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![Tribal students participate in a sports gala, organised by the regional Directorate of Sports, to mark the end of their school year at Peshawar in early December. Taliban militants bombed two schools in Khyber Agency, including one that sent girls to the sporting event. [M. Ibrahim]](/shared/images/2011/12/29/pakschool-180_142.jpg?1325187093)
2011-12-29
2 schools targeted for organising sporting, cultural events in FATA
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![Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev sums up the country's achievements in 2011 during a nationally televised speech in Bishkek December 29. [Asker Sultanov]](/shared/images/2011/12/29/atambayev-180_142.jpg?1325187094)
2011-12-29
President wants Kyrgyzstan to be an ‘Asian dragon’
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![Kyrgyz schoolchildren during a dance lesson in Bishkek December 23. Many young people have been inspired by Atai Omurzakov, a Kyrgyz dancer, to take up electric boogaloo (electric boogie) dancing. [Asyl Osmonaliyeva]](/shared/images/2011/12/29/kgdance-180_142.jpg?1325187093)
2011-12-29
Electric boogaloo dancing wins young hearts in Kyrgyzstan
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![Rescue 1122 workers remove debris from a bombed school in Badaber on the outskirts of Peshawar in February 2011. Started in Peshawar, Rescue 1122 has expanded to Mardan and will soon begin operating in Swat and Abbottabad. [Javed Khan]](/shared/images/2011/12/28/pakrescue1-180_142.jpg?1325076009)
2011-12-28
Mardan rescue service started in December; Abbottabad, Swat are on tap, officials say
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![Pakistani and Chinese field hockey players compete December 25 in the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore. Pakistan won the four-match series against China. [Abdul Nasir Khan]](/shared/images/2011/12/27/pakchina1-180_142.jpg?1324993212)
2011-12-27
International sports to return to Pakistan, observers say
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![A customer shops for a cellular phone in the Muslim Market on Saddar Road in Peshawar Cantonment December 21. Taliban militants have banned the use of camera-equipped phones and computers in Waziristan in a bid to stop “obscenity.” Some Pakistanis are now more hesitant to use the devices. [Javed Khan]](/shared/images/2011/12/27/pakcell-180_142.jpg?1324993215)
2011-12-27
Militants burn 300+ cell phones, computers in S. Waziristan to stop ‘obscenity’
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![Volunteers from the Initiative Group dress up as holiday characters – Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden – and hold a New Year’s party at a kindergarten in Osh’s Cheryomushki microdistrict December 20. The group performed 18 parties like this in Osh this season. [Bakyt Ibraimov]](/shared/images/2011/12/27/kgny-180_142.jpg?1325001904)
2011-12-27
They hope to put tragic memories of 2010 behind them
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![Locals decorate a Christmas tree December 20 outside the main gate of St. John’s Cathedral on the busy Sir Syed Road in Peshawar Cantonment ahead of Christmas, December 20. The city's Christians celebrate Christmas and other festivals every year. [Javed Khan]](/shared/images/2011/12/22/pakxmas1-180_142.jpg?1324584978)
2011-12-22
Christmas tree erected in KP for 1st time since 2001
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![Members of the Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, prepare to leave after its closing ceremony in Kabul November 19. Afghans have reacted positively to a proposed office for the Taliban to facilitate negotiations. [REUTERS/Ahmad Masood]](/shared/images/2011/12/22/aftaliban-180_142.jpg?1324584978)
2011-12-22
Question is where, when?
