Monday,  September 24, 2012 • Vol. 13--No. 069 • 18 of 24 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 17)

He also appealed to al-Qaida and Taliban militants to contribute to "a noble cause" of eliminating the filmmaker.
• The film, made in the United States and entitled "Innocence of Muslims," has enraged many Muslims around the world for its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a child molester. At least 51 people, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, have been killed in violence linked to protests over the film, which also has renewed debate over freedom of expression in the U.S. and in Europe.
• In Islamabad, the Foreign Office said in a statement Monday that the bounty put on the filmmaker's head reflected Bilour's personal view and was not Pakistan's official policy.
• ___

NKorean farmers told sweeping changes could give them unprecedented ownership of crops

• SARIWON, North Korea (AP) -- North Korean farmers who have long been required to turn most of their crops over to the state may now be allowed to keep their surplus food to sell or barter in what could be the most significant economic change enacted by young leader Kim Jong Un since he came to power nine months ago.
• The proposed directive appears aimed at boosting productivity at collective farms that have struggled for decades to provide for the country's 24 million people. By giving farmers such an incentive to grow more food, North Korea could be starting down the same path as China when it first began experimenting with a market-based economy.
• Two workers at a farm south of Pyongyang told The Associated Press about the new rules on Sunday, saying they were informed of the proposed changes during meetings last month and that they should take effect with this year's upcoming fall harvest. The Ministry of Agriculture has not announced the changes, some of which have been widely rumored abroad but never previously made public outside North Korea's farms.
• Farmers currently must turn everything over to the state beyond what they are allowed to keep for their families. Under the new rules, they would be able to keep any surplus after they have fulfilled state-mandated quotas -- improving morale and giving farmers more of a chance to manage their plots and use the crops as a commodity.
• "We expect a good harvest this year," said O Yong Ae, who works at Migok Co

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