London, Jan. 30: A 70-year-old Brit Sikh shop worker successfully fended off a knife-wielding robber by hitting him over the head with an iron bar.

Harbhajan Singh was working behind the till of the Costcutter store when the attacker Deryk Traylen ran into the shop. Traylen, 35, locked the shop door then went up to the post office counter and demanded money from his son-in-law by pointing a gun at his face.

Sydney  - A train carrying iron ore derailed in the remote Pilbara region on Australia's east coast, spilling 80 freight cars and millions of dollars worth of ore onto the tracks, news reports said Friday.

The freight train, owned by giant miner Rio Tinto Ltd, was bound for Dampier Port, tore up 800 metres of track when it came off the rails.

Laurissa Smith, a reporter for national broadcaster ABC, described the scene.

Washington, Jan 30: The words `born leader' have no place in the marine world, for a new study has found that if a shy fish is paired with a very bold individual, the latter ''inspires'' the former into becoming a very faithful follower.

According to the research of stickleback fish, followers bring out the best in their leaders, and leaders elicit better following skills in their minions.

The study has been published online in the Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.

By randomly pairing fish of varying degrees of "boldness," the researchers showed that each member of a pair adopts the role of leader or follower. More importantly, they found, the behavior of each member of the pair is strongly influenced by its partner.

Manila (dpa) - The death toll in a firecracker factory blast in the
Philippines rose to eight as rescuers continued to scour the rubble on
Friday in search for factory workers reported still missing, local
officials said.

   Forty-three people were wounded in the huge explosion on
Thursday in the sprawling compound of Starmaker Fireworks Factory in
Trece Martires town in Cavite province, 25 kilometres south of Manila,
according to town Mayor Melencio de Sagun.

   De Sagun said most of the wounded have been allowed to go home

Manila  - Ten government security forces and a civilian were wounded in separate attacks by communist rebels in the southern Philippines, military and police officials said Friday.

The first attack occurred in the district of Paquibato in Davao City, 990 kilometres south of Manila on Thursday, where a landmine explosion injured seven soldiers.

Regional military spokesman Major Randolph Cabangbang said the troops were aboard a military vehicle that hit a landmine planted by communist rebels on the roadside.

Hong Kong - A chef in a Hong Kong noodle bar was facing a jail term Friday after admitting attacking a woman with a meat cleaver when she complained about his food.

Cheng Chi-wai, 50, hit the 47-year-old woman on the head with the meat cleaver after she grumbled about the meal she was served in the noodle bar in the city's Wan Chai district.

He ran into the kitchen and emerged with two meat cleavers after she made a "rude remark" about his food, a court heard, and only stopped his attack when fellow diners restrained him.