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![Children line up for the first day of classes at an Osh school September 1. Southern Kyrgyz are expressing concern over private schools with curricula heavily weighted toward religion. [Erkin Kamalov]](/shared/images/2011/12/22/kgschools-180_142.jpg?1324584978)
2011-12-22
Authorities call for broader co-operation, better public education
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![Pakistani soldiers stand near a destroyed hideout of al-Qaeda-linked militants in Wana, South Waziristan, in 2004. Al-Qaeda and foreign militants, including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, have come under pressure in the tribal areas. [REUTERS/Maqsood Mehdi]](/shared/images/2011/12/21/pakimu-180_142.jpg?1324476907)
2011-12-21
Aerial strikes called successful in disrupting terror networks
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![Uzbekistan, one of Afghanistan’s main electricity suppliers, plans to export even more once it builds a new power station, officials say. [Maksim Yeniseyev]](/shared/images/2011/12/21/uzaf-180_142.jpg?1324476305)
2011-12-21
First power station built from scratch in Uzbekistan
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![Flanked by militants, Wali-ur-Rehman (centre), deputy Pakistani Taliban leader, speaks to reporters in Shawal, a town that lies between North and South Waziristan near the Afghan border, July 28. The Taliban have split into more than 100 groups, analysts say. [REUTERS/Saud Mehsud]](/shared/images/2011/12/20/pakfactions-180_142.jpg?1324386307)
2011-12-20
After Baitullah Mehsud’s death in 2009, the TTP has lost organisational capability
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![Employees work at the Continent Print company December 14 in Bishkek. Continent, Central Asia’s largest printing company, is one of the businesses that the state nationalised after Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s overthrow. [Asker Sultanov]](/shared/images/2011/12/20/kgnat-180_142.jpg?1324395906)
2011-12-20
Officials and analysts discuss nationalisation’s impact on economy
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![Kazakhstani Interior Ministry troops patrol the oil and gas city of Zhanaozen December 20, where weekend riots led to 15 deaths and scores of arrests. About 10,000 troops are securing the city, officials said. [Serik Kovlanbayev]](/shared/images/2011/12/20/kz20-180_142.jpg?1324395906)
2011-12-20
Mass arrests continue
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![Hussai Wardak, a civil society activist, addresses the AFPAK Civil Society Forum in Islamabad December 15. Civil society activists from Pakistan and Afghanistan work together to create peace in both countries. [M. Ibrahim]](/shared/images/2011/12/19/afpak-180_142.jpg?1324306204)
2011-12-19
Delegates meet in Islamabad December 12-15
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![Riot police form a line in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan, in this video frame grab acquired December 17. Striking oil and gas workers began fighting efforts to disperse their encampment in the city centre December 16 to make way for an Independence Day celebration. As of December 19 the death toll had reached 14. [REUTERS/STAN TV/K PLUS TV/via REUTERS TV]](/shared/images/2011/12/19/kzzh-180_142.jpg?1324311604)
2011-12-19
Presidential adviser calls unrest a ‘purely local’ event
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![The late IMU leader Tahir Yuldashev gives a speech in an undated video frame grab. The IMU is a fading force, while regional efforts against the movement seem to be working, government officials and analysts say. [REUTERS]](/shared/images/2011/12/19/imu-180_142.jpg?1324311604)
2011-12-19
Published list of dead IMU members shows campaign’s effectiveness
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![A Pakistani soldier crouches atop Kund mountain near Kotkai village in South Waziristan October 29, 2009, as a Pakistani Army Mi-17 helicopter takes off. Military operations and aerial strikes have shattered many militant networks in Pakistan’s tribal areas, experts say. [REUTERS/Nicolas Asfouri]](/shared/images/2011/12/16/pakhaqqani-180_142.jpg?1324039807)
2011-12-16
21 Turks killed in aerial strikes were affiliated with Haqqani network, jihadi website announces
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![The deputy akim of Almaty lays flowers at the Independence Monument in Almaty December 16. Part of the monument includes a book (right) that represents the country’s constitution. It bears a handprint, which represents that of the country’s leader, and people often rub their hands in the handprint and make wishes. [Timur Batyrshin]](/shared/images/2011/12/16/kzindep7-180_142.jpg?1324044307)
2011-12-16
Cultural, celebrary events take place throughout country
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![Loya Jirga members take a break after the inauguration of the Loya Jirga grand assembly in Kabul November 16. Afghan leaders are urging the Taliban to renounce violence before coming to talks. [REUTERS/Ahmad Masood]](/shared/images/2011/12/16/aftaliban-180_142.jpg?1324043706)
