BRUSSELS - SIX warships will deploy early to the waters off the Horn of Africa to combat piracy amid growing alarm over attacks on international shipping, European Union officials said on Monday.

The six warships will arrive on Dec 15 - five days ahead of schedule - to replace the four-vessel Nato flotilla conducting anti-piracy patrols off the Somali coast The early deployment is a sign of the urgency in protecting one of the world's most important shipping lanes, said Cristina Gallach, spokesman for the bloc's foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

LONDON - CHILDREN should start school earlier and be taught broader areas of learning than single subjects like Maths and English, a review recommended on Monday.

They should start formal education in the September following their fourth birthday to improve their chances of academic success, the government-ordered review said.

TEHRAN - IRAN will never halt its nuclear work and expects the United States to change its 'failed' carrot and stick approach to solving the atomic row with Tehran, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

'When they stick to their past view regarding suspending uranium enrichment, our answer will be: Iran will never suspend uranium enrichment,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told reporters.