This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com.

* Nato captures Haji Mali Khan, senior Haqqani network commander in Afghanistan

* Afghan leader Karzai gives up talking to the Taliban

* Al-Awlaki killing solidifies Obama strategy on targeting terrorists

* U.S. warns of revenge attacks for killing of al-Awlaki

* World stocks post the worst quarter in years

* Iran criticizes Palestinians’ U.N. bid for statehood

* Large anti-Roma Gypsy rally in Bulgaria ends peacefully

* Mexico City lawmakers consider allowing temporary marriages

Nato captures Haji Mali Khan, senior Haqqani network commander in Afghanistan

WANTED poster for Siraj Haqqani, another Haqqani network leader

Haji Mali Khan, a senior commander of the terrorist Haqqani network in Afghanistan, was captured on Saturday in an operation conducted by Nato and Afghan forces. Khan was heavily armed, but he did not resist. Khan is blamed for masterminding several recent Afghan terrorist attacks, including a 20-hour attack last month on the Isaf headquarters and the US embassy in Kabul in which some 25 people died. The Haqqani network is thought to have access to an almost limitless supply of young men in the tribal areas of Pakistan willing to carry out suicide attacks. Thus, the capture of Khan will not have a major impact on the Afghanistan war. BBC

Afghan leader Karzai gives up talking to the Taliban

In the wake of U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen’s recent testimony that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency was directly supporting the Taliban-linked Haqqani terrorist network, President Hamid Karzai has announced that he will give up trying to make peace with Taliban insurgents, saying that Pakistan holds the only key to making peace with insurgents and must do more to support a political resolution to the war. A peace agreement between the Afghans and the Taliban is an essential part of Nato’s plan to withdraw forces from Afghanistan by 2014, so this announcement by Karzai, if implemented, will have far reaching consequences. AP

Al-Awlaki killing solidifies Obama strategy on targeting terrorists

The Obama administration entered uncharted legal territory on Friday when it authorized the killing of an American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki on foreign soil without due process. The action was taken following a review of the legal issues by the Justice Department, resulting in a secret memorandum authorizing the lethal targeting of al-Awlaki. With the memorandum in hand, the success of the al-Awlaki operation has allowed the administration fo have finalized a legal framework for targeting suspected terrorists hiding abroad, especially in Pakistan and Yemen. Beyond the drone attack in the al-Awlaki killing, the administration is considering the use of other aircraft, like jetfighters and bombers, for attacking the Haqqani network although it has assured Pakistan that it would not use ground troops. If true, this represents a significant escalation of the administration’s war on terror. Washington Post and Dawn (Pakistan)

U.S. warns of revenge attacks for killing of al-Awlaki

Anwar al-Awlaki

The U.S. State Dept., FBI and Dept. of Homeland Security have issued terror alerts domestically and worldwide, warning Americans of the possibility of revenge attacks on Americans in retaliation for Friday’s killing of terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki. The latest alert said the deaths “could provide motivation for homeland attacks” by “homegrown violent extremists,” if al-Awlaki’s supporters seek to portray him as a martyr in a supposed U.S. war against Islam. The State Department alert, which is in effect until November 30, urges U.S. citizens abroad to register with the government to make it easier to contact them in case of an emergency. CNN

World stocks post the worst quarter in years

Global stocks closed their worst quarter in nearly three years on Friday, over concerns about the world economy and the lack of a credible solution to Europe’s debt crisis. In additional, world copper prices have been plummeting, China’s manufacturing sector contracted for a third straight month in September while German retail sales slid at their sharpest pace in more than four years. These are all signs that the world economy is coming to a standstill, just as it did in the last quarter of 2008. (See, for example, “World wide transportation and trade sink farther into deep freeze” from December, 2008.) From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, a massive generational panic and crash is coming, for the first time since 1929. It’s impossible to predict exactly when this full-scale panic and financial crash will occur, but it’s coming with mathematical certainty. Reuters

Iran criticizes Palestinians’ U.N. bid for statehood

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized the Palestinian application to the United Nations to be recognized as a member nation on the grounds that it is a “two-state solution,” and therefore implicity recognizes the state of Israel, whereas “all land belongs to the Palestinians.” AP

Large anti-Roma Gypsy rally in Bulgaria ends peacefully

Some 3,000 people participated in the largest ever anti-Roma Gypsy rally in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, on Saturday. The rally lasted two hours, with participants chanting anti-government and anti-Roma slogans. Hundreds of people, armed with knives, baseball bats and sticks were detained. Members of the Roma community in Bulgaria said on Friday they took the forthcoming event seriously and were prepared to defend themselves, but the rally ended peacefully. Ria Novosti

Mexico City lawmakers consider allowing temporary marriages

Mexico City lawmakers want to help newlyweds avoid the hassle of divorce by giving them an easy exit strategy: temporary marriage licenses. The minimum marriage contract would be for two years and could be renewed if the couple stays happy. The contracts would include provisions on how children and property would be handled if the couple splits. Around half of Mexico City marriages end in divorce, usually in the first two years. A Catholic Church spokesman criticized the idea. “This reform is absurd. It contradicts the nature of marriage. It’s another one of these electoral theatrics the assembly tends to do that are irresponsible and immoral.” Reuters