“On behalf of the millions of people needing urgent help and the hundreds of organisations that have come together to devise these plans, I appeal for 7.4 billion dollars to help some of the most vulnerable people in the world survive the effects of disaster and conflict,” said UN chief Ban Ki-moon in the foreword of the aid appeal.
The biggest share of the appeal — 1.7 billion dollars — will go to Sudan, where millions have been displaced from troubled Darfur alone.
Much of the funds are budgeted for food and livelihoods, and the UN pointed out that aid efforts will continue “life-saving assistance,” but also help the country to strengthen its preparedness against future shocks.
The massive 2010 natural catastrophes in Pakistan and Haiti will also require close to two billion dollars in total.
In Pakistan, where homes for millions of people have been washed away by historic floods, funds are needed to build shelter, as well as provide access to clean drinking water, food, sanitation and healthcare.
“The overarching goal of this plan is to prevent excess morbidity and mortality and to enable flood-affected communities to return to their normal lives,” said the UN.
In earthquake-ravaged Haiti, where a cholera epidemic since mid-October has killed at least 1,721 people, the lion’s share of the funds would go towards water and sanitation.
“The pace at which the current cholera epidemic has spread underlines the fact that too many people are still vulnerable to water-borne infection, nearly a year after the earthquake,” the UN said.
Other countries or regions covered in the appeal include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Somalia, Kenya, Chad, Zimbabwe, west Africa, Yemen, Niger, Central African Republic, Kyrgyzstan and Djibouti.
“Humanitarian action is no substitute for development that alleviates poverty; but it is unconscionable to fail to act to save lives and to help people regain decent living conditions in any cases, whether the root causes of a crisis come from extreme chronic vulnerabilities and accumulated stresses or a sudden extraordinary event,” stressed the UN.
Shahid Afridi will lead the Twenty20 team while Misbah-ul-Haq was retained as Test captain.
Akmal, who was ruled out of Pakistan’s recent series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates after surgery for appendicitis, has been at the centre of match-fixing allegations.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) reportedly issued notice to him regarding Pakistan’s controversial defeat against Australia in the Sydney Test in January.
But there were reports in the media suggesting Akmal, 28, had contacted the ICC regarding his selection and was told that he was cleared for selection.
Yousuf, 36, had to return home after the recurrence of a groin injury earlier this month and although he too was featuring in the domestic matches, selectors have left him out of the squad.
Also dropped was former captain Shoaib Malik, who had been omitted for the series against South Africa after performing poorly on the tour of England.
Also missing from the Test team was leg-spinner Danish Kaneria despite being cleared of spot-fixing charges in England.
Kaneria, 29, was initially included in the team for the two Tests against South Africa but was stopped from travelling to United Arab Emirates by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Chief selector Mohsin Khan said the team was announced only after the PCB’s clearance had been issued.
“After the clearance by PCB, the selection committee has selected the best available combination of seniors and youngsters,” said Khan, without naming anyone.
“The upcoming tour of New Zealand is extremely important for us as it will help in preparations for the World Cup,” Khan said.
“PCB did not clear the names of Kamran and Malik, while Yousuf was dropped on fitness ground,” Khan told AFP.
“New Zealand team will be very difficult to beat on their home ground, but our team has recently shown great qualities of fight back and we hope it will settle down in near future,” he said.
Pakistan plays three Twenty20 matches, two Tests and six one-day internationals. A separate squad for the one-day matches will be announced later.
Twenty20 squad:
Shahid Afridi (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanveer Ahmed, Sohail Tanveer, Wahab Riaz (subject to fitness).
Test squad:
Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umer, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Tanveer Ahmed, Sohail Tanveer, Wahab Riaz.
In an email sent to media outlets earlier, the hackers’ group claimed to have gained root access to the server hosting the websites.
Meanwhile, a report said the government’s experts claimed the cyber attack had been successfully thwarted.
The group managed to hack at least 36 out of the 40 websites which are reportedly being hosted on the hacked server.
The hackers had inserted a page on the websites declaring that they had successfully rooted the server. The websites had not been entirely defaced.
The hacking attempt appears to be associated with the Mumbai attacks.
Details pertaining to the group behind the attack are not clear. Dawn.com is investigating the matter.
A senior Pakistan diplomat confirmed to AFP that an official diplomatic message was delivered to the embassy in New Delhi urging Pakistan to “fulfil its obligation and commitment” to bring the plotters to justice.
Ten gunmen launched coordinated attacks on luxury hotels, a railway station, cafe and Jewish cultural centre on the evening of November 26, 2008, starting a 60-hour siege that left 166 people dead.
Nine of the gunmen were killed, and the sole survivor has been sentenced to death in an Indian court.
The letter accused Islamabad of stalling over the trial in Pakistan of seven suspects accused of plotting the attacks.
“New Delhi expresses regret for not receiving feedback on issues raised by it,” the letter said.
The suspects on trial include the alleged mastermind of the attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT) operative Zarar Shah.
