AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)

• Russia's Lavrov holds talks with Assad
  Foreign minister says Syrian president committed to ending violence but his military continues bombardment of Homs.

• Greek workers strike over public job cuts
  Unions call walkout over proposed loss of civil service jobs, as Greek leaders meet to discuss new austerity measures.

• Italy plans emergency talks as cold snap hits
  Talks aimed at maximising gas supplies come as freezing weather and snowy conditions continue to wreak havoc on region.

• Maldives president quits after protests
  Mohamed Nasheed steps down, as police join weeks of anti-government protests, prompting clashes with soldiers.

• Russian scientists find ancient polar lake
  Years of drilling through Antarctica's thickest ice lead to discovery of 20-million-year-old lake.

• Malian refugees in Niger await food and water
  Concerns over access to basic essentials after more than 22,000 people flee continued fighting in Mali.

• Romania awaits new government
  Former diplomat set to name new cabinet after Emile Boc steps down amid popular protests against austerity measures.

• Dozens feared dead in Philippines quake
  Rescuers search through flattened buildings and landslide debris for many still missing after 6.7-magnitude earthquake.

• Standoff continues over Brazil police strike
  State governor says issue can be resolved through negotiations after state legislature is taken over in Salvador city.

• Dozens trapped in Pakistan building collapse
  At least 19 dead and dozens trapped after factory collapses following a suspected gas explosion in Lahore city.

• US hits Iran with new sanctions
  US tightens sanctions on Iranian government and central bank, but Tehran dismisses measures as "psychological warfare".