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Amman: Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday issued a royal decree officially naming his 15-year-old elder son, Hussain, as crown prince, the palace announced. Abdullah named his brother Hamza as crown prince in 1999. However, five years later, he withdrew the nomination, leaving Hussain as de facto crown prince but without an official appointment. Under Jordan's constitution, the post of crown prince goes to the eldest son of the king, who retains the option of naming a brother. King Hussain replaced his brother Hassan with Abdullah just days before his death.

Two-time champion Serena Williams came back from losing the opening set to beat Elena Dementieva and reach the Wimbledon tennis final for a fifth time on Thursday. The second-seeded American, who lost to her older sister Venus in last year's final, won 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 8-6 at the All England Club in London. Williams, 27, will either meet her sister again, or No. 1 seed Dinara Safina of Russia in the final in two days as she seeks an 11th Grand Slam title, and second this year. Williams has not lost a Grand Slam semifinal since the French Open in 2003, now reaching eight finals since then.

Tegucigalpa: Honduras' interim leader accused Venezuela's Hugo Chavez of instigating his nation's crisis and lawmakers tightened a curfew aimed at stemming unrest, as coup leaders showed few signs of bending to international pressure to restore the exiled president. Roberto Micheletti, who was named by Congress to replace President Manuel Zelaya after his ouster, has fought a largely losing battle to win international support for his government. The Organisation of American States has given him until tomorrow to step aside before Honduras is suspended from the group. The Obama administration halted joint military operations, and France, Spain, Italy, Chile and Colombia all recalled their ambassadors on Wednesday. The fiercest criticism has come from Chavez, the socialist president of Venezuela who has called for Hondurans to rise up against the "guerrilla government" and vowed to do everything possible to restore his leftist ally, Zelaya. Honduras' interim lea

Vienna: Japanese candidate Yukiya Amano has won the race on Thursday to head the United Nations nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Amano defeated the South African contender Abdul Samad Minty by winning the required 2/3 majority to head the agency. Amato's win with the bare minimum margin reflects the split between his supporters from the industrialised countries and those from developing nations. Amano has held the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the International Organizations in Vienna and Japan's Governor on the IAEA's Board of Governors in 2005. His experience cover the areas of nonproliferation, disarmament and nuclear energy policy. He has also represented Japan as a Governmental Expert on the UN Panel on Missiles and the UN Expert Group on Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education in 2001.

Paris: The Air France jetliner that crashed in the Atlantic a month ago with 228 people on board did not break up in mid-air, the French bureau leading the investigation said on Thursday. "The plane was not destroyed while in flight," said Alain Bouillard from the BEA accident investigation agency, as it released its first report on the June 1 disaster.

Been there, seen that, moved on. RUNWAY doesn't have anything new to offer, it's a run of the mill action love story recited in the most routine manner. It reminds you of the Emraan Hashmi starrer AWARAPAN, but it is too ordinary and hardly has anything going in its favour. Allan [Amarjeet] becomes a contract killer to save his love Melvyna [Deepal Shaw]. Melvyna had unfortunately fallen prey to drug addiction and was now battling for life, getting treated for drug addiction and other complications which had raised their ugly head due to prolonged drug abuse. Allan wants her to live and wants to save her at any cost. He requires money for her treatment and takes the contract of killing the billionaire casino owner Victor. The problem is, RUNWAY is handicapped by poor direction [Suniel - Praful]. Besides, the screenplay is too weak since the story wastes valuable time in ineffective emotions and scenes, whereas the encashable portions have been cut short. Especially the clima

Washington: After his capture, Saddam Hussain told the FBI that he falsely allowed the world to believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction because he feared revealing his weakness to Iran, which he considered a bigger threat than the United States. Saddam also dismissed Osama Bin Laden as a "zealot," said he had never personally met the Al Qaida leader and that the Iraqi government did not cooperate with the terrorist group against the US, according to FBI interview notes made public by the National Security Archive, a non-governmental research institute. The institute obtained the FBI summaries through a Freedom of Information Act request and posted them on its website on Wednesday. The former Iraqi leader was interviewed by the FBI after he was captured in December 2003, nine months after the US and its allies invaded Iraq. He was later transferred to Iraqi custody and was hanged in December 2006. The FBI special agent who interviewed Saddam, George Piro, described their

Unconventional and shorn of glitz, Irrfan Khan exclusively tells tabloid! why he follows his heart but is always surprised by the results. Indian actor Irrfan Khan may have aced his recent series of trigger-happy tough cop roles on the big screen, but over the telephone recently, he sounded more like a reticent prisoner being held against his will. Stubborn and self-effacing, Khan shares few of the ego-centric qualities found in other Bollywood actors. For example: while most other stars would have instantly mentioned a nomination in GQ magazine's Men Of The Year Awards, it took more than 15 minutes for Khan to casually drop it into the conversation. "I just got the mail. I am ecstatic," he said haltingly. Prod him some more and he adds: "It's reassuring to know that even if you do your own thing, people still accept you." True to his words, Khan has often been caught doing his own thing. His unconventional take on Shiney Ahuja's rape case, where he urge

