India More than 300 Hindu pilgrims were trampled or burnt to death and 200 injured in a stampede followed by a raging fire at a religious festival in western India. Auschwitz Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed Germany's shame for the Holocaust, as Europe started commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Iraq An American hostage in Iraq was shown pleading for his life in a videotape, as at least 11 people were killed and Al-Qaeda loyalists attacked polling stations ahead of Sunday's key vote. Asia Indonesia was readying a team of senior officials to head to Finland for talks with rebels aimed at bringing peace to tsunami-stricken Aceh province, as the Asian-wide toll of presumed dead from the disaster exceeded 280,000. Mideast Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei accused Israel of bad faith by its resuming construction on one of the most controversial sections of the West Bank barrier, casting a shadow over coordinated efforts to put a halt to attacks by militants. Ukraine Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yushchenko, emphasised ambitions to lead his country closer to western Europe by heading to Strasbourg to address the Council of Europe. US The last Britons held at the US jail for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay were flying home after up to three years in detention, but faced questioning by British police before they could contemplate freedom. US US President George W. Bush, poised to seek 80 billion dollars more for Iraq and Afghanistan in 2005, discussed Iraq's elections with Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, the White House said. Mideast Russia and Syria pledged to restore Soviet-era ties, striking an accord on Damascus' debts to Moscow and future military cooperation despite Israel's apparent success in torpedoing Russian weapons sales to its arch-enemy.