Chili powder in escapee's underwear

Press reports have said an escapee from custody in Penang had concealed chilli powder - ubiquitous in Malaysian cooking - in his underwear and used it to blind a guard.

SEVEN Malaysians who escaped police custody this week did so by temporarily blinding a guard with chili powder hidden in one of the escapee's underpants, police and press reports said Wednesday.

The escape Monday of the seven men - whom police have called "dangerous criminals" - has prompted a large-scale manhunt in the northern Malaysian state of Penang.

But the seven escapees remained at large after their daring break-out from a police van as they were being transported to a local court.

The detainees had staged a fight in the vehicle, prompting its driver to pull over, police have said.

When police opened the rear door to investigate, "they threw chili powder on a policeman", Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, a local police official, told AFP, as other detainees attacked and injured his fellow guards.

Mr Abdul Rahman declined to elaborate on the use of the spices, but press reports have said one of the men had concealed the chili powder in his underwear.

Chili powder is ubiquitous in Malaysia, which is known for its spicy cuisine.

The seven fugitives then sped off in the police van, which was later found abandoned in a nearby village, police have said.

Some 250 police officers aided by tracker dogs and a police helicopter were scouring the area near where the van was discarded, said Abdul Rahim Hanafi, Penang's state police chief.

"The escapees are dangerous criminals who have been charged with serious offences, including murder, gang robbery and causing grievous hurt," he was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.

Police were investigating how the detainees had obtained the chili powder.

The Star quoted an unnamed source saying the powder could have been from the spicy seasoning sachets found in instant noodle packets that are sometimes provided to detainees by family members during visits.

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Terrorist bomb stash found in Indonesia

An armed policeman guards the coffin of one of two suspected Islamic militants killed at an Indonesian university complex last week. killed them at a university complex. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

POLICE discovered a stash of more than 20 homemade bombs in central Indonesia today after uncovering plots to attack tourist destinations in the region, a spokesman said.

Anti-terror police found bombs, explosive materials, detonators, nails and books on jihad (holy war) on the island of Sulawesi, where police have reported increased militant activity in recent months.

"A total of 20 pipe-bombs and a 16-kilogram bomb housed in three Tupperware containers stuck together were found," said national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar, adding the raids took place in the southern district of Enrekang.

Police said interrogations of suspected militants revealed several men in the group had been trained to assemble bombs and two of them were still at large, according to Mr Amar.

Police shot dead seven terror suspects and arrested four in raids last week on Sulawesi and Sumbawa islands, where the men were allegedly planning to attack holiday spots.

Another 75 kilograms of explosive materials was found in raids in five different locations around the popular tourist town of Tana Toraja, a suspected target.

Police said the suspects were connected to a militant training camp and had been involved in killings of several police in central Sulawesi's Poso district, a known hotbed of militant activity.

Police have strengthened security in Poso since late last year after two police officers investigating a camp were found with their throats slit. Several small bomb plots were subsequently foiled.

Indonesia was rocked by a series of deadly terror attacks targeted at Westerners during the last decade. Most -- including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people - were blamed on the al-Qaida-linked group Jemaah Islamiyah.

A crackdown on terrorism has weakened JI and key militant groups, and only low-impact attacks have been carried out in recent years by networks targeting law enforcement officers.

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Third gang-rape suspect to say not guilty

Two of the men accused of gang-raping and murdering a woman in India will plead not guilty to all charges.

A THIRD suspect accused of fatally gang-raping a 23-year-old student in a moving bus in New Delhi last month will plead not guilty to all charges, his lawyer said.

Advocate M.L. Sharma said he would file the plea on behalf of Ram Singh, the driver of the bus where the attack   allegedly took place. The deadly attack has fuelled angry protests across India.

"I am representing Ram Singh and I will file a 'not guilty' plea," said Mr Sharma, who is also representing Singh's brother Mukesh and labourer Akshay Thakur in the case.

The advocate said on Tuesday that the other two men would also plead not guilty to the string of charges including gang-rape, murder and kidnapping.

"Whoever committed this heinous crime should be punished but my clients are not the real culprits," he said.

Indian police transport one of the men accused of fatally gang-raping a student on a bus in India to the Saket District Court in New Delhi. Picture: AFP

It is not yet clear who will represent the two remaining defendants. All five men are residents of New Delhi slums aged from 19 to 35. A sixth accused, who is 17, is to be tried in a separate court for juveniles.

Officials at Tihar jail, the maximum security prison where the accused are held, confirmed that Mr Sharma had met Ram Singh late on Tuesday.

Prosecutors have said they have evidence of bloodstains linking the men to the attack, but the advocate said he would challenge the police over their handling of evidence, while refusing to give details.

The next hearing, to be held behind closed doors, has been scheduled for Thursday when a magistrate is expected to transfer the case for trial in a special fast-track court.

