W O R L D

Americans mark 11th anniversary of 9/11
New York, September 11
Memorial ceremonies marking the anniversary of the September 11 attacks began on Tuesday under clear blue skies that recalled the crisp morning 11 years ago when nearly 3,000 people were killed by airliners hijacked by Islamist militants.
A woman cries as she leans on a friend near the name of Thomas Tong, who died in the attacks, at the South Pool wall of the 9/11 Memorial during a service. — AFP

Taliban taunts US with defeat
Kabul: The Taliban has taunted the US with the prospect of "utter defeat" in Afghanistan, marking the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that saw US troops invade to bring down the militia's repressive regime.

Al-Qaida boss Zawahiri confirms death of deputy
Hong Kong, September 11
Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has released a video coincidng with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, confirming for the first time the death of his deputy, US monitors said.
                               Abu Yahya al-Libi 

Yemen minister survives car blast
Sanaa, September 11
Yemen's Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed survived a car bomb attack today that hit his convoy near the government headquarters, but 10 persons were killed, including seven guards, a security official said.

                              Mohammed Nasser Ahmed, Defence Minister

25 killed in Pak shoe factory fire
At least 25 workers burned to death when a fire broke out in a shoe factory in Lahore on Tuesday, health officials said. The death toll is expected to rise. Eighteen bodies and five workers with severe burns were brought to Meo hospital, the superintendent told local television channels.

Japan buys disputed islands, China sends ships to reassert its claim
Tokyo, September 11
Japan brushed off stern warnings by China on Tuesday and bought a group of islands that both sides claim in a growing dispute that threatens to deepen strains between Asia's two biggest economies.

Jeet Thayil on Man Booker shortlist
London, September 11
Indian writer Jeet Thayil’s first novel ‘Narcopolis’, described as a compelling tale of Mumbai’s hazy world of opium addiction, has made it to the six-author short list for the Man Booker Prize 2012 announced today.

Police releases video of US gurdwara shooting
Washington, September 11
A dramatic video of the tragic gurdwara shooting incident in Wisconsin was released today in which Wade Michael Page, the white supremacist who gunned down six Sikh worshippers, is shown on the rampage.

Americans mark 11th anniversary of 9/11
Mourners gather for annual reading of names
Obama, First Lady observe a moment of silence

New York, September 11
Memorial ceremonies marking the anniversary of the September 11 attacks began on Tuesday under clear blue skies that recalled the crisp morning 11 years ago when nearly 3,000 people were killed by airliners hijacked by Islamist militants.

Two of the jets brought down the Twin Towers of New York City's World Trade Center, another extensively damaged the Pentagon outside Washington and a fourth crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania when passengers aboard that flight revolted against the hijackers.

At Ground Zero in New York where the towers once stood, more than 1,000 relatives of those killed and others gathered for the annual reading of the list of 2,983 people killed at the three sites. The list excludes the 19 hijackers, who also died.

As the moment of the reading approached, family members, uniformed police and firefighters milled about the vast, twin reflecting pools that mark the footprints of the two towers, their edges etched with the names of the victims. Many carried or wore pictures of their loved ones.

Alyson Low, 41, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, carried a picture of her sister, Sara Elizabeth Low, who was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to crash, striking the trade center's north tower.

"I'm tired," Low said, tearfully. "I am just so tired." The reading of names began with Patricia Abbott, wife of Alan Jay Richman, who died at the trade center. It will take more than 3 hours by 198 people to read the list alphabetically.

President Barack Obama observed a moment of silence for the victims on the South Lawn of the White House. Flanked by a flag-bearing military honour guard, the President and first lady Michelle Obama stood solemnly with heads bowed. — Reuters

Taliban taunts US with defeat

Kabul: The Taliban has taunted the US with the prospect of "utter defeat" in Afghanistan, marking the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that saw US troops invade to bring down the militia's repressive regime.

The anniversary itself was muted in Afghanistan, where US and NATO troops organised only small ceremonies to commemorate the deaths of nearly 3,000 people in the worst terror strike on US soil.

On the eve of the anniversary, a rocket fired by insurgents on the largest US base in Afghanistan destroyed a helicopter, killing three Afghan intelligence agents, officials said.

On the day itself, a suicide bomber killed a local Afghan police commander and four civilians in a shop in a remote town near the border with Turkmenistan.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the suicide attack, but in a statement posted online ahead of the anniversary, the Taliban said the United States "is facing utter defeat in Afghanistan militarily, politically, economically and in all other facets".

The militia said the war had "no legal or ethical" basis and that Afghans had "no hand" in what happened on September 11, 2001.

The statement added that despite the billions spent on the conflict "no American is safe in any society today".

The United States led international military action to bring down the Taliban regime in October 2001 because it refused to give up Al-Qaeda boss Osama bin Laden, who ultimately escaped into Pakistan, where he was shot dead by US forces in May 2011. — AFP

Al-Qaida boss Zawahiri confirms death of deputy

Hong Kong, September 11
Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has released a video coincidng with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, confirming for the first time the death of his deputy, US monitors said.

