Pakistani army becomes a war for the soul of Pakistan, Hanif Mohammed thinks the Taliban may have already lost one crucial battle.

Support for the Taliban is fading as fighting increasingly affects civilians

On the 11th day of every Islamic month, my next-door neighbours in Karachi set up a sound system in the evening and start singing songs of devotion.

The house belongs to a banker who is also a minor spiritual leader of the Gilani sect, which originated in Iraq.

Their evening usually begins with hymns for the Prophet Muhammad, set to Bollywood's hit tunes.

Sometimes I observe them from my roof top.

They are all middle-aged men, and most sport flowing beards.

The long line of cars parked outside the house suggests that they have a preference for the latest, flashy models.

The finale of their spiritual evening is usually a rousing chorus where everyone joins in.

Imaginary past

The chant is difficult to translate, but it expresses their collective desire to get teleported to the holy city of Baghdad.

"Karachi has its share of problems," a guest staying with us and listening to this chorus commented recently, "but surely I wouldn't move to Baghdad. Don't these people read the newspapers?"

My neighbours are not the only urban, middle class Pakistanis yearning for a return to an imaginary past in the Arab deserts - a puritanical utopia where they would live blessedly ever after.

Every day, in a thousand prayer and preaching sessions, the believers beg to be returned to Mecca and Madina.

And until recently, many thought that the Taliban would lead the way to this promised land.

Or at least create a replica at home.

For a long time the Taliban presented themselves as the lost link to a pure past, a conduit to a simple life and eternal salvation.

Only four weeks ago most Urdu television channels were acting as cheerleaders for the Taliban.

Most Urdu columnists in newspapers were presenting the Pakistani Taliban as the reincarnation of early Muslim warriors.

Change of heart

The Pakistani army has stepped up an offensive against Taliban militants

Now in a rare consensus they are all clamouring for an all-out war against them.

Even the people who were sitting on the fence - or considered the Taliban a localised problem - have suddenly realised that actually the Taliban are out to destroy their way of life.

Every single opinion poll carried out in Pakistan has concluded that the country is a hotbed of anti-Americanism.

But now, faced with a war against the Taliban, the nation seems to have united behind the most American of slogans: they are threatening our way of life.

How did we change our minds so quickly?

More than the government or the media, it is the Pakistani Taliban who are responsible.

This collective change of heart can be traced back to a two-minute flogging video that made headlines around the world.

Everyone knew that the Taliban flog and behead people, and when they want to show their softer side they just shoot them or slice off their ears. But nobody had seen them at work.

A young girl's screams

More than two million people have been displaced by the fighting

In this video men in regulation Taliban dress and beards are holding down a young girl and methodically whipping her.

The girl screams. She asks for forgiveness.

It is never clear what her crime is.

One of the men in the video tells the other one to hold down the girl firmly.

This series of images had more impact on the people's psyche than a thousand theological debates raging on television.

For the first time a young girl's screams silenced the Taliban cheerleaders.

Then the Taliban leaders, in a series of interviews, have been outlining their roadmap for the nation on television.

It was not just the Swat valley they wanted to purge of evils like schools, music, democracy, barbers and the judiciary.

If it was good for Swat, it should be good for the rest of the country.

And later they wanted to impose the same model on the rest of the world. They demanded that the government give them arms to carry out their mission.

It was a spectacular public relations disaster.

Gory images

When the government finally launched a military operation in Swat, the same TV channels which had broadcast elaborate debates clarifying supposed misunderstandings about the Taliban went looking in their archives for war anthems to support the Pakistani troops.

I wonder if this change of heart is genuine or a knee-jerk reaction that dictates that we must support our troops because they are fighting to protect our way of life.

Many Urdu columnists still go to great lengths to explain that the Taliban came close to establishing a model Islamic state in Afghanistan - or that the Pakistani Taliban are not real Taliban, but Indian agents.

There is a set of gory pictures circulating on the internet claiming to support this argument.

The pictures show mutilated bodies of alleged Taliban, with their trousers pulled down to reveal their uncircumcised privates.

So they are clearly not Muslims, is the message.

And it is supposed to convince us that the Taliban are actually not a product of Pakistan's dangerous drift towards religious violence but a conspiracy hatched against us by Indians, Israelis and, of course, Americans.

It is this thinking that needs to change before we can decide whether our way of life belongs in the here-and-now or somewhere in the suburbs of Mecca.

Only then we can do something to save that way of life.