2011-12-16
Request for Taliban office, either in Afghanistan or abroad, is discussed
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![Tajik citizens cross into Uzbekistan at the Patar checkpoint in August. Uzbeks and Tajiks say they want peace between the two countries. [Nazim Kalandarov]](/shared/images/2011/12/16/tjuz-180_142.jpg?1324044307)
2011-12-16
Cultural ties help improve relations between Central Asian neighbours
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![Pakistani plain-clothes police display two men (under blanket) suspected of membership in the Punjabi Taliban at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Karachi December 13. Police arrested the men after they refused to stop and fired on police. Explosives and firearms were seized from the suspects, police official Mazhar Mashwani said. [REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro]](/shared/images/2011/12/15/pakpunjabi-180_142.jpg?1323960604)
2011-12-15
Hit list of 100 public figures recovered from militants, police say
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![A Kyrgyz woman gestures to guests during a folklore festival in the Sarala-Saz highland pasture, 300km from Bishkek, in this July 2009 photo. As Kyrgyzstan stabilises, it hopes to increase tourism. [REUTERS/Vladimir Pirogov]](/shared/images/2011/12/15/kztour-180_142.jpg?1323961807)
2011-12-15
Country considers eliminating some visa requirements to attract more tourists
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![Pakistani women light candles during a 2005 memorial ceremony in Lahore to remember those who have died from AIDs. HIV/AIDS patients from Pakistani tribal areas face not only community social pressures but also the wrath of Taliban militants. [REUTERS/Mohsin Raza]](/shared/images/2011/12/14/pakaids-180_142.jpg?1323864303)
2011-12-14
Government establishes 2 centres to help patients
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![Medical staffers examine new equipment at the Tashkent Children’s Hospital December 2. The entire hospital was renovated this year, and the government is promising further healthcare improvements. [Shakar Saadi]](/shared/images/2011/12/14/uzhealth-180_142.jpg?1323879905)
2011-12-14
Government to allocate $1.5 billion, with maternal and infant care targeted
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![Families wait outside a Karachi police station for news of relatives freed from the Madrassa al Arabia al Uloom in suburban Karachi December 13. A police raid found 56 children and young men held prisoner in the madrassa who said they were tortured. [Photo courtesy Zia Ur Rehman]](/shared/images/2011/12/13/pakmadrassa1-180_142.jpg?1323794405)
2011-12-13
Government launches investigation into alleged torture at madrassa
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![Anara Dautaliyeva of the NGO Taza Tabigat displays textbooks rejected due to substandard printing and binding December 5 in Bishkek. [Asker Sultanov]](/shared/images/2011/12/13/kgtextbooks-180_142.jpg?1323791704)
2011-12-13
Government wants to prevent waste of textbook grants
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![A policeman guards a North Nazimabad bank December 1, one day after armed robbers stole Rs. 5.2m (US $52,225). Officials say militants are responsible for many recent bank robberies. [Zia Ur Rehman]](/shared/images/2011/12/12/pakbank-180_142.jpg?1323702908)
2011-12-12
Police have made arrests in string of Karachi robberies
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![A TV news crew tapes a report December 6 in a Boraldai house where Kazakhstani Special Forces killed five suspected terrorists December 3.Police say the dead were linked to the November 8 slaying of two Almaty policemen. Jund al-Khilafah, or Soldiers of the Caliphate, confirmed the men were members of the group, which has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks in Kazakhstan. [Serik Kovlanbayev]](/shared/images/2011/12/12/kzsoldaty-180_142.jpg?1323704404)
2011-12-12
Outlawed group unlikely to find support in Kazakhstan, observers say
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![Doctors and students work at the Forensic Science Lab of the Khyber Medical College December 9. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s first DNA laboratory will go operational next month. [Ashfaq Yusufzai]](/shared/images/2011/12/09/pakdna-180_142.jpg?1323480344)
2011-12-09
Lab will help identify militants and common criminals, analysts say
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![Chinese migrant Wan Xing Ning (right), who is called Kostya by local residents, tries to sell schoolbags to customers with his Tajik assistant, Ozoda (holding bag), in Dushanbe November 30. [Dilafruz Nabiyeva]](/shared/images/2011/12/09/tjchinese-180_142.jpg?1323480344)
2011-12-09
Chinese migrant workers flood Tajikistan
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![Mansoor, 13, rides a bike through the Musharraf Colony refugee camp in Karachi in October. Mansoor lost his siblings and father in last year’s flood, leaving his mother psychologically traumatised. [Amna Nasir Jamal]](/shared/images/2011/12/08/pakdisorder-180_142.jpg?1323361340)
