London meeting to bolster Yemen in Qaeda fight

LONDON:  A high-level international meeting in London on Wednesday aims to bolster Yemen's fight against al-Qaeda by helping it tackle the poverty that can create a breeding ground for militants.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown hurriedly called the meeting after a Yemen-based al-Qaeda affiliate said it was behind a failed Dec. 25 attempt to blow up a U.S.-bound plane with 300 people on board.

The attack drove home how al-Qaeda could threaten Western interests from Yemen and highlighted the risk that the country could become a failed state, compounding security challenges already posed by lawless Somalia just across the Gulf of Aden. more

"Avatar" becomes highest-grossing movie

LOS ANGELES:  "Avatar" has surpassed "Titanic" as the highest-grossing movie worldwide, giving director James Cameron a remarkable double a week before his sci-fi spectacular is expected to rack up a slew of Oscar nominations.

Gregg Brilliant, a spokesman for the News Corp (NWSA.O)-owned studio 20th Century Fox, said on Tuesday the worldwide box office total for "Avatar" stands at $1.859 billion, beating the $1.843 billion racked up by Cameron's romantic drama "Titanic" in 1997-1998.

"Avatar" broke the record in a little over six weeks.

The film has enjoyed an unbroken reign in most countries, including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Australia.

The data are not adjusted for inflation.

Ticket sales got an additional boost from premium prices for 3-D screenings. Fox said 72 percent of worldwide sales come from 3-D engagements.

The action-adventure movie, starring Sigourney Weaver, is set in 2154 and tells the tale of a disabled ex-Marine sent to Earth to infiltrate a race of 10-foot (3-metre) blue aliens and persuade them to let his employer mine their homeland for natural resources.

More than five years in the making, it was reportedly one of the most expensive films with a budget of at least $300 million, due partly to its high-tech special effects and the creation of a new language used by the extra-terrestrial Na'vi race.

Despite some industry skepticism last year, the movie was released in December to glowing reviews and went on to win a the Golden Globe for best drama earlier this month.

Tom O'Neil, an awards pundit at www.TheEnvelope.com, said "Avatar" was not just a sure bet for a best picture Academy Award nomination on Feb. 2, but a leading contender to win the top Oscar on March 7. It is also expected to dominate the technical categories.

"It is the Oscar front-runner," O'Neil told Reuters. "It won the Golden Globe, it has conquered the global box office and it has won universal praise."

"The only cliffhanger is, will the notorious snobs in the Academy finally appreciate sci-fi?," he said, noting that a science fiction movie has never won a best picture Oscar.

French parliament report calls for burka ban

PARIS:  France was set to move one step closer to barring Muslim women from wearing the full Islamic veil with the release Tuesday of a report calling for a ban on the burka, also known as niqab, in public institutions.

A French parliament report called for a ban on the full Islamic veil in all schools, hospitals, public transport and government offices, saying it was an affront to French values.

"The wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic. This is unacceptable," the report released by a parliament commission said. "We must condemn this excess."

After six months of hearings, the panel of 32 lawmakers recommended a ban on the face-covering veil in all state-run institutions and offices, the broadest move yet to restrict Muslim dress in France.

The commission called on parliament to adopt a formal resolution stating that the burka was "contrary to the values of the republic" and proclaiming that "all of France is saying 'no' to the full veil."

Women who turn up at government offices wearing the full veil should be denied services such as a work visa, residency papers or French citizenship, the report recommended.

The panel however stopped short of proposing broad legislation to outlaw the niqab on the streets or in shopping centers after cautioning that such a move would have to be reviewed by the courts to establish its legality.

"The wearing of the full veil is the tip of the iceberg," said communist lawmaker Andre Gerin, the chair of the commission.

"There are scandalous practices hidden behind this veil," said Gerin who vowed to fight the "gurus" seeking to export a racial brand of fundamentalism and sectarianism to France.

"Not welcome" in France

President Nicolas Sarkozy set the tone for the debate when he declared the burka "not welcome" in France and described it as a symbol of women's "subservience" which cannot be tolerated in a country that considers itself a human rights leader.

Hopes for reaching any sort of political consensus have evaporated, with the opposition Socialists, divided by those calling for a total prohibition and those opposed to stigmatizing wearers of the full veil, planning to abstain from the vote on the report.

The leader of Sarkozy's right-wing party in parliament, Jean-Francois Cope, has already presented draft legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to cover their faces in public for reasons of security.

Home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority, estimated at about six million, France is being closely watched at a time of particular unease over Islam, three months after Swiss voters approved a ban on minarets.

No European country has adopted sweeping national legislation on restricting the full veil.

Despite a large Muslim presence, the sight of fully-veiled women is not an everyday occurrence in France. Only 1,900 women wear the niqab, according to the interior ministry.

Half of them live in the Paris region and 90 percent are under 40.

French support for a law banning the full veil is strong: a poll last week showed that 57 percent are in favor.

While lawmakers are divided on the scope of the restrictions, with many fearing that a draconian law would stigmatize Muslims who are already bristling at the anti-Islam rants heard during the government's national identity debate, they agree that some time will be needed to craft a solid text that would stand up to a court challenge.

Chinese city renames mountain after 'Avatar'

BEIJING:  A city in central China has renamed a mountain after the US blockbuster movie "Avatar," which set a Chinese box office record until its run in the country was cut short.

The majestic peak in Hunan province previously known as "Heaven and Earth Pillar" or "South Sky Pillar" has been officially renamed "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain," the Zhangjiajie city government said in a statement.

The statement, posted Monday on the government's website, said the peak was believed to have inspired a floating mountain, one of the most dramatic images in the movie, set on fictional Pandora.

Juxtaposing photos of the mountain with stills from the film, a report in the local Xiaoxiang Morning News said a Hollywood photographer came to the area on a four-day trip in December 2008 and shot a number of photos that were used by the film's artists.

The futuristic adventure was released in both 2-D and 3-D versions January 4 and has become China's all-time box-office champion, topping 80 million dollars in sales, state media said last week.

However, its 2-D run in China ended on Friday amid reports it was pulled ahead of schedule by the government to make way for the patriotic biopic "Confucius," about the ancient Chinese philosopher. It is still running in 3-D.

The Xiaoxiang Morning News said officials expect the mountain's similarity to the film version to trigger a tourism boom during the week-long Spring Festival holiday starting on February 14.

The mountain is in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, which is famed for its soaring sandstone pillars and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

Kashmiris observing Indian Republic Day as Black Day

NEW DELHI:  Indian Paramilitary soldiers and police set up roadblocks and snipers took positions atop government buildings as India celebrated its national day Tuesday against the backdrop of a terror alert.

Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world are observing Indian Republic Day as Black Day.

India celebrates its Republic Day on Jan. 26 every year, but this year the security measures have been notched up following intelligence reports of a possible terror attack by militants.

Security has also been tightened at all major government telecommunications and power installations, with additional personnel deployed, police said. At least 15,000 paramilitary soldiers were deployed in and around the capital of New Delhi to ensure safety along the route of an annual parade _ the highlight of India's Republic Day festivities, said police spokesman Rajan Bhagat.

In downtown New Delhi, hundreds of thousands of people gathered to witness the parade a showcase of Indian military and cultural pomp under the watchful eyes of armed police.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who is on a four-day official visit to India, was the chief guest at the parade, which included marching bands and contingents of soldiers and schoolchildren and an aeronautic display by air force planes.