Indian children paint messages during a gathering to mourn the death of the student who died after a brutal gang-rape attack.

The brutal attack on the medical student and her boyfriend has stirred anger in India, with politicians and the murder victim's family calling for the death penalty for the culprits.

The pair had been to watch a film when they were lured onto a bus. The gang are accused of repeatedly raping and violating the woman with an iron bar, causing horrific internal injuries.
 

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Dead lottery winner 'had no enemies'

New evidence emerges that an Illinois man may have been fatally poisoned before he could claim his lottery prize. Sarah Sheffer reports.

THE widow of a Chicago lottery winner who died of cyanide poisoning as he awaited a $US425,000 ($405,000) cheque says she cannot believe her husband could have had enemies and that she has no idea who in their family asked that authorities take the deeper look into what originally was believed to be a death by natural causes.

Shabana Ansari spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday, a day after news emerged that her husband's death in July was the result of cyanide poisoning and not natural causes, as authorities initially concluded.

Prosecutors, Chicago police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating 46-year-old Urooj Khan's death as a homicide, but they have not given any details, announced any suspects or ascribed any possible motive.

They have also not identified the relative who asked for an expanded screening after the initial cause of death was released. Mrs Ansari said she has spoken with police detectives about case but that she didn't make the request and didn't know who did.

She would not talk about the circumstances of her husband's death, saying it was too painful to recall. She said only that he fell ill shortly after they had dinner together.

"I was shattered. I can't believe he's no longer with me," the short, soft-spoken Mrs Ansari said tearfully, standing in one of three dry-cleaning businesses her husband started after immigrating to the US from India in 1989.

Mrs Ansari described Mr Khan as a hard-working and generous man who would send money to orphanages in their native India.

"I don't think anyone would have a bad eye for him or that he had any enemy," said Mrs Ansari, adding that she continues to work at the dry cleaner out of a desire to honour her husband and protect the businesses he built.

Mr Khan planned to use the lottery winnings to pay off mortgages, expand his business and give a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Mrs Ansari said her husband did not have a will and the money is now tied up in probate.

She said she hopes the truth of what happened to her husband will come out. She said she could not recall anyone unusual or suspicious coming into their lives after the lottery win became public.

Mr Khan's death was initially ruled a result of the narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries, after the basic toxicology screening for opiates, cocaine and carbon monoxide came back negative.

Authorities plan to exhume Mr Khan's body in the next few weeks in hopes they might be able to test additional tissue samples and bolster evidence if the case goes to trial. Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said he did not believe additional testing would change the conclusion that Mr Khan was a homicide victim.

"Based on the investigative information we have now and the (toxicology results), we're comfortable where we are right now," he said.

Mrs Ansari, 32, moved to the US from India after marrying Mr Khan 12 years ago.

Mr Khan and his wife were born in Hyderabad, a city in southern India, and their story is a typical immigrant's tale of settling in a new land with big dreams and starting a business. Their daughter, Jasmeen, now 17, is a student here.

"Work was his passion," Mrs Ansari said of her husband, adding that she plans to stay in the US and keep his businesses running.

"I'm just taking care of his hard work," she said.

She recalled going on the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, with her husband in 2010. One of Islam's pillars requires every able-bodied Muslim to make the journey at least once in their lifetime.

She said her husband returned even more set on living a good life and stopped buying the occasional lottery ticket.

Nonetheless, he couldn't resist buying one for an instant lottery game in June while at a 7-Eleven near his home. It was a $1 million winner.

Mr Khan opted for a lump sum of slightly more than $US600,000. After taxes, it amounted to about $US425,000, said lottery spokesman Mike Lang. The check was issued on July 19, the day before Mr Khan died.

Some other states allow winners to remain anonymous, but Illinois requires most winning ticket holders to appear for a news conference and related promotions, partly to prove that the state pays out prizes. Mr Khan's win didn't draw much media attention, and Lang noted that press events for $1 million winners are fairly typical.

"We do several news conferences a month for various amounts," he said.

Investigators are treating 46-year-old Urooj Khan's death as a homicide, but they have not given any details, announced any suspects or ascribed any possible motive.

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Maid beheaded for killing baby

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa sent an appeal to King Abdullah, pictured, requesting a stay of the execution of a maid convicted of murdering her employer's baby. Source: AP

SAUDI Arabia beheaded a Sri Lankan maid on Wednesday after she was convicted of murdering her employer's baby, the interior ministry announced, despite calls for a stay of execution.

Rizana Nafeek smothered the infant to death after an argument with the child's mother, her employer, the ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency said.

She was beheaded in the Dawadmi province near the capital Riyadh.

Human Rights Watch had on Tuesday urged Saudi King Abdullah and the interior ministry to halt Nafeek's execution.

