Main news of October 1

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours.

WORLD

*The United States Congress has blocked $200 million in aid for the Palestine following the request of the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to join the UN, the Independent daily said

*A high-ranking member of the Taliban-backed Haqqani militant network, Haji Mali Khan, has been captured in Afghanistan during a security operation by Afghan and coalition forces, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said

*The murder of former Afghan President Rabbani in Kabul last month was planned in Pakistan, the Afghan security agency’s press secretary Latifulla Mashal claimed

*A highly unpopular law raising the pension age from 55 to 60 for women comes into force in Ukraine today

RUSSIA

*The launch of the Soyuz-2.1B carrier rocket with the Glonass-M navigation satellite was postponed until Sunday because of the approaching cyclone, Russia's Space Forces spokesman Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said

*Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov will hold a question and answer session on Chechen TV channel live on Sunday, Chechen government's press service said

*About 40 gay parade opponents were detained during an authorized gay rally on Saturday in downtown Moscow, the city's police said