At a glance

Harrison assailant charged
LONDON: The Liverpool man who stabbed ex-Beatles guitarist George Harrison after breaking into his luxury home has been charged with attempted murder, Thames Valley police said on Friday. Michael Abram, 33, fought with Harrison, 56, stabbing him in the chest before the guitarist8217;s wife Olivia floored the intruder with a heavy table lamp at their home in Henley-on-Thames, west of London. Doctors treating Harrison in a specialist chest unit at West London8217;s Harefield Hospital said he had avoided life-threatening damage to his major organs only 8220;by chance8221;.

He suffered a one-inch stab wound on the chest, provoking a minor collapse of his right lung, as he struggled with Abram. Olivia Harrison was treated for cuts and bruises, and spent the day at her husband8217;s bedside, according to the hospital spokesman, Mark Gitten. Ahospital spokesman said the condition of the ex-Beatles guitarist continued to improve.

8220;He has had a comfortable night. His condition remains stable,8221; he said.

Ambonese told to stay in
JAKARTA: Military authorities in the riot-torn eastern Indonesian Maluku islands have urged the locals to stay at home after dark and banned public gatherings of more than 10 people, an officer said on Friday. Maluku military spokesman Captain Iwa Budiman told AFP over the phone from Ambon, the capital city, that the military had called on the residents, both Muslims and Christians, not to venture out of their home after 10:00 p.m. Because of the current Muslim fasting month, when people fast from dawn to dusk and activities traditionally pick up in the evenings, the military would not impose the restriction strictly. 8220;There will be tolerance for them Muslims since it is the holy month of Ramadan,8221; Budiman said. More than 400 people have been killed in violence across the Maluku islands, known as the Spiceislands, in the past week.

In the deadliest clashes, 265 people were killed, 127 seriously injured and 78 hurt as Muslims and Christians battled in the town of Tobelo in northern Halmahera between Tuesday and Thursday. The Halmahera violence, the fifth outbreak in less than a week, emerged the day after the Indonesian government announced it had put the military in charge of security on the island of Ambon. The transfer of responsibility for security to the military gives troops the power to search houses, detain suspects and seize weapons.

With the Halmahera casualties, over 1,000 people have been killed in the sectarian clashes since they began in Ambon in January. Budiman added 8220;no groups of more than 10 people are allowed to gather without a clear purpose8221; on streets or in the sectarian-divided areas in Ambon.

Bravery award for Winnie
EAST LONDON, South Africa: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, received a bravery award at a privateceremony here on Thursday, the SAPA news agency said.

Madikizela-Mandela was awarded the Hintsa Bravery Award by Xhosa King Xolilizwe Sigcawu for the role she played in the fight against apartheid. Sigcawu described her as one of the African National Congress leaders who kept the fire burning while all political leaders were in jail and some in exile, the report said.

The award was made of a precious stone with Madikizela-Mandela8217;s name printed on a gold plate. During the apartheid years, while Nelson Mandela was in jail, Madikizela-Mandela became known as the Mother of the Nation8217; for her bold opposition to the white minority government. However, a year after Mandela8217;s 1990 release from prison, she was convicted of kidnapping teenage activist Stompie Sepei and given a six-year jail term, which was reduced to a fine on appeal. The president of the ANC8217;s Women8217;s League, was fired from her post as deputy minister by her ex-husband in 1995. He divorced her a year later.