Sydney - Construction worker Aaron Neiswander, who lives at his parents' Adelaide home, is out of work and on welfare.

He's been idle since January despite an unemployment rate at a 30-year low and companies so desperate for staff that even some McDonald's restaurants are staffed with guest workers from abroad.

Neiswander, 26, blames picky employers. "I'm just out of the age group," he said. "People are looking for juniors - they want cheap labour."

As Australia moves from boom to doom, Neiswander's chances of leaving the dole queue grow bleaker by the day. Economists say the unemployment rate is already surging and that the run of 
16 straight years of heady growth that made Neiswander so choosey is over.

Zaheer Kahn has been fined 80% of his match fee due to his unsporting conduct, against  following the dismissal of  Australian opener Matthew Hayden.  Zaheer pleaded guilty to a charge of conduct opposing to the spirit of the game.

Zaheer was fielding when Hayden was given out LBW to spinner Harbhajan Singh. Chris Broad, the referee of the match, revealed "Zaheer circled the batsman and shouted at him in an aggressive manner." As Hayden walked out of the ground, he complained about Zaheer's indecent behavior to the square-leg umpire Rudi Koertzen.

Hong Kong - Weakening demand and mounting losses have led Hong Kong Airlines to suspend flights to three cities in China, a media report said Thursday.

The regional carrier will halt services to Xian, Chengdu and Chongqing when the winter schedule takes effect on Sunday, the South China Morning Post said.

Flights to Xian will be restored next summer.

Hong Kong Airlines together with rival carrier Hong Kong Express Airways are both partly owned by China's Hainan Airlines Group.

Returning to the small screen after five years, Katie Holmes will be seen in tonight’s installment of Eli Stone, a legal drama about Eli Stone, an attorney with a brain aneurysm that gives him psychic visions.  She has also reunited with show co-creator and executive producer - Greg Berlanti, having worked with him on Dawson’s Creek.

Beijing - Leaders of Asian and European Union nations arrived in China on Thursday ahead of a summit that is expected to be dominated by the global financial crisis.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso arrived in Beijing late Thursday morning, while Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Finnish President Tarja Halonen were among several leaders who held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao earlier on Thursday.

The largest ever gathering of Asian and European leaders takes place on Friday and Saturday with 27 European and 16 Asian nations represented.