JAKARTA - POLICE hunting terror suspect Noordin Mohammad Top surrounded a house in central Indonesia and were exchanging gunfire with people inside it on Friday, police and a witness said.
Noordin is one of Southeast Asia's top terror suspects. He is suspected in all Indonesia's major terror attacks, including last month's bombings of two luxury hotels in the capital, Jakarta, and the blasts on the resort island of Bali in 2002.
LONDON - ONE of Britain's most notorious criminals has officially been released from prison.
But the family of Ronnie Biggs says the fax which confirmed his freedom won't change much. The so-called 'Great Train Robber' will likely stay where he is - in bed, seriously ill.
Britain's Justice Secretary Jack Straw said he was releasing Biggs on compassionate grounds because he is near death.
WASHINGTON - THE US unemployment rate fell unexpectedly to 9.4 per cent in July as job losses in the month narrowed to 247,000, the Labor Department reported on Friday.
The much-awaited non-farm payrolls report was better than expected by private economists, who had forecast a loss of 325,000 jobs and a jobless rate rising to 9.6 per cent from the June level of 9.5 per cent.
The report, seen as a key indicator of economic momentum, showed the number of unemployed fell slightly to 14.462 million from 14.729 million in June.
MUMBAI - THE lone surviving gunman from last year's Mumbai attacks told a court Friday he wanted to confess to all 86 charges against him - but minutes later reversed himself and said he would stick with his earlier partial confession.
Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, 21, confessed last month to taking part in the three-day November siege that paralyzed India's financial capital and killed 166 people.
