Mirwaiz, Gilani detained ahead of Kashmir rally :

SRINAGAR: Indian security forces detained two top Muslim leaders in Kashmir and enforced a strict curfew for a second day to prevent separatists from holding a protest rally.

Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who head the hardline and moderate factions of the region's main separatist alliance, were detained in overnight raids on their residences in the summer capital Srinagar, police said. The Hurriat leaders had planned to address the rally today at 10am at Lal roundabout. However, they were arrested ahead of rally.According to media reports, Indian forces raided houses of Shabir Shah, Yasin Malik and Naeem Ahmed and other leaders but they could not be arrested.

ICC postpones Champions Trophy in Pakistan :

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Sunday postponed until next year September's Champions Trophy in Pakistan over security fears.

The move came two days after South Africa refused to send their team, while players' associations from Australia, New Zealand and England urged their players not to travel to the troubled country over security concerns, officials said.The event, scheduled to be held from September 12-28, had run into trouble after Australia postponed their full tour of Pakistan over security fears triggered in the wake of suicide bombings earlier this year.

Pre-Ramazan flour price hikes in Lahore :

LAHORE: Flour at the shops across this provincial capital city has disappeared even before the dawn of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak, while it is being sold in the black-market at higher prices, forcing the large number of people thronging Sunday Bazaars.

Never ending long queues were seen jostling since early morning at the Sunday Bazaars for buying a pack of flour at the government fixed price. Citizens complained non-availability of flour in the open market, while it is being black-marketed at an exorbitant price of Rs450 per 20 kg bag. Buying flour from Sunday Bazaars at government fixed price is simply tormenting as the purchaser has to line up for hours and sometime even for the whole day and yet returning empty handed as the stocks get often exhausted. The citizens have appealed ensuring enough flour supplies to the market and its selling at the official price at least prior to the Ramazan.

MPA’s brother among 10 killed in Swat rocket attack :

SWAT: At least 10 people were killed including brother of ANP's MPA in missile attack in Swat here on Monday.

Taliban attacked the house of the brother of a ruling party MP with rockets in Shah Derai area of Tehsil Kabba, killing 10 people. The house of Iqbal Ahmed Khan, brother of an MPA Waqar Ahmed Khan completely destroyed in the attack while Iqbal Khan, his two sons and seven guards were also killed. Taliban, after the attack, escaped from the scene.Meanwhile, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed the responsibility. In a statement issued here on Monday, TTP spokesman Haji Muslim Khan said attack was revenge of innocent people killed in Kabbal operation.Security forces bombed militants' hideouts, however, there were no immediate reports of any casualty. Shelling continued over the night in Mangoora city. Curfew has been enforced in Tehsil Kabbal, according to ISPR.

Govt bans TTP, freezes its accounts :

ISLAMABAD: Federal Government on Monday banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and issued directive to freeze its accounts and assets, according to the notification.

Adviser to Prime Minister Rehman Malik said that all concerned departments and international community have been formally informed about the notification of banning Tehrik-e-Taliban. While, restriction has also been put on the movement of people associated with the TTP.The government has also issued warning for the people and organizations involved with TTP. Beside this, ban was also imposed on statements of its representatives in media. Tehrik-e-Taliban was accused of attacks on security forces, government buildings and suicide attacks.

Madonna raves on as tour begins :

Madonna has begun her new world tour in Cardiff, proving to fans that she can still cut it on stage at the age of 50.
In a typically energetic performance, the pop superstar played two hours of hits from her 25-year career.
It featured radically reworked versions of some of her old favourites, such as a techno remix of Like A Prayer and a rock take on Borderline.
"She gets better with age," said Lewis Aldous, 23, from Brentwood, Essex.
He said Madonna looked "incredible", adding: "She looks like she's in her 30s. This is the most fast-paced tour of recent times, especially Like A Prayer."
Maria Paradisis, 32, who travelled from Sydney, Australia, for the show, said Madonna's dancing was "mesmerising".

George Michael plays 'last' shows :

George Michael has played the first of his "final" major concerts - but suggested he is not ready to retire from singing.
The pop star announced that he has written a Christmas song, which will be released as a festive single.
Michael revealed the plans at the first of a pair of shows billed as the "Final Two" at Earls Court in London.
The second is on Monday. But he will also play another gig billed as the "Final One" in Copenhagen on Saturday.
Michael has said he will leave the "bells and whistles" of large-scale tours behind after that because he wants a "quieter life".
He has been on the road for almost two years with his 25 Live world tour - which was his first outing for 15 years.
The pop icon played a mixture of hits and rarities for the loyal crowd at the first night at Earls Court.