Rebels 'kill Pakistan Islamists'

Two detained aides to radical cleric Sufi Mohammad have been killed during a militant ambush in Pakistan's Swat valley, the country's military says.

The pair, arrested on Friday, died when rebels attacked a convoy transporting prisoners to Peshawar, officials said.

The men - Muhammad Alam and Ameer Izzat Khan - were senior aides to Sufi Mohammed, the father-in-law of the Taliban leader in the Swat valley.

The army said one soldier was also killed in the attack.

Military officials said suspected Taliban rebels ambushed the prisoner convoy en route to Peshawar early on Saturday.

There was a gun battle between rebels and security forces, with at least one report suggesting the convoy was hit by a roadside bomb.

Muhammad Alam and Ameer Izzat Khan were among six men arrested on Friday along with another aide to Sufi Mohammad and three Afghan nationals.

They were held as the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, visited Pakistan to visit people displaced by recent fighting in the Swat region between Pakistan's army and Taliban militants.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan, in Islamabad, said they were the only significant arrests since the army launched its latest operation against militants in the Swat region one month ago.

Speaking at the end of his three-day visit on Friday, Mr Holbrooke acknowledged that the military operation in Swat appeared to be achieving its objectives.

But he said the real challenge for Pakistan would be managing the humanitarian problem caused by the fighting.

Missing leaders

Pakistan's army has regularly publicised the numbers of suspected Taliban fighters killed in its ongoing military operation in Swat, but there has been little news of the Taliban leadership of senior clerics.

Sources close to Mohammad Sufi say that his whereabouts have been unknown for the past three or four days, with his sons also reported to be missing.

Sufi Mohammad was instrumental in brokering a peace deal earlier this year between the Taliban and the government which imposed Sharia law in the district. This later fell apart when Taliban fighters moved into neighbouring districts.

Those living in temporary shelters have no clue when they will be able to return

He is also the founder of a banned militant group, Tehrik Nizam Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM).

The TNSM has in the past distanced itself from the actions of Sufi Mohammad's son-in-law, Maulana Fazlullah, who is the Taliban leader in Swat.

But, our correspondent says, Mr Mohammad and his followers have been at the forefront of elements in Swat criticising the Pakistani government for its slowness in imposing Sharia law while the deal between the government and the Taliban was still in place.

The Swat operation has displaced some two million people in Pakistan's north-west, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis in overstretched camps for those forced to leave their homes.

Rebels have also launched attacks away from the fighting.

On Friday a bomb exploded at a mosque in Upper Dir, in north-western Pakistan, during Friday prayers, killing at least 38 people and wounding dozens more.

That came a week after a gun an bomb attack in Lahore, Pakistan's cultural capital, which the Taliban claimed was a retaliation for the Swat offensive.

Sri Lanka navy confirms aid cargo

The navy searched the vessel with the crew on board

The Sri Lankan navy says it has found only food, medical items and similar goods on board a ship sent by Tamil expatriate groups in Europe.

The vessel was intercepted by the navy days ago and the government said the expedition was intended to help the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.

But a Tamil spokesman denies this, saying he hoped aid would still reach Tamils displaced by the war.

A navy spokesman could not comment on what would happen to the cargo.

A naval team has been searching the Captain Ali vessel, but the spokesman told the BBC that up to now it had found only food and medical items.

Those on board are a British Tamil citizen, 13 crew members from Syria and Egypt, and an Icelandic man.

He said the search had stopped for now and the navy personnel still on board were very friendly and courteous.

The expedition began in two legs from Britain and France in April and May.

'Divisive' description

Sri Lanka's defence ministry had described the boat as an "LTTE [Tamil Tiger] vessel".

But the defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, in a Sunday newspaper interview, has confirmed that the ship "did not have any dangerous intentions".

A London-based spokesman for the voyage, Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, said such a description was divisive and damaging.

The organisers wanted to continue sending aid to the vast number of Tamils displaced by the war, he said.

He said the ship had nothing whatsoever to do with the Tamil Tigers, although he acknowledged that when it first set out, it was planning to go directly to what was then the war zone.

Mr Ethirveerasingam says he was concerned for the welfare of the man in Sri Lanka due to take delivery of the goods, a diabetic who, he says has been in detention since Thursday morning at the Criminal Investigation Department.

Uranium found at second Syria site - IAEA

Syria says the al-Kibar site was a disused military building

The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, says traces of undeclared man-made uranium have been found at a second site in Syria, at a reactor in Damascus.

The IAEA is investigating US claims that a Syrian site destroyed in a 2007 Israeli raid was a nuclear reactor that was not yet operational.

