Iran finds Reuters guilty of
propaganda
An
Iranian jury found the news agency Reuters guilty of “publishing false
information in an effort to disturb public opinion,” and “propaganda against
the regime.” Reuters ran a story in March of this year titled: 'Thousands of
female Ninjas train as Iran's assassins.' The story was later corrected to
read: 'Three thousand women Ninjas train in Iran,' with the agency publicly
acknowledging its error and removing the word ‘assassins.’ After the incident,
Reuters’ Iranian bureau was suspended, and the branch's 11 staffers were forced
to return their press cards.
Russian Orthodox Church calls for
mercy for Pussy Riot
The
court should show clemency while reviewing the appeal on the sentence of the
three jailed members of punk band Pussy Riot, if the women show remorse, the
Russian Orthodox Church said. Expressions of remorse on their part would
indicate that they are on a path to rehabilitation, Vladimir Legoyda, the head
of the church’s press service said. A Russian court sentenced the three members
of the controversial band to two years in prison for inciting religious hatred.
The women pleaded not guilty. The court will consider an appeal on the sentence
on Monday.
Thousands of Indonesians protest
anti-Islam film
Thousands
of Muslims marched through the Indonesian capital Jakarta in an angry protest
against an infamous video that insults the Prophet Muhammad. Police estimated
that 5,000 people participated in the Sunday demonstration. Hundreds of
protesters guarded the US embassy as protesters passed by, chanting
anti-American slogans and carrying large banners that read, “Go to hell with
your freedom of expression, Muslims unite against insults to Islam.” Smaller
protests were held in other Indonesian cities.
30 wounded in Thai fair grenade
attack
A
grenade attack injured 30 people at a trade fair in southern Thailand's
Narathiwat Province. The attackers fired grenades at a security checkpoint, and
two exploded near booths. Four of the 30 victims were seriously wounded. Thai
police blamed Islamist insurgents for the incident, and for a separate shooting
attack on Saturday. More than 5,000 have died since an insurgency took hold of
the country's southern region in 2004.
Moscow expresses grave concern
after Finland takes custody of Russian mother's children
The
Russian Foreign Ministry is closely monitoring further developments in an
incident where Finnish social workers took custody of four children, including
a newborn, away from a 29-year-old Russian-born resident of Vantaa, Finland.
The Russian embassy in Helsinki has been in contact with the family, and
recommended an expert lawyer to represent them. The ministry expressed grave
concern to Finnish authorities over the event in a statement on their website.
1 child killed, 3 wounded in
Kenya church grenade attack
One
child was killed and three others were seriously injured during Sunday school
at St. Polycarp's Church in Nairobi, Kenya, when a group of attackers threw a
hand grenade into the church, police said. The attackers are believed to be
linked to the Somali militant group al-Shabaab. The radical Islamist
organization began operating in Kenya last year, after Kenyan forces deployed
in Somalia to combat the group.
PM of Kosovo calls for EU-led
talks with Serbia
The
Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, called for his country to hold talks
with Serbia in an effort to normalize relations and pursue integration with the
EU. Next month, the EU will attempt to broker talks between Kosovo and Serbia;
an improvement in relations between the two countries is regarded as a
precondition for EU membership. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s 2008
declaration of independence, and views the country as a part of its territory.
On October 10, Kosovo will likely receive a progress update on its attempt to
secure EU membership.
Attackers of Hindu temple face
blasphemy charges in Pakistan
Pakistani
police reportedly opened a criminal case against nine Muslims suspected of
attacking a Hindu temple. If charged and found guilty of blasphemy, they face
the death penalty or life in prison. The nine people, including a Muslim
cleric, are suspected of damaging a holy book and assaulting the custodian of
the Sri Krishna Ram temple in a Hindu neighborhood on the outskirts of the
southern city of Karachi on September 21.
Muslim protesters set fire to
Buddhist temples and homes in Bangladesh
At
least four Buddhist temples and 15 Buddhist homes were burned down last night
when hundreds of Muslims stormed Bangladesh's southeastern Buddhist region. The
protesters claimed they were angered by a photograph “insulting Islam” posted
on Facebook by a Buddhist. Police deployed security forces to the region and
have banned gatherings in areas heavily populated by Buddhists.
Russia takes Czech hard liquor
off shelves over methanol fears
Russian
Chief Sanitary Inspector Gennady Onishchenko ordered the country’s stores to
stop selling all hard liquors produced in the Czech Republic between January 1
and September 26. The order comes after 25 people in the Czech Republic and
neighboring Slovakia and Poland died of methanol poisoning in the past month,
with dozens more hospitalized. Earlier in September, Russia suspended imports
of Czech hard liquor.
US death toll in Afghanistan
reaches 2,000
An
Afghan security officer killed a US soldier in an apparent insider attack on
Saturday, bringing the total number of American troops killed in the country
over the 11-year-long conflict to 2,000, a US official confirmed. The Pentagon
aims to withdraw most US combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The
NATO-led occupying coalition will maintain some 108,000 troops, including
68,000 US soldiers, in the country at the end of this year
Libyans hand over arms in weapons
collection drive
Hundreds
of Libyans have begun to hand over weapons leftover from last year’s civil war.