Solar plane makes record flight :

A UK-built solar-powered plane has set an unofficial world endurance record for a flight by an unmanned aircraft.
The Zephyr-6, as it is known, stayed aloft for more than three days, running through the night on batteries it had recharged in sunlight.
The flight was a demonstration for the US military, which is looking for new types of technology to support its troops on the ground.
Craft like Zephyr might make ideal platforms for reconnaissance.
They could also be used to relay battlefield communications.
Chris Kelleher, from UK defence and research firm QinetiQ, said Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer advantages over traditional aircraft and even satellites.
"The principal advantage is persistence - that you would be there all the time," he told BBC News. "A satellite goes over the same part of the Earth twice a day - and one of those is at night - so it's only really getting a snapshot of activity. Zephyr would be watching all day."

Argentine dog saves abandoned baby :

An eight-year-old dog has touched the hearts of Argentines by saving the life of an abandoned baby, placing him safely alongside her own new puppies.
The country's media are calling him "the miracle baby".
He was born prematurely to a 14-year-old girl in a shanty town outside the capital, Buenos Aires.
She is said to have panicked and abandoned the boy in a field, surrounded by wooden boxes and rubbish.
Then along came La China, reports say, the dog which somehow picked up the baby and carried her 50m to place him alongside her own puppies.
The dog's owner reported hearing the child crying and finding him covered with a rag.
The baby, weighing 4kg (8lb 13oz), had some slight injuries, but no bite marks.

Marley statue unveiled in Serbia :

A statue of late reggae legend Bob Marley has been unveiled in a small Serbian village during a rock festival as a token of peace in the Balkans.
Musicians from Croatia and Serbia were joined by rock fans for the midnight ceremony in Banatski Sokolac.
Organisers said Marley, who died in 1981, "promoted peace and tolerance in his music".
Serbia recently erected a statue of iconic film character Rocky, while Mostar in Bosnia has one of Bruce Lee.
Jinxed
Another Serbian village put up a statue to actor Johnny Weissmuller, best known for his depiction of Tarzan.

China deports US Tibet protesters :

China has deported eight Americans detained in Beijing last week for demonstrating about Tibet during the Olympic Games.
The eight left China on Sunday while the closing ceremony was taking place after American officials pressed for them to be released.
Washington had voiced "disappointment" that China had not used the Olympics "to demonstrate greater tolerance".
Two other detainees, a Briton and a German, were reportedly also freed.
The eight Americans were deported by the Chinese authorities at 2100 Chinese time (1300 GMT) on Sunday on a China Air flight to Los Angeles, the White House said.
They had been among dozens of foreigners who evaded security checks to demonstrate in favour of Tibetan independence and were arrested on 20-21 August.

India arrests leaders in Kashmir :

Indian police have arrested the two most prominent separatist leaders in Indian-administered Kashmir ahead of a protest rally in defiance of a curfew.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Omar Farooq were arrested at their homes on Sunday night, hours before the rally was due to begin in Srinagar.
An indefinite curfew imposed on Sunday remains in force, in an effort to prevent protesters reaching the city.
Separatist rallies drew hundreds of thousands of people in recent weeks.
The strength of the protests is an embarrassment for the Indian authorities, the BBC's Altaf Hussain reports.
Polce with loudspeakers have been warning people not to try to break the curfew, after separatist leaders said they would try to reach Lal Chowk, or Red Square, in Srinagar, the planned venue for the rally.

Russia to debate Georgian regions :

Both houses of Russia's parliament are meet for extraordinary sessions shortly to debate recognising the independence of Georgia's two breakaway provinces.
A vote by parliamentarians on the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia would not be binding on the Kremlin.
However, it could provide President Dmitry Medvedev with bargaining chips in talks with the West, analysts say.
Russia fought a brief war with Georgia this month after Tbilisi tried to retake South Ossetia by military force.
Both it and the much larger province of Abkhazia have had de facto independence since breaking away in the early 1990s.
While they have enjoyed Russian economic and diplomatic support, and military protection, no foreign state has recognised them as independent states.
Since the fighting over South Ossetia ended nearly two weeks ago with the ejection of Georgian forces from both provinces, the Russian military have established controversial buffer zones along their administrative borders with Georgia proper.