Separately, the agency says Iran is continuing to enrich uranium in defiance of the UN Security Council.

Both Iran and Syria deny allegations of illicit nuclear activities.

'Link unclear'

Last year, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) found particles of man-made uranium at the al-Kibar site in Syria, which was destroyed by Israeli missiles in September 2007.

Now in a confidential report obtained by the BBC, it says it has discovered new traces of uranium of a type not included in Syria's declared nuclear material.

The traces were found at a small reactor used for teaching in Damascus.

The IAEA says it is not clear whether there is a link between the particles found at the two sites.

In a separate report, the IAEA says Iran now has about 7,000 centrifuges - the machines used for enriching uranium. The agency says that Tehran is running almost 5,000 of them.

It also says that Iran has boosted its stockpile of low-enriched uranium (LEU) by 500kg to more than 1,300kg in the last six months.

David Albright of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security think-tank has said that Iran now had enough LEU to convert into high-enriched uranium (HEU) to make one atomic bomb.

However, he said Iran would need to overcome some technical hurdles to achieve this - a process that could take several years or more.

A senior official close to the IAEA says the agency has made little progress in its investigations in Iran and in Syria.

The agency has urged both countries to co-operate with its inspectors.

'More bodies found' from lost jet

Brazilian searchers found confirmed debris from the plane on Saturday

Three more bodies have been recovered from the Atlantic Ocean near where the Air France flight is thought to have crashed last week, Brazil's navy says.

Searchers have recovered five bodies so far, and ships are heading towards more that have been spotted in the area.

They were found some 1,000km (600 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha islands where Flight 447 disappeared with 228 people on board.

Meanwhile, the investigation is looking into faulty speed sensors on the plane.

The Brazilian navy did not specify the gender of the three new bodies. The first two recovered were males.

A spokesman said ships should be able to recover the additional bodies within a few hours, despite poor weather conditions.

See a map of the plane's route

Speed sensors

The investigation is increasingly focusing on the aircraft's speed sensors, which had been providing inconsistent data in the minutes before it disappeared in turbulent weather.

Earlier, Air France said it was stepping up the process of replacing speed monitors on board its Airbus planes.

The company said it had first noticed problems with speed monitors a year ago and began replacing them a few weeks before the accident.

On Saturday, the Brazilian navy recovered the first confirmed debris from the plane, including a briefcase containing a ticket for Flight 447.

Other found debris thought to be linked to the flight included a blue seat and a backpack containing a computer.

The remains were found not far from where the last signal from the plane was received on Monday.

They were taken to the islands of Fernando de Noronha to be examined by experts.

Deadly gun battle rocks Acapulco

The violence threatens Acapulco's tourist trade

At least 15 gunmen thought to be linked to drug cartels and two soldiers have been killed in clashes in the Mexican resort of Acapulco, officials say.

Several soldiers and bystanders were wounded in the two-hour battle, in an old area of the Pacific coast city.

Tourists were evacuated from several hotels in the neighbourhood.

The battle began on Saturday evening, when troops received a tip-off that the gunmen had occupied a house, an officer in charge of the operation told AP.

The gunmen threw grenades at the soldiers and crashed their car when trying to flee, he added. Others arrived as reinforcements but were killed in the fighting.

The BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Mexico City says the fighting will be devastating for Acapulco, whose tourist industry has recently been badly hit by the swine flu outbreak.

'Rescue'

The officer said they found four police officers when they entered the house, handcuffed and apparently held hostage.

Q&A: Mexico's drug-fuelled violence

"We found them like this, handcuffed, and they say they were kidnapped," he said.

"So, if they were kidnapped, as they say, then we rescued them."

Troops seized 36 rifles, 13 shotguns, two hand grenades, 13 fragmentation hand grenades, 3,525 cartridges, 180 magazines and eight vehicles in the operation, AFP news agency said.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched a military campaign against drug cartels in 2006.

Tens of thousands of troops have since been deployed throughout the country to tackle drugs-related violence, which has claimed the lives of nearly 9,000 people in the last two years.

Acapulco has in the past been the scene of clashes between rival drug gangs but has been relatively free of violence in recent years, correspondents say.

Gunmen kill Somali radio director

Five journalists have been killed in Somalia this year

Gunmen in Somalia have killed the director of influential Radio Shabelle.

Moqtar Mohamed Hirabe was shot several times in the chest and head, one of his colleagues - who was injured in the attack in Mogadishu - said.