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Los Angeles: Michael Jackson's 7-year-old will was filed Wednesday in a Los Angeles court, giving his entire estate to a family trust while making his mother the guardian of his children and cutting out his former wife Debbie Rowe. Court documents estimated the current value of his estate at more than $500 million. Also Wednesday, a Jackson family spokesman says a public memorial for Michael Jackson is in the works, but it won't be held at the late pop star's Neverland Ranch. No further details are provided in the statement issued Wednesday by family spokesman Ken Sunshine. The public relations firm Sunshine, Sachs & Associates has been retained by the family and says it will announce those plans shortly. The will names Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, as a beneficiary of the trust and the guardian of Jackson's children, who are also named as beneficiaries of the trust. It also names entertainer Diana Ross as a successor guardian for the children and their e

Los Angeles: Britney Spears has been the subject of an internet hoax, after someone hacked into her Twitpic account and claimed the singer had died. Ellen DeGeneres also had her account on the social networking site broken into. The fake Tweet said: "Britney has passed today [June 28]. It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come." That message was swiftly removed and Spears' team posted a new Tweet explaining all: "Britney's Twitter was just hacked. The last message is obviously not true. "She is fine and dandy spending a quiet day at home relaxing." Twitpic said to disregard the incorrect message from Britney's account and that they were "implementing a fix immediately". Twitpic is a program that allows users of Twitter to share photographs. It is not owned by Twitter Inc.

New York: It's one of the biggest mysteries in the Michael Jackson saga: How much was the lavish-spending, massively debt-ridden pop icon really worth? In the most detailed account yet of the singer's tangled financial empire, documents obtained by The Associated Press show Jackson claimed to have a net worth of $236.6 million as of March 31, 2007. But less than $700,000 of that amount was in cash - a relatively paltry sum given his opulent lifestyle, prodigious borrowing and seven-figure shopping sprees. The dollar amounts, which previously consisted of estimates, are crucial because Jackson's estate is expected to become the focus of a legal battle between the singer's family and creditors. Since then, however, Jackson's debts and assets have grown substantially - he took on more debt in a refinancing transaction later that year, and the Sony/ATV Music Publishing joint venture spent hundreds of millions acquiring new songs. The news on Jackson's financial situ

Mumbai: After ten years of construction through controversial phases and delays, Mumbai's residents breathed a huge sigh of relief with the opening of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) on Tuesday. India's first bridge across the sea and the longest cable-stayed project in the country will help motorists from the western suburbs zip through the 5.7-kilometre BWSL in less than 10 minutes to get to Worli, from where office-goers head to the business district in south Mumbai. The eight-lane link will be the first of Mumbai's other bridges to come up in future along the sea - Worli to Haji Ali, Haji Ali to Nariman Point in the south and Bandra to Versova in the north. As of now, only one carriageway of four lanes will be thrown open to the public since the other is still under construction. Vimaltai Mundada, Minister of Public Works Department, described the technology of the Rs16.34 billion (Dh1.25 billion) bridge as "unique" in the country and "a testimony to the

New Delhi: A long-delayed report on the Babri Masjid demolition put the issue back in public consciousness with the Liberhan Commission, that was formed 17 years ago, submitting its findings to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday. The report's submission prompted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to declare its commitment to building a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, an issue that had polarised India and led to a chain of political events and hundreds of deaths in communal riots. It took the commission, headed by retired Andhra Pradesh High Court chief justice M.S. Liberhan, 17 years and 48 extensions to complete its findings into the events of December 6, 1992 that triggered widespread violence, the ripples of which are still being felt. Home Minister P. Chidambaram was also present when Justice Liberhan presented his commission of inquiry report "set up in connection with the Ram Janambhoomi - Babri Masjid incident", said a statement issued by the Prime

Los Angeles: Michael Jackson's parents wasted little time demanding authority over their son's financially strained empire and guardianship of their fatherless grandchildren. The big question is who, if anyone, will contest them. Early on Monday - just four days after the death of the King of Pop - lawyers for Katherine and Joe Jackson won temporary custody of Michael Jackson's three children and moved to become administrators of his estate. Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted 79-year-old Katherine Jackson temporary guardianship of the children, who range in age from seven to 12. He also gave her control over some of her son's personal property that is now in the hands of an unnamed third party. But the judge did not immediately rule on her requests to take charge of the children's and Jackson's estates. The Jackson family is determined to move on in order to protect the singer's legacy and make sure his three children are well, family friend and civil rights ac

