Islamabad - Pakistan said Wednesday that it does not intend to seek international help following the deadly earthquake that hit country's south-west Balochistan province, killing dozens of people and leaving thousands homeless.

"According to initial information the situation is localized so far. We can deal with it," Farooq Ahmed Khan, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority told reporters in Islamabad.

"If someone wants to provide assistance, it would be most welcome. But we do not want to make an appeal at the international level," he added.

Earlier, the European Union offered humanitarian help to Pakistan.

Oslo - Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor shares dropped Wednesday after the group unveiled plans to expand into India in connection with its third-quarter report.

The group's share price was off some 15 per cent at midday on the Oslo bourse, since the Telenor management said it would need a cash injection of 12 billion kroner (1.7 billion dollars) for the pending expansion into India.

Telenor planned a rights issue - a way of issuing new shares - next year, chief executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas told analysts after announcing that Telenor had signed a deal to secure a 60-per-cent controlling stake in Indian group Unitech Wireless.

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.