The colleague, Ahmed Tajir, remains stable in hospital. Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.

The attack came amid uncertainty over the fate of Islamist opposition leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.

A pro-government militia claimed on Saturday that Mr Aweys had been killed - or seriously injured - during fierce battles for the town of Wabho.

A spokesman for his militia said he was still alive. And AFP news agency later said it had spoken to Mr Aweys who said he would make a media appearance on Monday.

The United States says Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys is a terrorist with links to al-Qaeda.

In April he returned to Somalia from exile and vowed to overthrow the government and impose a stricter version of Islamic law.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has vowed to bring down the government

Fighting between the opposition and pro government forces has been intense - close to 100,000 people have had to flee their homes over the past month.

More than 120 people are reported to have died since Friday.

Three civilians were killed early on Sunday in what appeared to be a failed attempt to bomb a police vehicle.

Somalia has not had a functioning national government for 18 years.

Journalists working for Radio Shabelle have often come under attack since the independent station began broadcasting in 2003.

Hirabe, 48, is said to be its third journalist to be killed this year.

Grave desecration

Some reports suggest he may have been killed by members of Mr Aweys' militia, angered at the report that their leader had been killed - or injured.

The latest spate of fighting began after the Sufi Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama sect pledged to defend President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed at a meeting of moderate Islamic leaders.

A hardline Islamist alliance controls much of southern and central Somalia.

Correspondents say the Sufi sect has been angered recently by the desecration of the graves of revered Sufi leaders by the al-Shabab group which follows the strict Saudi Arabian-inspired Wahabi branch of Islam.

A spokesman for al-Shabab, which is accused of links to al-Qaeda, said its forces were in control of Webho - but this was denied by Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama.

The town has changed hands several times in recent weeks.

President Ahmed is a moderate Islamist, who was installed in January after a UN-brokered peace deal.

Blast hits Islamabad police station The building targeted by the suicide bomber housed an emergency response unit [AFP] A bomb has exploded at a pol

The building targeted by the suicide bomber housed an emergency response unit [AFP] A bomb has exploded at a police station in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, as the military continues to battle Taliban fighters in the northwest of the country. Local media reported that at least one person had been confirmed dead in the explosion on Saturday. Police said that the building was the base for an emergency response unit. "The building is adjacent to a hospital and we are being told by witnesses here on the ground that a suicide bomber went inside ... and detonated his deadly cargo," Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, reporting from the scene, said. Local Dawn television reported that the bomber had blown himself up as police had opened fire on him. Waquar Shah, an officer on duty at the emergency call centre at the time of the attack, told The Associated Press news agency that the attackers was spotted as he climbed over a wall. "He jumped in from the rear wall, then ran toward the offices," he said. "One of our guys opened fire on him and he fell and blew up." There have been a number of bombings in cities across Pakistan in apparent retaliation to the army's offensive in North West Frontier Province. 'Soft target' Al Jazeera's Khan said that the emergency response centre hit on Saturday was a "soft target". "We have seen several of this kind of attack since the operation started against the Pakistani Taliban in the Swat valley," he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. On Friday, a suicide bombing at a mosque in Upper Dir, which borders the Swat valley region where the fighting is taking place, killed at least 30 people. At the end of May, the Tehrik-i-Punjab, a group with links to the Taliban claimed responsibility for a bombing in Lahore that killed at least 30 people and wounded another 200. The attack targeted a police station and the offices of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's spy agency. About 15,000 soldiers have been battling an estimated 2,000 Taliban fighters in the Swat valley for more than a month. Major-General Athar Abbas, a military spokesman, conceded on Saturday that the offensive will not be over until the Taliban leaders have been killed. "They are the centre of the gravity of this movement, and unless and until they are killed, we cannot declare victory in this whole operation,'' he said. Abbas said that Maulana Fazlullah, who is believed to lead many of the fighters in Swat, had been "targeted'" three times, but he was unable to confirm reports that he had been wounded.

