10 METRO Friday, October 9, 2009 D A quarter of the world is MuslimBy roger weathersALMOST one in four people in the world follow Islam, with many in countries you might not expect, an authoritative report has found. The worlds 1.57billion Muslims are scattered across 232 countries and territories but many concentra- tions lie far from the Middle East. Asia dominates, with more than 60 per cent of Muslims living there. Indonesia, which traditionally practises a more tolerant Islam, has the worlds largest Muslim popula- tion, with 203million, or 13 percent of the global total. Only 20 per cent live in the Middle East and North Africa. Muslims account for five per cent of the European population. Other surprising finds include Germany having 4million Muslims, more than Lebanon, while Russia has 16.5million, or more than Jor- dan and Libya combined. Censuses, demographic studies and population surveys were ana- lysed to compile The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life report. Islam is the worlds second-big- gest religion, coming behind Christianitys 2.2billion followers. METROWorld A JAPANESE airline is asking its passengers to go to the toilet before boarding to offset carbon dioxide emissions. The unusual request by All Nippon Airways, which operates on 38 domestic routes as well as two daily flights to Singapore, said that if half its passengers relieved themselves before boarding, it would relieve itself of 4.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide a month. AmericA: A woman accused of snatching a newborn from his home will remain in custody while authorities investigate whether she was the only person involved. Tammy Renee Silas, 39, is charged with kidnapping four-day- old Yahir Anthony Carrillo from Nashville on September 29. The baby was found with Silas three days later at her home in Alabama. Yahir was not harmed in the abduction, but his mother was stabbed repeatedly. Maria Gurrola saw her son only briefly after he was found, before the Department of Childrens Services put him in foster care citing safety reasons. Gurrolas attorney said the parents were under suspicion of trying to sell the baby. AFGHANiSTAN: A suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle outside the Indian Embassy in the bustling centre of Kabul yesterday, killing 17 people in the second major attack in the city in less than a month. The Afghan Foreign Ministry has hinted at Pakistani involvement, a charge Pakistan denies. The blast came a day after US President Barack Obama was deliberating on a request by US commander Gen Stanley McChrystal for up to 40,000 more troops. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack the second against the Indian Embassy in the past two years and specified that Indians were the target. It did not say why the embassy was a target. GAzA: The UN Security Council has agreed after an emergency session to hold its monthly meeting on the Middle East a week earlier than planned to discuss alleged war crimes in Gaza last winter. Palestinians, Arab nations and the 118- nation Nonaligned Movement of developing countries backed the initiative for the Council to hold an open debate on October 14 with an opportunity to talk about the UNs report on Gaza. Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour (pictured) said he expected the meeting would concentrate on the report. AuSTrAliA: Undersea earthquakes have caused panic in the South Pacific, sending islanders fleeing to higher ground in fear of a second devastating tsunami in as many weeks. However, a series of waves proved to be harmless. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the entire southwest Pacific, which included island resorts and Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, after the quakes struck beneath the seas between Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Hawaii and the Philippines were placed on tsunami watch. The series of large quakes in the region is unusual and aftershocks could be expected for a few weeks. A heAd for heights French climber alain robert, also known as spiderman, scales the 152m ariane tower at La Dfense in Paris yesterday Picture: Reuters index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html