Carjacker knifed man to death as he handed over his keys

Mercedes CLK car in Stoneleigh Road, Ilford (Pic:PA)

A HERO driver was stabbed to death by a masked carjacker yesterday as he desperately tried to save the life of his terrified female friend.

The couple were driving home when the man stopped the car and dragged the woman out.

Bleeding to death from a stab wound to the heart Harjinder Singh Burji, 32, managed to hand over the keys to his Mercedes so the knifeman would leave the woman alone.

Ohio woman Shoshana Hebshi tells of detention after removal from plane

Shoshana Hebshi said she believed she was targeted because of the colour of her skin

A 35-year-old housewife from the American midwest has given a nightmarish account of being hauled out of her plane seat without warning, handcuffed, strip-searched and detained for hours along with her immediate seatmates – all because an unidentified fellow passenger thought she looked suspicious and it was the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri in Pakistan: Pentagon

Islamabad: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is still in Pakistan, a Pentagon official said Wednesday, following the release of a video in which Osama bin Laden's successor blasts the United States.

"We have no information to indicate that he is anywhere else than in Pakistan," Pentagon spokesman George Little said. 

U.S. urges Myanmar to make "genuine" reforms

Myanmar's leaders must pursue "genuine" reforms that involve Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and make progress in freeing thousands of political prisoners before ties can improve with Washington, a U.S. envoy said on Wednesday.

US urges Sri Lanka to act on UN war report

Sri Lanka has been on a diplomatic offensive to dispel war crimes charges, which it says are biased [Reuters]

A senior US offical has called on the Sri Lankan government to follow up on the findings of a UN report, by bringing to justice those who committed war crimes during the civil war.
Robert Blake, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, said accountability for alleged war crimes was as important as dealing with the political issues which remain unsettled after the government defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Analysis: Happy talk doesn't mean compromise in Congress

Republicans in Congress may have dialed back their rhetoric, but that does not mean they are any more likely to yield to an unpopular Democratic president.

Coming off a bruising debt-ceiling debate that spooked investors, unnerved Americans and took the country to the edge of default, Republican leaders have promised to lower the temperature on Capitol Hill and try to work with President Barack Obama wherever possible.

13th Amendment a starting point: Blake

The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution “is quite important starting point” for devolution of powers to the Tamil-dominated northern province, said a senior U.S. government official.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O Blake Jr., who was in Sri Lanka for a second time within five months, said this in response to a question if the 13th Amendment was still relevant or if it was redundant in the current context. He was hopeful that the Amendment would be expanded on by the government and the Tamil National Alliance to grant more power to the provinces.

Georgieva Confirms New EU Humanitarian Aid towards Horn of Africa Drought

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Kristalina Georgieva is pictured here at a visit in the Horn of Africa in end-July 2011. Photo from ec.europa.eu/commission

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva, has confirmed on behalf of the European Commission the allocation of EUR 60 M in aid for tackling the impact of the drought in the Horn of Africa.

Japan reactors to restart when safety assured - trade minister

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's new trade minister said he expects nuclear reactors idled for routine maintenance to restart once safety is confirmed and local communities give their approval, reflecting Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's view that nuclear power will play a continued role in the country's energy mix.

Arab League presents Syria peace plan to Bashar al-Assad

Syrian forces killed 12 opposition supporters over the weekend even as the head of the Arab League was finally allowed into Damascus to issue a demand for a halt to the violence.

Nabil Elaraby, the movement's secretary general, presented President Bashar al-Assad with a 13-point document detailing Arab proposals to end the bloodshed and usher in a new era of reform.

The meeting came amid fresh tension between Syria and the Arab League, which has grown increasingly vocal over Mr Assad's suppression against pro-democracy protests which have seen more than 2,200 people killed since mid-March.

Disturbed Ax-Wielding Farmer Kills Six in Central Chinese City

China Daily, via Reuters

BEIJING — A farmer described by the authorities as mentally ill rampaged through the streets of a city in central China with an ax on Wednesday morning, killing six people, two of them children, according to the state media.

Axe-wielding man kills six in China

BEIJING (Reuters) - An axe-wielding man killed six people, including two preschool-aged girls on a street, in China's central Henan province on Wednesday, state media said.

Two victims died of their injuries in hospital, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a government spokesman in Gongyi city, scene of the street attack.

Iraqi town hit by deadly car bombing

Iraqi policemen inspect the site of a bomb attack located just south of Hilla, 100 kilometres south of Baghdad on Wednesday. (Reuters)

A car bombing Wednesday morning killed as many as 13 people and wounded scores of others in southern Iraq as the blast went off outside a restaurant where local police were having breakfast, officials said.

It was not immediately clear how many police were among the dead.

17 killed in spate of attacks in central Iraq

BAGHDAD, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- A series of attacks against the Iraqi security forces in central Iraq on Wednesday killed a total of 17 people and wounded 53 others, the police said.

The deadliest attack occurred in Babil province during morning rush hours when a car bomb detonated outside a popular restaurant in the town of al-Shomaly southeast of the provincial capital city of Hilla, some 110 km south of Baghdad, killing 11 people and wounding 41 others, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

A tale of two speeches in the Egyptian capital

CAIRO (Reuters) - It was no surprise that Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Barack Obama both chose Cairo to deliver their vision for the Middle East.

The historic Egyptian capital is home to al Azhar mosque and university, Islam's most prestigious seat of learning, lending authority to the words of any visiting leader anxious to influence Arab opinion.

Libya after Gaddafi: Who's in charge?

With remnants of the Gaddafi regime restricted to a few last outposts, Libya's transitional authorities now face the challenge of running a country emerging from war.