The New York-based watchdog said that Nafeek, who was only 17 when the incident occurred in 2005, had retracted "a confession that she said was made under duress, and says that the baby died in a choking accident while drinking from a bottle."

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had sent an appeal to King Abdullah on Sunday "requesting a stay of the execution until a settlement can be reached between the baby's family and a Saudi reconciliation committee," said HRW.

HRW "opposes the death penalty in all circumstances because of its inherent cruelty and finality," it said. "Given the possibility of mistakes in any criminal justice system, innocent people may be executed."

This is the second execution of the year in Saudi Arabia after a Syrian was beheaded on Tuesday for drug trafficking.

Last year, the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom beheaded 76 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. HRW put the number at 69.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under its strict version of sharia, or Islamic law.

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Pot snack on walk leaves pups stoned

A cannabis package left on a track in the UK left several dogs stoned and "out of it" after they tucked into the parcel on their daily walk. Source: Herald Sun

SCAVENGING canines have been left bleary-eyed after inadvertently feasting on cannabis while on a walk in northwest England.

Patch was one of several dogs "poisoned" after tucking in to a package left on a walking track in greater Manchester, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported.

"Patch was just totally out of it," said owner Neil Rogers of his four-legged friend.

"When I got home he just collapsed and couldn't do anything. I realised he had eaten something."

Mr Rogers returned to the track and collected the package, the contents of which police later identified as cannabis.

Veterinary surgeon Lorna Cook, who treated two of the intoxicated dogs, said: "I haven't seen anything like this before.

"We had two dogs with similar signs in quick succession so we knew there was something suspicious. Both dogs collapsed and had dilated pupils."

All the stoned pooches have reportedly made a full recovery.

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Silvio pins costly divorce on 'feminists'

Silvio Berlusconi wipes his brow while a portrait of his wife Veronica Lario is projected in the background during a 2009 TV show. Picture: AP Source: AFP

MILAN court officials have defended the impartiality of their judges after ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi blamed "feminist, communist" magistrates for a 200,000 euros ($251,193) a day divorce settlement.

Mr Berlusconi made the accusation in an interview with the La7 private television network and said he was appealing the settlement with his second ex-wife, Veronica Lario.

In a joint statement carried by the ANSA news agency, the president of the Milan tribunal and the head of the appeals court "strongly rejected any insinuation of impartiality" of the tribunal's judges, whom they described as "diligent professionals".

The statement noted that both sides in the divorce have the right to appeal the decision.

Italian media initially reported the settlement amounted to 100,000 euro a day. But Mr Berlusconi said the figure, with arrears, was double that.

"These are three women judges, feminists and communists, OK?" he said. "These are the Milan judges who have persecuted me since 1994."

Ms Lario filed for divorce in 2009, citing Berlusconi's fondness for younger women. The 76-year-old billionaire media mogul, who is currently dating someone nearly 50 years his junior, is on trial in Milan accused of paying for sex with an underage Moroccan teen and using his office to cover it up. He and the girl deny the charges.

Mr Berlusconi also was convicted by another Milan judge of tax fraud last year and is appealing that decision.

The decision in the pay-for-sex case could come before elections next month. Mr Berlusconi has been on a media blitz in recent weeks, seeking to boost his party's chances.

Polls currently give the lead to the centre-left Democratic Party, with Mr Berlusconi's People of Freedom party and the civic movement of Premier Mario Monti vying for second and third place.

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Dozens hurt in New York ferry crash

New York City firefighters remove an injured passenger from the Seastreak Wall Street ferry in New York after a hard landing at the pier left 50 people injured. Source: AP

A COMMUTER ferry from New Jersey crashed into a dock in lower Manhattan during morning rush hour, injuring at least 50 people, at least two critically, officials and witnesses said.

Passengers aboard the vessel, the Seastreak Wall Street, said scores of people who had been standing waiting to disembark were hurled to the deck by the impact.

"We were pulling into the dock. The boat hit the dock. We just tumbled on top of each other. I got thrown into everybody else. ... People were hysterical, crying," said Ellen Foran, 57, of Neptune City, New Jersey.

The accident, which ripped open part the boat's hull like a tin can, happened at 8.45am local time (11.45pm AEDT) at a pier near the South Street Seaport, at Manhattan's southern tip.

Firefighters were still carrying people away on flat-board stretchers an hour after the crash.

Firefighters rush an injured commuter to an ambulance after an early morning ferry accident during Manhattan rush hour.

More than 340 passengers and crew members were aboard the ferry, which had arrived from Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, a section of the Jersey shore still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy.

Passenger Frank McLaughlin, 46, whose home was filled with 1.5 metres of water in the storm, said he was thrown forward and wrenched his knee in the impact.

Other passengers were bloodied when they banged into walls and toppled to the floor, he said.

Dee Wertz, who was on shore, waiting for the ferry, saw the impact.