New Delhi and Washington have both blamed the Mumbai attacks on the LT.
Fired-up Pakistan annexed the Asian Games men’s hockey gold medal after 20 years with the final win.
Specialist drag-flicker Sohail Abbas gave Pakistan the lead in the 28th minute when he converted from a penalty corner. Abbas slammed home the ball in the top right corner in Pakistan’s second attack of the first half.
Striker Rehan Butt then consolidated the lead three minutes into the second half when he hit a close-range goal from open play (in the 38th minute).
It was Pakistan’s eighth Asiad hockey gold, ending a drought that stretched back to Beijing in 1990, and handed them their first major title since winning the World Cup in Sydney in 1994.
Pakistan ended the year on a high after a disappointing eight-month period in which they finished a humiliating 12th out of 12 at the World Cup in March and took sixth place at the Commonwealth Games in October.
The Pakistanis kneeled in prayer after the final whistle, before lifting their Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel over their shoulders to loud applause from the stands.
Malaysia, often dubbed the sport’s perennial under-achievers, had to settle for silver in their maiden appearance in the title clash after winning the bronze medal six times.
The entire Malaysian team, barring Sikh player Baljit Singh, shaved their heads in a practice called ‘nazar’ to ward off evil spirits in the final, but failed to produce the spark that won them the semi-final against India.
Amin Rahim, whose two late goals sank India, faltered in all three penalty corners his team earned in the second half.
Malaysia had gone into the final as the only unbeaten team in the competition with four wins and a draw.
By winning the final, Pakistan has also confirmed it’s berth at the 2012 London Olympics.
GUANGZHOU: Pakistan created history Friday in crushing Bangladesh by 10 wickets to win the first-ever Asian Games women’s cricket tournament.
The victory handed Pakistan their first gold of the Guangzhou Games and prevented Bangladesh from claiming their country’s first ever at an Asiad.
The win comes as welcome relief at a time of major problems for the men’s game in Pakistan, which has been embroiled in spot-fixing and disciplinary issues for much of the past year.
Bangladesh’s total of 92 all out never looked enough as Pakistan openers Nida Rashid and Javeria Wadood made a positive start to their run chase, playing a full range of shots and looking to score at every opportunity.
Bangladesh couldn’t force a breakthrough as Nida raced to a half-century off just 41 balls.
The Pakistan pair reached their target with more than four overs to spare.
Nida’s 51 not out included seven fours while there were three boundaries in Javeria’s unbeaten 39 off 51 balls.
A jubilant Pakistan team raced around the outfield after their emphatic win.
“We are excited and happy. Pakistan must be proud of us,” said skipper Sana Mir.
Javeria said the win would help the women’s game grow in Pakistan.
“It is the first gold medal for Pakistan in this Asian Games. I am very proud of that,” she said.
A disappointed Shohaly Akther of Bangladesh said: “Our performance was not good. Pakistan’s batting was really good. I am not proud of getting a silver medal.”
But coach Dipu Rai Choudhury said he was pleased with his team’s performance.
“If we had won today, we would have been heroes here. But we are still heroes.”
Bangladesh scored freely in the early part of their innings, but Pakistan’s bowlers tied them down, forcing them to take risks, which led to wickets tumbling.
Captain Salma Khatun top-scored with 24, with Nida taking 4-16 and skipper Sana 2-23.
Earlier, China’s hopes of claiming the bronze medal were shattered by Japan in a seven-wicket defeat.
China were restricted to 65-6 off their 20 overs before Japan reached their target with four balls to spare.
Japan captain Ema Kuribayashi, who plays club cricket in New Zealand, top-scored for her side with a steady, unbeaten 24.
“We fought with calmness and concentration. We just tried to avoid getting out. We were focusing on doing our jobs,” said Kuribayashi.
She said the win would be a major boost to the sport in Japan.
The victory handed Pakistan their first gold of the Guangzhou Games and prevented Bangladesh from claiming their country’s first ever at an Asiad.
The win comes as welcome relief at a time of major problems for the men’s game in Pakistan, which has been embroiled in spot-fixing and disciplinary issues for much of the past year.
Bangladesh’s total of 92 all out never looked enough as Pakistan openers Nida Rashid and Javeria Wadood made a positive start to their run chase, playing a full range of shots and looking to score at every opportunity.
Bangladesh couldn’t force a breakthrough as Nida raced to a half-century off just 41 balls.
The Pakistan pair reached their target with more than four overs to spare.
Nida’s 51 not out included seven fours while there were three boundaries in Javeria’s unbeaten 39 off 51 balls.
A jubilant Pakistan team raced around the outfield after their emphatic win.
“We are excited and happy. Pakistan must be proud of us,” said skipper Sana Mir.
Javeria said the win would help the women’s game grow in Pakistan.
“It is the first gold medal for Pakistan in this Asian Games. I am very proud of that,” she said.