The National Transitional Council (NTC), formed in the eastern city of Benghazi to lead the uprising, is gradually establishing itself in the capital, Tripoli, with ambitious plans.

Greece to stay in eurozone

The leaders of Greece, France and Germany ended a teleconference call Wednesday saying Greece remains an integral part of the eurozone.

The discussions among German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou were closely watched by financial markets for clues as to whether Greece will default and how soon.

Afghan attacks show Pakistani-based militants' role

(Reuters) - Militants based in Pakistani safe havens are stepping up cross-border attacks in Afghanistan as security cooperation between the United States and Pakistan remains under severe strain, U.S. officials said.

Taliban fighters attack across Kabul, target US embassy

Taliban suicide fighters launched a multi-pronged attack in Kabul on Tuesday, firing rockets towards the US and other embassies in central Kabul, and sending two suicide bombers to the city's West later in the afternoon.

Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma vocal in support of Assam land to Bangladesh

Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, who is charge of the completion of the Assam Accord 1985, came strongly vocal in support of the Indo-Bangla land swap deal.

Stating that this has actually led Assam to gain much more land than what it has conceded, the minister accused the Opposition parties and local media of indulging in a misleading propaganda on land-swap deal. Mr. Sharma also claimed that with this agreement, Assam would be able to seal the unfenced portion of the border and Assam actually benefitted by 1,240 acres of land while Bangladesh gotonly 357 acres of Assam land through the land swap.

CBI reluctant to transfer anti-corruption branches to Lokpal

The CBI is likely to make an attempt to impress upon the Parliamentary committee looking into the Lokpal Bill that bifurcating it to create a separate probe wing under Lokpal would not be in the interest of the nation or its fight against corruption.

The CBI is set to oppose transfer of its anti-corruption branches to the Lokpal as the agency would be left with no infrastructure at several places where there is only one CBI branch designated as the anti-corruption branch.

Parliament panel on Lokpal not yet reconstituted

Consultations over the Lokpal Bill by the law makers is unlikely to begin soon as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice is yet to be reconstituted.

The term of the earlier committee headed by Abhishek Singhvi was over by August 31 like all other parliamentary committees and none of them has been reconstituted so far.

Bihar: 4 cops suspended for beating up women protestors

New Delhi: Over a dozen people were injured on Wednesday when policemen rained lathis on them in Bihar's Nalanda district during a protest by locals demanding recovery of a missing woman, official sources said.

Bihar: Police lathicharge women, children in Nalanda; 3 suspended

The police in Bihar's Nalanda district resorted to lathi-charge to control a group of protesters, mostly women, on Wednesday. Three policemen were later suspended for their alleged brutality.
 The police action came during a protest by relatives of a young woman -- Sushma, head of a village panchayat -- who has been missing since August 25. Villagers suspect an officer -- Ashok Kumar -- to be behind her disappearance

Open Vault B of Padmanabhaswamy Temple: Panel

New Delhi: The Vault B of Kerala’s Padmanabhaswamy Temple should be opened, the Supreme Court appointed expert committee said in its report, submitted to the court on Thursday.

As per reports, the panel is of the view that the secret vault must be opened and the treasure supposedly kept inside valued. The panel has also citied security concerns for the need to ascertain the contents of the vault. 

Need for computerised inventory of objects at Padmanabhaswamy temple: panel

The experts panel, formed to decide on the security, inventory and opening of kallara (secret vault) ‘B' in the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, has suggested to the Supreme Court the creation of a ‘Digital Archives of Temple Antiques' (DATA) for preserving the priceless objects scientifically.

Forewarns Washington of Narendra Modi’s possible elevation to PM

WASHINGTON: American lawmakers and policy planners are being primed for the return of BJP to power at the center , with its controversial regional satrap Narendra Modi possibly at the helm as prime minister, following what US analysts say is a "precipitous" decline in the Congress party's standing. 

Charges against me are false: Modi

Breaking his silence for the first time on the 2002 communal riots, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the charges that he and his government were involved in the riots were “unfounded and false.”

In an open letter to the people of Gujarat, Mr. Modi said he believed that the Supreme Court's Monday order had ended an“unhealthy environment” created by the “unfounded and false allegations” against him and his government.

Bharatpur: 5 killed in clash, curfew imposed

New Delhi: Five people were killed in clashes between two communities over a land dispute on Wednesday in Bharatpur in Rajasthan. Curfew was imposed on Wednesday and still remains in some sensitive areas.

The clash erupted on Wednesday morning when two communities confronted each other over a land-related dispute - pelting stones and exchanging fire.

Additional forces have been called in from Jaipur and other neighbouring districts to bring the situation to normalcy.

Refused permission to raise firing issue, Opposition stages walkout

Members of the CPI (M), CPI, PMK and Puthiya Tamizhagam on Wednesday staged a walkout in the Assembly to protest denial of permission by Speaker D. Jayakumar for raising the issue of police firing at Paramakudi. Later talking to reporters, floor leaders of these parties demanded action against police officers were responsible for the firing, in which six Dalits were killed. Immediately after the House met in the morning, CPI floor leader A. Soundararajan and Puthiya Tamizhagam leader K. Krishnasamy raised the issue. Though the Speaker denied permission, Dr. Krishnasamy continued to speak. The Speaker said that the speech would not go on record. Dr. Krishnasamy then staged a walkout. The others followed him.

Nine killed in Bharatpur violence, curfew imposed

Bharatpur:  At least nine persons were killed on Wednesday in a clash here between two communities over a land dispute, forcing the district authorities to impose curfew in a few areas.

The clash erupted Wednesday morning when some members of Gujjar and Muslim communities confronted each other over a land-related dispute. They pelted stones and exchanged fire.