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Friday, May 8, 2009

Pak army called in to eliminate terrorists: PM

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Thursday said the armed forces have been called in to eliminate the terrorists in Swat and Malakand Division.In a televised address to the nation, the Prime Minister also said that one billion rupees have been provided for the rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons.He announced employment will be provided to one member of a family which has lost any of its member at the hands of terrorists.The Prime Minister said the above decisions were taken after holding consultations with the political parties and other stakeholders.He said although the government adopted the path of talks and negotiations to resolve Swat issue the terrorist elements continued to challenge the writ of the government.“We went ahead and implemented Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in the Malakand Division in line with the long standing demand of the locals,” he said and added that later President Asif Ali Zardari also signed the NAR.However, he said, all these steps failed to bring about peace in the region as terrorists kept targeting the set ups of paramilitary forces and other security personnel. “This situation required taking of some decisive steps,” the Premier said.He appealed to the nation to stand united and extend its complete cooperation to the government in the fight scourge of terrorism.

Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab


The Chennai Super Kings beat the Kings XI Punjab by 12 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis Method in their IPL match at the Centurion Park.
Chennai Super Kings 185/3  Kings XI Punjab 174/3

Pakistan outclass Aussies by 7 wkts in T20


Pakistan cricket team thrashed Australia by seven wickets with 22 balls to spare in the one-off Twenty20 international at Dubai Stadium here on Thursday at Dubai Stadium .

West Indies' cricket tour of England, 20 April-26 May

New number three Ravi Bopara's second successive Test hundred was the centrepiece of England's 289 for seven on the first day of their series opener with the West Indies at Lord's here on Wednesday, AFP reported.Bopara was a Test-best 118 not out at stumps in his first Test since making 104 against the West Indies in Barbados in February and only fifth in all.The 24-year-old Essex all-rounder, dropped on 76 and 100, had faced 246 balls with 14 fours in an innings so far lasting nearly six hours.Bopara prevented a complete collapse against Fidel Edwards, who took four wickets for 53 runs in 19 overs including the prize scalp of Kevin Pietersen for nought.Bopara said he had not been nervous atall as he approached the century mark.‘I felt really relaxed, but I wanted to reach it off a single and not a boundary so I could run down the other end and really breathe it in,’ said Bopara, whose century will have satisfied the selectors they made the right choice in picking him and not Ian Bell or former captain Michael Vaughan.‘It was a good day, though, to be honest I wasn't thinking too much about it this morning or in the days leading up to it. I was just hanging out with my friends.’Fast bowler Edwards might have had a few more had not Bopara been missed off a simple chance and Stuart Broad, dropped twice off the Bajan's bowling, given four reprieves as the West Indies put down a potentially costly six catches after the tea interval.

Pakistan put Australia into bat in T20

Younus Khan pulled out of the Pakistan team after suffering fever, leaving stand-in captain Misbah-ul-Haq to win the toss and put Australia in to bat in the one-off Twenty20 international here on Thursday.Team manager Yawar Saeed said Younus did not practise on Wednesday and his place in the team will be taken by spinning all-rounder Fawad Alam.Australia, who won the preceding five-match one-day series 3-2, are led by Brad Haddin after Michael Clarke returned home to rest before the World Twenty20 and the Ashes.Australia brought in express paceman Brett Lee to assess his fitness before the World Twenty20, to be held in England next month.Austrlia scored 108 all out Yet Pakistan need 86 run from 96 balls. 

Rajasthan thrash Bangalore by seven wickets

Rajasthan Royals easily defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets with five overs remaining here in the 33rd IPL match on Thursday.After their captain Shane Warne won the toss and put Bangalore into bat, his bowlers did wonderful job by getting them out for a mere 105 runs. The highest individual score was just 17 runs, made by Robin Uthappa. Among others, two batsmen scored 15 each, one made 12 and two scored 10 each whereas the remaining five batsmen failed to enter into double figures.Ameet Singh captured four wickets for 19 runs while Jadeja claimed three for 15.Then, Rajasthan batsmen easily achieved the 106-run target from 15 overs.

