Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin  —  CAIRNS, Australia - Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef.  He was 44.

G.O.P. Seen to Be in Peril of Losing House  —  After a year of political turmoil, Republicans enter the fall campaign with their control of the House in serious jeopardy, the possibility of major losses in the Senate, and a national mood so unsettled that districts once considered safely Republican …

A Different Face of Iran  —  Despite the Politics, an American Finds Hope in a Forbidden Land  —  As a journalist, I've spent considerable time over the years in places where America was not always popular.  In the bad old days, that meant Russia, China and Vietnam; more recently I've reported …

Attacking Inequality  —  Tax Reform Has the Greatest Potential To Narrow the Gap  —  By now almost everyone agrees that inequality is serious.  Economic growth no longer seems to help the majority of workers; the proceeds flow to the top fifth or so of the workforce, and the top within the top has done especially handsomely.

Not Wanted: An Exit Strategy  —  The mostly bad news from Iraq this summer left a lot of people in Washington, including a few in the Bush administration, feeling confused, anxious and doubtful about whether the Iraqi government can deliver on its promise to stabilize the country.

Caine hits out against today's 'banal' films  —  FILMS made today pale against cinema classics of the past because they are so lacking in dialogue, character and plot, Sir Michael Caine told The Times yesterday.  —  The Oscar-winning star has lost count of the number of times he has seen films …

Al-Qaeda calls on US to convert  —  Al-Qaeda has urged non-Muslims - especially in the US - to convert to Islam, according to a new videotape.  —  The call is made by a man identified on the film as "Azzam the American", a convert also known as Adam Gadahn who is wanted for questioning by the FBI.

Hijacking 9/11  —  The ABC television network is using the fifth anniversary of 9/11 as an opportunity to rewrite history.  On September 10 and 11, ABC/Disney will broadcast "The Path to 9/11", a 6-hour, two-part "docudrama" written and produced by conservative filmmakers who place a lion's share …

FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Sept 4  —  Source: Reuters  —  Sept 4 (Reuters) - Following are security and other developments in Iraq reported on Monday, as of 1515 GMT:  —  Asterisk denotes new or updated item.  —  *TIKRIT - A U.S. soldier was killed after his vehicle was hit …

Olmert: Unaware of deal to free Shalit  —  PM denies Arab reports of agreement to release kidnapped soldier within two days in exchange for 1,400 Palestinian prisoners  —  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denied at the opening of hid briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday reports …

British tourist killed in Jordan shooting  —  A British man was killed today when a lone gunman shouting "Allahu Akbar!"  ("God is Great") started firing at a group of Western tourists in the Jordanian capital Amman.  —  A government spokesman said that five other tourists - two British women …

Omar Bakri Mohammed Detained in Lebanon, 3 al-Muhajiroun Arrested  —  ***Jawa Report Exclusive***  —  Shiekh Omar Bakri Mohammed, the exiled British Muslim cleric, was detained by Lebanese police last week and then released after passing a bribe.  He was questioned about his possible involvement with the foiled sky terror plot.