The country's new government is attempting to rid the streets of arms and armed
militia groups as it struggles to assert authority in a country awash with
weapons. Many Libyans fear the militias formed during the war to oust the
Gaddafi regime that still possess stockpiles of weapons, and frequently take
the law into their own hands.
NATO soldier, contractor killed
in Afghan green-on-blue assault
A
coalition service member and a civilian contractor were killed in eastern Afghanistan
on Saturday, according to an ISAF statement. There were also a number of Afghan
National Army casualties in an attack which is believed to have involved an
Afghan soldier or a militant dressed as one. Officials refused to give any
other details while a joint Afghan National Army and ISAF investigation is
underway. The trend of Afghan soldiers firing on coalition troops is worsening
for NATO as earlier in September, eight coalition soldiers were killed in three
separate attacks across Afghanistan.
Two dead in Venezuela on
presidential campaign trail
Two
people have been shot dead in a clash between supporters of President Hugo
Chavez and his opponent Henrique Capriles ahead of next month's Venezuelan
presidential election, reports the Ministry of Justice. According to the
opposition, Chavez supporters blocked a motorcade of Capriles backers and
people on both sides were arguing when a man appeared with a gun and started
shooting. These are the first deaths related to campaign trail, though clashes
are a regular occurrence.
Syrian rebel commander killed in
mutiny - state media
A
commander of the Syrian insurgent militia has reportedly been killed by members
of his own group in the city of Dara'a. Rabea Swaidan was shot in a dispute
over the distribution of property and funds the group has received from abroad,
the SANA news agency reported. It adds that Swaidan personally headed the
looting of property, armed robberies and abductions.
Ecuadorian armed forces rescue
kidnapped Australian, British tourists - reports
Two female
tourists from the UK and Australia who had been kidnapped in northeastern
Ecuador, near the border with Colombia, on Friday have been freed, the
country's Interior Minister Jose Serrano said. The women were located and
rescued by the special police and army teams, Serrano wrote on his Twitter. The
women were abducted in a remote Amazon jungle nature reserve in Ecuador's
Sucumbios province. Similar attacks in the same area were reported on Friday.
Aleppo's ancient market in flames
as battle rages
A
Syrian UNESCO World Heritage Site is in danger of being destroyed, as the
ancient covered market in the center of Aleppo is burning as fighting between
the rebels and state forces rages. The medieval market, made of carved wooden
facades and vaulted stone alleyways, was once a major tourist attraction.
UNESCO warns that five of Syria's six heritage sites that comprise the ancient
desert city of Palmyra, the Crac des Chevaliers crusader fortress and parts of
old Damascus have been affected. Both sides blame each other for blaze. The
rebels on Thursday announced a new offensive in Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub,
but neither side has appeared to make significant gains.
Yemen's president acknowledges
drone strike approval
Yemeni President
Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has for the first time publicly acknowledged that he
personally signs off on every US drone strike carried out in his country. Hadi
also called the drone a technical marvel that has helped reverse al-Qaeda’s
gains, and disclosed new details about counter-terrorist missions that involve
US, Saudi Arabian and Omani forces. “Every operation, before taking place, they
take permission from the president,” Hadi told the Washington Post. In this
year alone the US has carried out 33 drone strikes in Yemen, compared to 10 in
2011.
Egypt's army prepares for
post-revolution upgrade
The
Egyptian Army is to be modernized, as officers are demanding concrete changes
in the armed forces following last year’s revolution. Egypt's new
Commander-in-Chief and Defense Minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has
promised better training and more modern weaponry for the country's army.
"Regarding the status of our military equipment, we may feel that some of
it is modest, but we must work with what arsenal we have. We will not be able
to change all of our hardware completely. What we can do is achieve the highest
standards of shooting and efficiency. This will compensate for the modest
equipment we are gradually trying to replace," he said, according to a
live recording of his speech obtained by Reuters. The United States provides
Egypt with $1.3 billion in military aid annually.
Guantanamo detainee lands in
Canadian prison
Convicted
terrorist Omar Khadr has arrived in Canada to serve his prison term. Khadr was
transferred to Millhaven Institution, where he will serve his remaining 40 year
sentence after being transported from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, aboard a US
government aircraft. He is first person since World War II to be prosecuted in
a war crimes tribunal for acts committed as a juvenile.
Yemeni official survives fourth
assassination as blast kills one, injures 11
At
least one person is dead, and eleven wounded after a suicide blast in Yemen
targeted a government official who once led a local militia against al-Qaeda.
Mohammed Aidarous, the head of Lawder district in Abyan province, survived the
assassination attempt as the attacker detonated his explosives prematurely
outside a hospital where Aidarous was at the time. An anonymous official at the
hospital said the attack was carried out by al-Qaeda. It was the fourth
unsuccessful attempt on Aidarous' life.
Libyans turn in revolutionary
weapons
Hundreds
of Libyans are surrendering their weapons to government collection points in
Tripoli and Benghazi, in an effort to help the Libyan Army rid the streets of
arms left over from last year's revolution. Some revolutionary trophies that
have been turned in include armored personnel carriers, trucks with fixed
anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers. Authorities estimate that over 200,000
people in Libya are armed. The call to surrender weapons was prompted after
thousands rose up in protest against militias and marched through Benghazi
earlier this month following an assault at the US consulate that killed four
Americans, including the Ambassador to Libya.
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