2011-12-08
Government provides psychological aid to victims
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![Afghan students review their class notes near an entrance to Kabul University November 20. More Afghans, including young women, want to get a university degree. [Suleiman Kardosh]](/shared/images/2011/12/08/afuni-180_142.jpg?1323361338)
2011-12-08
As enrolment increases 10-fold, number of private schools soars
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![Kazakhstani special forces late December 3 killed five suspected terrorists who were hiding in this house in Boraldai (shown December 5) and who police say were linked to the slaying of two Almaty policemen. Kazakhstan is reviewing its counter-terrorism measures. [Timur Batyrshin]](/shared/images/2011/12/07/kzterror-180_142.jpg?1323292013)
2011-12-07
Recent violence in Kazakhstan prompts security concerns
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![An Afghan soldier disperses the crowd after a suicide bombing at a Shiite Muslim gathering in Kabul December 6. The bomber struck a Shiite Muslim shrine in central Kabul where hundreds had gathered for the festival of Ashura, killing up to 55 people in an apparently unprecedented sectarian attack. [REUTERS/Omar Sobhani]](/shared/images/2011/12/06/afattack1-180_142.jpg?1323186605)
2011-12-06
Bombings target shrines in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif
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![A woman carries a girl past a paramilitary soldier participating in a security operation in Karachi November 18. Military search operations and good intelligence have affected militants’ ability to carry out significant attacks, according to a new study. [REUTERS/Athar Hussain]](/shared/images/2011/12/05/pakstudy-180_142.jpg?1323096304)
2011-12-05
Military operations, intelligence have affected militants’ ability to attack
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![Afghan President Hamid Karzai addresses the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan in the former West German parliament building December 5. The West wants to use the one-day meeting to signal enduring support for Kabul as international coalition troops prepare to pull out by the end of 2014. [REUTERS/Ina Fassbender]](/shared/images/2011/12/05/afbonn1-180_142.jpg?1323096304)
2011-12-05
Goal is to lay framework for security, prosperity after international troops leave
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![Tajik women study the Koran in a madrassa in Dushanbe November 4. Northern Tajik authorities have been reviewing the registration of madrassas and the quality of their educational programmes. [Nazim Kalandarov]](/shared/images/2011/12/05/tjmadrassa-180_142.jpg?1323101704)
2011-12-05
Objective is to determine whether religious institutions have reformed
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![Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq congratulates Shahid Afridi (left) as wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed (right) watches after dismissing Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan (2nd right) during their first One-Day International cricket match in Dhaka December 1. Pakistan’s ICC ranking has improved after recent victories. [Reuters/Andrew Biraj]](/shared/images/2011/12/02/pakcricket-180_142.jpg?1322836504)
2011-12-02
Improved ranking encourages players, former cricketer says
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![Maulana Fazl ur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), speaks at the Mufti Mahmood Conference October 23. For the first time, he openly criticised the Taliban for what he called acts of terrorism in the garb of Islam. [Ashfaq Yusufzai]](/shared/images/2011/12/02/pakparties-180_142.jpg?1322836504)
2011-12-02
Secular parties say move is a campaign ruse
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![A fire dancer from the GORIYASNO fire group performs at a Tashkent anti-drug event in November. GORIYASNO and other youth activists are presenting extreme sports to Uzbek youth as an alternative to drugs. [Maksim Yeniseyev]](/shared/images/2011/12/02/uzdrugs-180_142.jpg?1322839205)
2011-12-02
Project seeks to improve young Uzbeks’ health
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![Pakistani and Afghan delegates, including the late Burhanuddin Rabbani (far left), attend the first meeting of a joint commission on reconciliation at the Pakistani prime minister's residence in Islamabad June 11. Pakistan recently assured Afghan delegates it will support the inquiry into Rabbani’s September 20 assassination. [Reuters/Faisal Mahmood]](/shared/images/2011/12/01/afdelegation1-180_142.jpg?1322748910)
2011-12-01
Rabbani was a friend of Pakistan, Pakistani officials say
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![Incoming Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and predecessor Roza Otunbayeva place their hands over their hearts during Atambayev’s inauguration in Bishkek December 1. [Maksat Osmonaliyev]](/shared/images/2011/12/01/inauguration-180_142.jpg?1322754005)
2011-12-01
More than 1,000 guests attend 4th president’s inauguration