London: More than 750,000 Michael Jackson fans can get full refunds for the pop star's cancelled 50-night "This is It" concert extravaganza - or opt to receive souvenir tickets instead, the promoters announced. In a move that could help recoup some of its losses from the ill-fated tour, Los Angeles-based AEG Live said fans could choose to receive the actual tickets, which it said feature graphics "inspired and designed" by Jackson himself.Images of the tickets, complete with a 3-D effect, can be viewed on the Web site www.MichaelJacksonLive.com beginning today, AEG said in a statement. Fans have until August 14 to take the ticket offer. For those opting for a refund, all service charges paid to authorised ticket sellers will be included, the statement said. Fans spent more than $90 million (Dh330 million) on tickets, which were priced between $82 and $124, though some went for hundreds of dollars on internet auction sites.

London: Britain's first "bullet trains" were set to enter service in London on Monday, bringing high-speed travel to the world's oldest rail network. Government spending cuts prompted by the global recession may stunt plans to extend the project. The 220 kilometres per hour trains, made in Japan by Hitachi Ltd., will halve journey times from north Kent to the UK capital's financial district using the High Speed 1 line built to carry Channel Tunnel services to Paris and Brussels. UK Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said that the new expresses will act as a catalyst for construction of a High Speed 2 route running north from London and slashing journey times to Birmingham, Manchester and other UK cities. Christian Wolmar, author of Broken Rails, a history of Britain's railways, said he doubts the line will get built. "I have a lot of scepticism about this," Wolmar said. "I'm in favour in principle, but this should have happened 30 years ago.

Lalgarh: Using helicopter surveillance and marking from two flanks, security forces on Monday reclaimed the remaining Maoist den of Kantapahari and entered the headquarters of the agitating tribals on the 12th day of the operation launched to flash out the rebels from in and around this area of West Midnapore district. While one group of central and state armed forces moved from Lalgarh in the south and retook Kantapahari, the other teams of troopers moved from Ramgarh in the north to march into Barapeli village - the hub of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) which had virtually made Lalgarh a free zone for the last seven months by torching police camps and driving out the civil administration. "The Maoists failed to put up any resistance. The two security teams later met at Kantapahari and established a base camp," said Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia. The entire leadership of the PCAPA, including its supremo Chhatradhar Maha

Moscow: Thousands of troops, backed by hundreds of tanks, artillery and other heavy weaponry, began rumbling through the North Caucasus on Monday, as Russia began its largest military exercises since last year's war with Georgia. The Caucasus 2009 war games are being seen by many experts as a direct threat to nearby Georgia, where the government says it has rearmed armed forces and where Nato recently wrapped up its own exercises. Experts say the exercises may also be a signal to the United States that Russia will give no ground in its efforts to maintain its sphere of influence in Georgia and other former Soviet republics. The exercise runs through July 6 - the day President Barack Obama arrives in Moscow for a highly-anticipated summit with Russia's Dmitry Medvedev. Defence Ministry officials say more than 8,500 troops will take part, along with nearly 200 tanks, armoured vehicles, 100 artillery units and units from Black Sea naval fleet. The exercises, which are being person

Michael Jackson's father said yesterday he suspected foul play over his son's death. Joe Jackson said he could not understand why the pop star died suddenly, having appeared fit and well in the hours just before. The mystery over the singer's final hours deepened with fresh revelations. Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray denied injecting the singer with the painkiller Demerol and said he was innocent of causing the death. Read in-depth report on Michael Jackson Alleged details of an autopsy suggested Jackson was 'a virtual skeleton', almost totally bald, his body riddled with needle wounds as a result of regular pain-killing injections. It was revealed Jackson's 12-year-old son Michael Joseph, known as Prince, watched the struggle to save his father but thought the 50-year-old was playing a practical joke. His funeral could be as early tomorrow with plans being made for a huge public ceremony. The intervention by Joe Jackson increases pressure on authorities to

Details of Michael Jackson's will began to emerge on Wednesday with all of his multimillion-dollar estate being placed in a family trust, even as plans for his highly anticipated funeral remained sketchy. The will, signed in 2002, estimates his estate at that time to be worth in excess of $500 million and was filed with a Los Angeles Court. In it, Jackson leaves his entire estate to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, which ultimately benefits his three children, mother and unnamed charities. Jackson's 79-year-old mother, Katherine Jackson, is nominated to be guardian of Jackson's children Prince Michael I, 12, Paris Michael Katherine, 11 and Prince Michael II, 7, and if she should be unwilling and unable to be guardian, Jackson nominated his friend, pop star Diana Ross, to be the children's guardian. The five-page document said "I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife, Deborah Rowe Jackson." The will names Los Angeles-based attorney John Bran