The 42-minute video is Zawahiri's first release in three months, and confirms that Abu Yahya al-Libi was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan's Waziristan tribal area on June 4, according to SITE and IntelCenter.

Libi was considered Al-Qaida's global propaganda mastermind and his death dealt the biggest blow to the group since the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Special Forces in May 2011.

"With the martyrdom of Sheikh Abu Yahya, may Allah have mercy on him, people will flock even more to his writings and call, Allah willing," Zawahiri says in Arabic, according to a SITE translation.

The video was posted on jihadist forums yesterday, the US monitors said, and the translated text does not directly address the 9/11 anniversary. Zawahiri does single out US President Barack Obama for being a "liar" who was elected to "trick" Muslims around the world, but who nevertheless is "being defeated in Afghanistan". — AFP 

Yemen minister survives car blast

Sanaa, September 11
Yemen's Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed survived a car bomb attack today that hit his convoy near the government headquarters, but 10 persons were killed, including seven guards, a security official said.

The attack came a day after Defence Ministry news website 26sep.net said that second in command of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Saeed al-Shehri was killed in an army operation in the country's east.

"The Defence Minister was the target," said the security official, adding that the blast took place near his. — AFP 

25 killed in Pak shoe factory fire
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

At least 25 workers burned to death when a fire broke out in a shoe factory in Lahore on Tuesday, health officials said. The death toll is expected to rise. Eighteen bodies and five workers with severe burns were brought to Meo hospital, the superintendent told local television channels.

Seven more bodies and 13 more workers with severe burns were brought to Mian Munshi hospital, a doctor there said. It was not immediately clear what had caused the fire.

Japan buys disputed islands, China sends ships to reassert its claim

Tokyo, September 11
Japan brushed off stern warnings by China on Tuesday and bought a group of islands that both sides claim in a growing dispute that threatens to deepen strains between Asia's two biggest economies.

China rained warnings on Japan in the wake of the island purchase announcement and official media said Beijing had sent two patrol ships to reassert its claim.

The Chinese military's top newspaper accused Japan of "playing with fire", and the Ministry of Defence warned that more, unspecified steps could follow.

"The Chinese military expresses its staunch opposition and strong protest over this," Defence Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said in remarks posted on the ministry's website.

"The Chinese government and military are unwavering in their determination and will to defend national territorial sovereignty. We are closely following developments, and reserve the power to adopt corresponding measures."

Tokyo insisted it had only peaceful intentions in making the 2.05 billion yen ($26.18 million) purchase of three uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, until now leased by the government from a Japanese family that has owned them since early 1970s.

Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba repeated Japan's line that the purchase served "peaceful and stable maintenance of the islands".

"We cannot damage the stable development of the Japan-China relationship because of that issue. Both nations need to act calmly and from a broad perspective," he told reporters.

The Japanese Coast Guard will administer the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, which are near rich fishing grounds and potentially huge maritime gas fields. — Reuters

Jeet Thayil on Man Booker shortlist

Jeet Thayil

London, September 11
Indian writer Jeet Thayil’s first novel ‘Narcopolis’, described as a compelling tale of Mumbai’s hazy world of opium addiction, has made it to the six-author short list for the Man Booker Prize 2012 announced today.

Apart from 53-year-old Kerala-born Thayil, authors on the short list are Deborah Levy, Hilary Mantel, Alison Moore, Will Self and Tan Twan Eng. The winner will be announced on October 16.

Announcing the short list, the judges praised the powerful language and artistry displayed in the six books, whose common themes include old age, memory and loss. The six books are: Tan Twan Eng (The Garden of Evening Mists), Deborah Levy (Swimming Home), Hilary Mantel (Bring up the Bodies), Alison Moore (The Lighthouse), Will Self (Umbrella) and Jeet Thayil (Narcopolis).

The shortlist includes first novels by two authors: Jeet Thayil and Alison Moore. Of the six authors, two have previously been linked to the prize.

Announcing the shortlist, Peter Stothard, Chair of judges and Editor of the Times Literary Supplement, said: “After re-reading an extraordinary long list of 12, it was the pure power of prose that settled most debates. — PTI

Police releases video of US gurdwara shooting

Washington, September 11
A dramatic video of the tragic gurdwara shooting incident in Wisconsin was released today in which Wade Michael Page, the white supremacist who gunned down six Sikh worshippers, is shown on the rampage.

“He (Page) was on a mission and he had to be stopped,” Oak Creek police officer, Sam Lenda, who shot at Page told reporters at a news conference in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, after the police released the portions of the video of officers responding to the August 5 shooting.

Lt Brian Murphy, a 21-year officer, who had stopped to tend to a victim outside the temple, is also seen being ambushed by Page in the video as there was exchange of fire between the two. Murphy who was injured during the incident is now recovering.

“There’s no question in my mind that Lt Murphy prevented the gunman from taking more lives,” Lenda said.

Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards told reporters that Murphy was hit by 15 bullets. — PTI