A screen grab from WNYW's coverage of a ferry accident in lower Manhattan shows people being treated on the pier.

"It was coming in a little wobbly," she said.

"It hit the right side of the boat on the dock hard, like a bomb."

After the impact, the boat was able to dock normally. Ms Wertz said passengers raced off the ferry once the ramp was down.

"I think people just wanted to get the heck off the boat as soon as they could," she said.

An injured passenger of the Seastreak Wall Street ferry is aided by New York City firefighters. Two people are in critical condition and around 50 more injured.

Ferries are a fairly common way to commute to work in Manhattan, an island separated from New Jersey and the rest of New York City by rivers.

This frame grab taken from WABC News Channel 7 aerial video shows damage to the commuter ferry in Lower Manhattan after it made a hard landing at the dock.

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British flag raised in Belfast

The union flag flies at Belfast City Hall, for the first time since its removal a month ago sparked riots in Northern Ireland, to mark the Duchess of Cambridge's 31st birthday. Picture: Peter Muhly Source: AFP

THE British flag has been hoisted over Belfast's City Hall for the first time since the decision not to fly it permanently sparked riots in Northern Ireland.

On a sixth consecutive night of violence in the British province, protesters pelted police in the capital Belfast with petrol bombs, fireworks, bottles and stones.

Police were able to maintain order in the city's combustible eastern neighbourhoods on Tuesday without resorting to plastic bullets or water cannon, which were both used to quell Monday's unrest. No injuries were reported.

Pro-British protesters have taken to the streets of Belfast almost every night since December 3, when the city council announced it would no longer fly the British flag all year round at the City Hall.

The decision sparked riots at the start of December which gave way to largely peaceful protests, but the violence has flared again since the start of the new year.

Loyalists set up burning barricades on the Newtownards Road in Belfast during protests over a decision by Belfast City Council to stop flying the British flag year-round. Picture: Paul Faith/PA Wire

There are fears of more trouble on Wednesday as the flag is flown for the first time since the ruling in order to mark the birthday of Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Rioters on Monday used weapons including hatchets and sledge hammers to attack police and their vehicles, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.

Britain's Northern Ireland minister, Theresa Villiers, said the province was being "held to ransom" by the protesters and called for an end to their demonstrations, including peaceful rallies that have blocked traffic for weeks.

"It's not acceptable that those who say they are defending a Union flag are actually doing it by hurling bricks and petrol bombs at police. It's disgraceful, frankly," she told BBC radio.

Loyalist protesters confront police as they gather at Belfast City Hall during a city council meeting in Belfast. Picture: Peter Muhly/AFP

She added that the protests were doing "huge damage to Northern Ireland's image abroad".

The flag ruling has raised tensions in the British province between loyalists - who want to maintain the links to Britain and are mostly Protestant - and largely Catholic republicans who want a united Ireland.

Northern Ireland's chief police officer Matt Baggott on Monday accused the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), which murdered more than 500 people during the province's 30-year sectarian conflict, of whipping up the disorder.

On Monday, police battled to separate a crowd of around 250 loyalists from some 70 Catholic republicans, who hurled missiles including bottles at the protesters.

Police dressed in riot gear protect the Belfast City Hall as Loyalist protesters gather during a city council meeting. Picture: Peter Muhly/AFP

Around 1000 loyalists had earlier staged a peaceful demonstration outside the City Hall as councillors held their first meeting since their decision to take the flag down.

More than 60 police have been injured and over 100 people arrested since the disorder began.

Four people have been charged in connection with Monday night's disorder and were due to appear in court on Tuesday.

Politicians from both sides have received death threats in recent weeks, but MPs from all major parties have insisted that the spate of violence does not pose a serious threat to Northern Ireland's peace process.

Violence flared again in Northern Ireland, after politicians and Church leaders held talks in a bid to quell a row over the flying of the British flag. Picture: Peter Muhly/AFP

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that Northern Ireland needed to break down "barriers of segregation that have been in place for many, many years".

"We need to build a shared future in Northern Ireland," he said as he faced his weekly session of questions in parliament.

"I think that is part of the challenge to take away some of the tensions that we've seen in recent days."

John Kyle, a member of the pro-British Progressive Unionist Party on the city council, said the protests expressed the wider anger of Protestants who feel they have lost out in the peace process.

"There's a feeling of alienation - they feel disconnected from the political system," he told BBC radio.

"It has erupted in this anger and regrettably the anger has led to violence."

Some 3000 people were killed in the three decades of sectarian bombings and shootings from the late 1960s known as The Troubles.

Northern Ireland's top policeman Matt Baggott has accused the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force, which murdered more than 500 people during the conflict, of orchestrating some of the recent violence.

The 1998 Good Friday peace agreement brought an end to most of the unrest in the province, but sporadic bomb threats and murders carried out by dissident republicans continue.

 

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