Lebanon readies for tight poll race

The Christian vote, fought in a handful of key constituencies, looks set to tip the polls [AFP] Lebanon's political parties have wrapped up their campaigns ahead of a high-stakes general election that will pit Western-backed factions against a Hezbollah-led alliance. Campaigning was officially over on Saturday, a day before Lebanese voters go to the polls. More than 50,000 soldiers and police have been deployed country-wide to deal with any outbreaks of violence and European monitors will observe the vote. The election will largely by fought between the Hezbollah-dominated "March 8" alliance and the ruling Western-backed "March 14" coalition. Although the election race is expected to be tight, with no single party securing a comfortable victory, analysts believe Hezbollah has a good chance of gaining a parliamentary majority for the first time. 'Fate in Lebanon' A win for Hezbollah, which the US has listed as a so-called "terrorist" organisation, and its Maronite Christian allies from the Free Patriotic Movement, could precipitate a tilt towards Syria. But most analysts predict the outcome is likely to be a national unity government - albeit one in which Hezbollah has a strong hand - with little change likely in government policy. The Christian vote - divided between the two camps - looks set to tip the scale, with a handful of key battleground constituencies likely to be crucial in determining the elections outcome. Speaking to supporters ahead of the midnight deadline to end campaigning, Saad al-Hariri, the leader of the March 14 coalition, said the vote would decide the future of Lebanon. "All what we wish for is that that our opponents would recognise the result of the election," he said at a rally of his Future movement in Beirut on Friday. "The decision [following the vote] ... is the decision that will determine the fate in Lebanon." Lebanon has witnessed a period of calm in the run-up to the election, but sectarian tension brought Lebanon to the brink of civil war last year. More than 100 people were killed in violence before an agreement led to the election of Michel Sleiman, then the army chief, as president and the formation of a national unity government. Power-sharing Lebanon's complex power-sharing system divides the 128 seats in parliament equally between Christians and Muslims. The country's president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shia Muslim. The current Sunni-led majority in parliament swept to power in 2005, amid a wave of popular discontent following the murder of Rafiq al-Hariri, a former prime minister, in a massive car bombing in Beirut. Reaction to the bombing prompted the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a 29-year presence amid accusations - strongly denied by Damascus - of Syrian involvement. It also marked the beginning of a turbulent period during which Hezbollah was thrust to the political forefront by its 34-day war with Israel in which 1,200 people died in Lebanon, most of them civilians. Political unrest last year also saw a six-month vacancy in the presidency and sectarian clashes that killed more than 100 people after Hezbollah staged a spectacular takeover of mainly Sunni parts of Beirut.

Leaders' tribute to D-Day heroes

Obama tells story of D-Day landing Allied leaders have been paying tribute to veterans of D-Day, as they mark the 65th anniversary of the landings at a series of events in Normandy. US President Barack Obama said the bravery and selflessness of a few changed the course of a whole century. He was speaking alongside French, Canadian and UK leaders at the American cemetery near Omaha Beach, scene of fierce fighting on 6 June 1944. The Allies suffered 215,000 casualties on D-Day and in the Normandy campaign. Germany suffered similar losses as the Allies fought desperately up the beaches and into the French countryside to form a bridgehead. 'Symbol of America' Speaking at the US war cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach, Mr Obama said it was the sheer improbability of the D-Day victory that had made it so memorable. The leaders recalled the sacrifices of the Allied troops at the landings "Friends and veterans, what we cannot forget - what we must not forget - is that D-Day was a time and a place where the bravery and selflessness of a few was able to change the course of an entire century," he said. "At an hour of maximum danger, amid the bleakest of circumstances, men who thought themselves ordinary found it within themselves to do the extraordinary." Speaking before Mr Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy thanked the Allies for their efforts in liberating France and Western Europe, and the Americans in particular for their bravery at Omaha. "I want to say thank you to the survivors of this tragedy who are here today with us... We owe you our freedom," he said. "Because of the blood in your veins you are a symbol of the America we love." British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Canada's Stephen Harper also recalled the Allies' sacrifices in their speeches. Britain's Prince Charles was in attendance after the US intervened in a cross-channel row over the lack of an invitation for Queen Elizabeth. Veterans of the landings were among the invited audience. Mr Sarkozy awarded the French Legion d'Honneur, the country's highest military honour, to one American, one Briton, one Canadian and one Frenchman. Mr Obama's great-uncle, Charles Payne, 84, who helped to liberate a concentration camp near Buchenwald, has also travelled to Normandy. Obama and Sarkozy remember D-Day "It's a great feeling ... to come here," said Austin Cox, 90, of Maryland, who landed on Omaha Beach as a sergeant with the 29th Division of the US 115th Infantry Regiment. "My comrades though are buried over at Omaha," he said. Rock-star's welcome Saturday's events began in Bayeux with a service of remembrance and commemoration organised by the Royal British Legion. Mr Brown and his French counterpart, Francois Fillon, both laid wreaths inside Bayeux cathedral. Mr Obama flew into Paris late on Friday after a brief trip to Germany in which he and Chancellor Angela Merkel toured the Buchenwald concentration camp. Accompanied by Mr Sarkozy, he arrived in Caen with his wife, Michelle on Saturday at midday (1000 GMT). Thronging crowds gave the US leader a rock star-style welcome and cheered as he went on an impromptu walkabout before a formal welcoming ceremony from a French military guard. US First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, arrived in France shortly before the president. After the D-Day ceremonies, President Obama and his family will return to Paris where they plan to visit Notre Dame Cathedral. They are due to fly back to the US on Sunday.

