US New Orleans was primed for all-out combat, as Iraq-tested troops with shoot-to-kill orders moved into the hurricane-devastated city to quell rioters and looters. US US President George W. Bush was to tour three southern US states ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, amid criticism of the government's handling of the response to the disaster. China Fourteen people died and 15 were missing after Typhoon Talim's whipping rain and winds walloped China's east coast and Taiwan, causing widespread damage. Britain A message from the grave left by one of the four London bombers fueled a row over whether Britain's military role in Iraq has increased the risk of terrorist attacks here. Egypt Egypt's judges warned that the transparency of next Wednesday's presidential election could not be guaranteed unless they have complete independence to fulfill their task of supervising the polls. EU Cypriot Foreign Minister George Icaovou said he was "optimistic" that EU accession talks with Turkey would begin next month despite Ankara's refusal to recognise the government in Nicosia. Afghanistan Authorities sounded a hopeful note about the plight of a Briton kidnapped by suspected Taliban militants in Afghanistan, as officials said they may have found the bodies of two missing Japanese tourists. Mideast Israel has frozen a controversial project to link its largest West Bank settlement to annexed east Jerusalem, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a newspaper interview. India The United States has lifted curbs on exports to six Indian civilian nuclear and space units, the US ambassador said in an interview, describing India as a "unique" non-proliferation case. US Asia has overtaken the Middle East as the largest arms market in the developing world, with India and China locked in a gruelling race to purchase weapons from Russia, according to a report sent to the US Congress.