COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - The Tamil Tiger rebels admitted defeat in their 25-year-old war with the Sri Lankan government on Sunday, offering to lay down their guns as government forces swept across their last strongholds in the northeast.

The government rejected the last-ditch call for a cease-fire, saying the thousands of civilians trapped in the war zone all have escaped to safety and there was no longer any reason to stop the battle.

Instead of just three levels of subsidy pegged at 25, 50 and 75 per cent, there will soon be eight levels ranging from 10 to 75 per cent for those at different income groups.

TAIPEI - TENS of thousands of protesters marched through Taiwan's capital on Sunday to protest President Ma Ying-jeou's China-friendly policies, which they say have compromised the island's sovereignty.

The march through central Taipei, which was due to end at the presidential palace, was the largest organised by the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) since President Ma came to power in May last year.

MELBOURNE - TALL people earn higher wages than their vertically-challenged counterparts while being obese does not mean a slimmed-down pay packet, according to a new study in Australia.

The researchers found a strong link between wages and height, particularly for men, with each additional 10cm of height adding three percent to hourly wages.