Mexican nursery fire kills many

Distraught parents arrive at the nursery after learning of the fire At least 31 children have been killed in a fire that swept through a state-run day-care centre in north-western Mexico, officials say. The fire broke out at the ABC centre in the city of Hermosillo in Sonora state. Dozens of children were taken to hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. Officials warn that the final death toll may rise. The fire appears to have started in a tyre depot with flammable materials next to the day-care centre. "We're still investigating what caused the fire," said Jose Larrinaga, a spokesman for the Sonora prosecutor's office. In pictures: Nursery fire Local media say the blaze spread so rapidly that some children could not be taken out of the centre. President Felipe Calderon expressed his "profound pain" over the tragedy in the centre, which was run by Mexico's social services. Fire fighters had to knock holes in the walls of the building to rescue children. Officials said the fire was later put out, but that it may take hours for rescuers to sift through the gutted building. Dozens of ambulances are surrounding the area with thick smoke in the air, the BBC's Steve Gibbs in Mexico says. Terrified parents rushed to city hospitals - desperate for news about their children, many of whom remained unaccounted for. At least 176 children are reported to have been at the centre when the fire began. The children's age reportedly ranged from six months to five years. Mexican commentators are already asking why the day-care centre was situated next to the depot, our correspondent says.

Bodies 'found' from missing plane

Aircraft and ships are searching a remote part of the Atlantic Two bodies and debris have been found from the Air France plane which went missing over the Atlantic last Monday, the Brazilian air force has said. The remains were taken from the water early on Saturday morning, said spokesman Jorge Amaral. Experts on human remains are on their way to examine the find. All 228 passengers and crew on board AF 447 are believed to have been killed when the plane disappeared during its flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. "We confirm the recovery from the water debris and bodies from the Air France plane," Col Amaral said at a news conference in the northern city of Recife. He later added that two male bodies had been found, as well as objects linked to passengers known to be on the flight, including a suitcase with a plane ticket. A seat was also found, but there has been no confirmation that it was from the flight. The remains were picked up some 640 km (400 miles) northeast of the islands of Fernando de Noronha, off Brazil's northern coast. Correspondents say that much of the search effort so far has been focused on finding flight data recorders, which have sonar beacons - or "pingers" - attached to them.

No 'reward' for N Korea, US vows

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il remains defiant North Korea's recent actions were "extraordinarily provocative" and the US does not mean to "reward" them, President Barack Obama has said. Mr Obama was referring to North Korea's latest nuclear and missile tests. "We are going to take a very hard look at how we move forward on these issues," he said. The UN Security Council is discussing tightening sanctions against Pyongyang, which is believed to be planning a long-range missile test this month. It is believed that the Council, which includes the North's closest allies China and Russia, is discussing a draft resolution calling on UN members to immediately comply with sanctions imposed in 2006 after North Korea's first nuclear test. Those include an arms embargo on heavy weapons, ship searches for illegal weapons and a ban on luxury goods. 'Unimaginable punishment' Speaking in France, where he was attending events marking the anniversary of the D-Day, Mr Obama said the US preferred to take the diplomatic approach in dealings with Pyongyang but the North Koreans must respond in what he called "a serious way". South Korea's president visited his air force HQ on Saturday "I don't think that there should be an assumption that we will simply continue down a path in which North Korea is constantly destabilising the region and we just react in the same ways," he told reporters after meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the city of Caen. "We are not intending to continue a policy of rewarding provocation." North Korea raised regional tension last month by conducting the nuclear test, firing short-range missiles and issuing threats to its neighbour, South Korea. On Saturday, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said his country's defences were strong and there was "no reason to fear". "There should be no doubt that there will be no compromise against things that threaten our people and security," he declared in an address to mark the South's Memorial Day. North Korea's state news agency issued a new warning of "strong action" against the South, blaming it for increasing military tension. It said South Korea "should not make any reckless move" as "anyone making provocation will be met with strong action and unimaginable punishment".