Rebels and military clash near Sudanese border

Sudan-backed rebels said they were advancing towards the Chadian capital Ndjamena after clashing with government forces in the country's east. The Chadian government responded by bombing rebel positions.Chad said on Wednesday it had carried out air strikes on rebels in the east of the country and had made preparations aimed at preempting any further advances by them.Chad accused neighbouring Sudan this week of sending armed groups into the east of the country.Khartoum denied the accusation but Chad's Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir repeated the assertion on Wednesday and said its forces had targeted Sudan-backed rebels in the town of Goz-beida, some 200 km (125 miles) south of Abeche in the east."These mercenaries are swarming around this town," Bachir said in a statement."They have been tracked down by our forces and dealt with by our aircraft," he said, adding: "All preparations have been taken to ensure there is no (rebel) advance."The statement gave no details on how many rebels had been targeted, nor on the timing or outcome of the strikes.The tensions come after the two oil-producing neighbors on Monday struck a deal to halt violence and refrain from using force to resolve their conflicts. Both have long accused each other of supporting insurgent groups inside their territories.Chad and Sudan resumed shaky diplomatic ties in November after cutting them in May. Khartoum had accused Chadian President Idriss Deby of involvement in an attack on the Sudanese capital by Darfur rebels on May 11, 2008.

WHO reports 2,099 cases in 23 countries

The World Health Organisation says influenza A (H1N1) has infected 2,099 people in 23 countries, killing 44. According to WHO spokesman Keiji Fukuda, it is "reasonable" to estimate that a third of the world's population could catch the virus.The World Health Organisation on Thursday said that in a pandemic situation it was "reasonable" to estimate that a third of the world's population would catch the swine flu virus."If you look at past pandemics, it would be a reasonable estimate that a third of the population would be infected" if the current swine flu outbreak became a pandemic, said Keiji Fukuda, acting assistant director general of the UN health agency.Fukuda had made the point in response to mounting concerns that the WHO may have over reacted given that most swine flu cases have turned out to be mild.The WHO had raised its pandemic alert level to five out of six last week, signaling that a pandemic was "imminent" after the flu appeared to be spreading locally not just in Mexico but also in the United States.The move prompted countries to activate their pandemic alertness plans.Fukuda said when considering how to deal with such outbreaks, the WHO has to take into account the fact that in a full-blown pandemic, even if only a small percentage of people were to develop serious illness or die from the disease, it would translate into a large absolute number of people.

Sufi Mohammad’s son killed in Lower Dir shelling

Sufi Mohammad’s TNSM chief 

Sufi Mohammad’s son Kifyatullah has been killed in shelling during the security forces’ operation in Lower Dir’s Maidan area, said family sources. Meanwhile, intense clashes between militants and security forces continued in Maidan as 15 troops went missing in the district.‘I have been informed by the family of Maulana Sufi Mohammad that his son, Kifayatullah, has died and his brother-in-law is seriously injured,’ said the TNSM spokesman, Ameer Izzat Khan.The TNSM chief, Sufi Mohammad, has been calling for an end to the military operation in the area since it started, threatening to abandon the peace deal with the government and making numerous objections to the implementation of the Nizam-i-Adl.Following this event it is uncertain how the TNSM chief will react, making the future of the peace deal highly sketchy.On the other hand, a militant commander in Maidan, Mifthahuddin, talking to DawnNews, claimed that they had killed at least 12 security personnel in Gumbar and their bodies were lying in the bazaar.Security officials and independent sources are yet to confirm the death of the security personnel but have confirmed that a fierce gun battle had erupted between the militants and security forces in Gumbar and casualties were feared.

Afghans protest over Farah deaths

Afghans have staged an angry protest following the suspected deaths of up to 100 civilians in a US-led air raid in western Farah province.Shots were fired on Thursday as the demonstrators threw stones at government offices in the town of Farah, the provincial capital.Several people were wounded in the melee, Gul Ahmad Ayubi, a health department official, said.The protest came as a team of US and Afghan government investigators arrived in the Bala Baluk district to gather more information about Monday's incident.Police and Rohul Amin, the governor of Farah, say they have received information that suggests more than 100 people could have been killed when US-led forces launched the raids on two villages.If the casualties are confirmed, it would be the largest loss of civilian life in a single attack since US troops invaded Afghanistan in 2001.