Athens - Greek state carrier Olympic Airlines will cancel around 100 domestic and international flights on Thursday as air traffic controllers and flight crews launch a
24-hour strike in protest against government plans to privatize the airline.

The cancellations will cover approximately 100 flights to European destinations such as London, Rome, Brussels and Frankfurt, reports said. Some domestic flights would also be canceled.

Last month, the Greek government launched a tender to sell off the ailing airline, saying it would find new public sector jobs for its workers.

Officials have said Qatar Airways is among the investors interested in the sale but union leaders have pledged to halt the privatization.

Abu Dhabi - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in the capital of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, Abu Dhabi, on the last stop of his tour of Pakistan and the Gulf.

Sydney - Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, will tour the world with a reconstituted Jackson 5, his older brother Jermaine Jackson said in Sydney on Wednesday.

"This has been a long time coming for the Jackson family to get back together," Jackson told Australia's AAP news agency. "It's just the timing," he said. "So what we've been doing is working on the music and all the logistics."

The Jackson 5 were hugely successful in the 1970s and rumours of a reunion have been circulating for some time.

Berlin  - Germany appealed Wednesday for a halt in the fighting that has escalated in the region near Goma, Congo.

Moscow  - Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi will travel to Moscow on Friday for his first visit since 1985, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

Gaddafi is to discuss weapons purchases and energy ties with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had "no doubt" Gaddafi's visit would be a success.

Moscow has made a push to renew Soviet-era relations with the North African state since President Vladimir Putin traveled to Tripoli in April.

Tokyo - Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc on Wednesday said it expects full-year profits to fall by more than 60 per cent due to the global financial crisis.

Sumitomo Mitsui, one of Japan's three mega banks, expects its net profit to fall 62.5 per cent to 180 billion yen (1.9 billion dollars) for the fiscal year through March, compared to a 480-billion-yen profit it forecast in May.

Sumitomo Mitsui estimated its operating revenues for the financial year to decline 5.1 per cent to 3.7 trillion yen from an initially projected 3.9 trillion yen, due to rising loan-loss provisions as well as losses in its stock investments.