W O R L D

Kids among 44 killed as quake rocks Philippines
Manila, February 6
At least 44 persons, including schoolchildren, were killed today after a severe 6.9 magnitude quake hit the third-largest island in the Philippines and causing buildings to collapse and shutting down power supply.

RUNNING FOR SAFETY: Residents head for high-altitude areas following tsunami rumours after an earthquake that hit the island province of Cebu on Monday. — AP/PTI

China defends Syria veto
Beijing, February 6
China defended its rejection of a UN resolution pressing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to abandon power, with a top state newspaper saying Western intervention in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq exposed the risks of forced regime change.

Queen celebrates 60 yrs on throne London, February 6 Queen Elizabeth II marked 60 years on the throne today with a message thanking all those who have supported her over her reign and reaffirming her dedication to serving the British people. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II walks past well-wishers as she leaves following a visit to Dersingham Infant and Nursery School, Norfolk, on Monday. — AFP

Pak SC suspends election of 28 lawmakers
The Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday suspended 28 MPs, including three ministers, elected under an incomplete Election Commission, reflecting the continuing tensions between the government and the judiciary.

Kids among 44 killed as quake rocks Philippines

Manila, February 6
At least 44 persons, including schoolchildren, were killed today after a severe 6.9 magnitude quake hit the third-largest island in the Philippines and causing buildings to collapse and shutting down power supply.

The strong quake prompted authorities to issue a tsunami warning which was lifted later in the day. The quake struck about 70 km from the coastal city of Dumaguete on the Philippine island of Negros, the US Geological Survey said.

The dead included two elementary schoolchildren, authorities said, according to the Philippines News Agency. The girls died when walls at their schools collapsed on them, National Police spokesman Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr. said.

"The death toll from a strong earthquake that jolted central Philippine province of Negros Oriental on Monday morning rose to 44," a military official was quoted as saying by a media report.

The earthquake also caused cracked walls and shattered windows in a department store on Negros, said Balido, the military assistant for operations at the civil defence office.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology earlier issued a level 2 tsunami alert for areas along the Tanon Strait between Negros and the neighboring island of Cebu.

Benito Ramos, Executive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said a series of aftershocks followed the initial quake, including one with a magnitude of 6.2 at the epicentre hours after the initial earthquake hit. Night has fallen, causing problems for search and rescue workers sent to area, Ramos said.

He said local governments are coordinating with military and police for search and rescue operations in the area where numerous houses and buildings had collapsed due to landslides.

He added that evacuation centers have been set up in the two areas. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) issued a tsunami alert for the area, but had lifted it later in the day.

The alert-a notch below the highest tsunami alert of level 3, which required evacuation of the affected areas-was later lifted after an observation period, according to the Philippines News Agency. — PTI

China defends Syria veto

Beijing, February 6
China defended its rejection of a UN resolution pressing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to abandon power, with a top state newspaper saying Western intervention in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq exposed the risks of forced regime change.

China said it's blocking, along with Russia, of the UN resolution which would have backed an Arab plan urging Assad to quit, did not amount to supporting the Syrian leader. Activists accused his forces of bombarding Homs before the UN vote in the worst bloodshed of the 11-month uprising.

"On the issue of Syria, China is not playing favourites and nor is it deliberately opposing anyone, but rather is upholding an objective and fair stance and a responsible position," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.

Western powers that initiated the UN Security Council vote on their draft resolution were culpable for not going far enough in seeking compromise, said Liu.

"Our goal is for the Syrian people to escape violence, conflict and flames of war, and not to make the problem even more complicated," he said.

"Unfortunately, the countries that proposed the resolution forced a vote despite the serious differences among various sides, and this approach was not conducive to the unity and authority of Security Council and is not conducive to the appropriate resolution of the problem. Therefore, China voted against the draft resolution," Liu added.

China's explanation is unlikely to mollify critics in Western capitals and the Middle East. The conflicting Chinese and Western positions have exposed a wider rift about how China should use its growing influence and whether it should foresake its long-standing, albeit unevenly applied, principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic conflicts.

Asked about criticisms, such as those from the US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, who said more bloodshed would be on Russian and Chinese hands, Liu said: "China does not accept such accusations." — Reuters

US closes embassy in Damascus

WASHINGTON: The United States announced on Monday it was closing its embassy in Syria due to the worsening security situation, further isolating Damascus over its bloody crackdown on anti-government protests. The State Department said in a statement that the embassy had suspended operations and that US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, and all embassy personnel had departed the country.

Chinese embassy targeted in Libya

TRIPOLI: Syrian and Libyan demonstrators hurled rocks, eggs and tomatoes at the Chinese embassy in Tripoli on Monday, after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution. Armed men guarded the embassy from about 50 protesters who waved Syrian opposition flags and had managed to break windows and spray graffiti on the walls.

37 killed in govt crackdown

Beirut: At least 34 civilians were killed across Syria on Monday and scores were injured as regime troops pounded the city of Homs with mortars and launched an assault on Zabadani, near the capital, activists said. State media said three soldiers were also killed by what it said was an "armed terrorist gang" in the northwest province of Idlib.

Queen celebrates 60 yrs on throne

London, February 6
Queen Elizabeth II marked 60 years on the throne today with a message thanking all those who have supported her over her reign and reaffirming her dedication to serving the British people.

Tributes from British officials poured in to honour the 85-year-old monarch on Accession Day. She ascended the throne when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952 and is the longest-serving monarch after Queen Victoria, who reigned for more than 63 years.

Before a year’s worth of festivities to celebrate her milestone, the queen said she and her husband have been “deeply moved” to receive so many kind messages about her Diamond Jubilee.

“I am writing to thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given to me and Prince Philip over these years,” she wrote in a message to the nation.

“In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope that we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign.” The queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be feted with a series of regional, national and international events throughout 2012. Over the course of 2012, members of the royal family, including Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, will fan out across the globe and travel to Commonwealth countries including Canada, Jamaica and Belize. — AP

Pak SC suspends election of 28 lawmakers
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

The Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday suspended 28 MPs, including three ministers, elected under an incomplete Election Commission, reflecting the continuing tensions between the government and the judiciary.

The verdict affected three federal ministers belonging to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party and an ally - Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Petroleum Minister Asim Hussain (both members of the Senate) and Minister for Narcotics Control Khuda Bux Rajar (a member of the National Assembly).

Punjab assembly’s Ahmed Mujtaba Gilani, brother of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of Punjab assembly, and Jamshed Dasti of the National Assembly, who defied disqualification for fake degree by being re-elected, have also been suspended. Of the 28 suspended members, eight belong to the PPP, seven PML-N and three MQM.

A four-member bench of the court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had earlier allowed time till February 6 for providing constitutional cover to the byelections through another amendment.