A disappointed Shohaly Akther of Bangladesh said: “Our performance was not good. Pakistan’s batting was really good. I am not proud of getting a silver medal.”
But coach Dipu Rai Choudhury said he was pleased with his team’s performance.
“If we had won today, we would have been heroes here. But we are still heroes.”
Bangladesh scored freely in the early part of their innings, but Pakistan’s bowlers tied them down, forcing them to take risks, which led to wickets tumbling.
Captain Salma Khatun top-scored with 24, with Nida taking 4-16 and skipper Sana 2-23.
Earlier, China’s hopes of claiming the bronze medal were shattered by Japan in a seven-wicket defeat.
China were restricted to 65-6 off their 20 overs before Japan reached their target with four balls to spare.
Japan captain Ema Kuribayashi, who plays club cricket in New Zealand, top-scored for her side with a steady, unbeaten 24.
“We fought with calmness and concentration. We just tried to avoid getting out. We were focusing on doing our jobs,” said Kuribayashi.
She said the win would be a major boost to the sport in Japan.
The key ingredient is thought to be lycopene, the antioxidant already credited with cutting the risk of prostate cancer in men and protecting against heart disease.
Researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada asked 60 post-menopausal women, aged 50 to 60, to cut out all tomato products from their diet for a month.
This led to a significant increase in blood levels of N-telopeptide, a chemical released into the bloodstream when bone is being broken down.
Then, for four months, the women were given a daily dose of standard tomato juice containing 15mg of lycopene, an enriched version with 35mg of lycopene, lycopene capsules or dummy capsules.
This led to a significant drop in levels of N-telopeptide in women drinking either type of juice or taking the capsules. But there was no benefit in women taking the dummy capsules.
Standard supermarket juice was just as good as the lycopene-enriched one, said researchers.
Two glasses a day of tomato juice containing 15mg of lycopene could be enough to strengthen brittle bones, the journal Osteoporosis International reported.
“The Merapi death toll has reached 283 people. More than 270,000 people are still living in temporary shelters,” disaster management official Ratnasari said, updating the previous toll of 275 dead.
“Some people under treatment have died and more bodies have been recovered from around the volcano,” she said.
The government reduced the exclusion zone on Friday for the second time since last weekend because of the declining volatility of the volcano, enabling more refugees to return to their homes.
Ratnasari said they had updated the number of refugees from more than 300,000 people.
Merapi killed around 1,300 people in 1930 but experts say the current eruptions are its biggest convulsions since 1872.
Citing unnamed US and Pakistani officials, the newspaper said US officials were eyeing areas surrounding Quetta, where the Taliban leadership is believed to be hiding.
But the request also seeks to expand the boundaries for drone strikes in the tribal areas, the report said.
On Friday a US drone attack destroyed a vehicle in Pakistan’s tribal district of North Waziristan, killing at least three suspected militants, Pakistani security officials said.
The United States considers Pakistan’s tribal belt an al Qaeda headquarters and the most dangerous place on Earth, and has reportedly criticised Pakistan’s failure so far to launch a major ground offensive in North Waziristan.
Friday’s drone strike comes three days after a similar attack killed at least 15 militants and destroyed a training centre north of Miranshah.
More than 220 people have been killed in Pakistan in over 40 strikes since September 3.
But The Post said Pakistan has rejected the request. Instead, the country has agreed to more modest measures, including an expanded CIA presence in Quetta.
“You expect us to open the skies for anything that you can fly,” the paper quotes a high-ranking Pakistani intelligence official as saying. “In which country can you do that?”
The panel – led by Richard Armitage and Samuel Berger, top aides to former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton – notes that Pakistan’s presence in such groups would enable it “to connect with new power structures and familiarise it with emerging norms and responsible international behaviour”.
In a report released on Friday, the task force, which enjoys support of the administration, endorses the Obama administration’s effort to cultivate cooperation with Pakistan as the best way to “secure vital US interests in the short, medium, and long run”.
It recommends that this approach should include significant investments in Pakistan’s own stability, particularly after this summer’s floods. But in order for US assistance to be effective over the long-term, Washington must make clear that it “expects Pakistan to make a sustained effort to undermine Pakistan-based terrorist organisations and their sympathisers.” The task force warns that “two realistic scenarios” could force a fundamental reassessment of US strategy and policy.
First, it is possible that Pakistan-based terrorists conduct a large-scale attack on the United States and that the Pakistani government – for any number of reasons – refuses to take adequate action against the perpetrators. In the aftermath of a traumatic terrorist attack, it would be impossible for US leaders to accept Pakistani inaction.
The United States most likely would launch a targeted strike on Pakistani territory led by Special Forces raids or aerial attacks on suspected terrorist compounds. Even limited US military action would provoke a strong backlash among Pakistanis. Public anger in both countries would open a rift between Washington and Islamabad.
In a second scenario, Washington could reach the conclusion that Pakistan is unwilling to improve its cooperation on US counter-terrorism priorities. The panel warns that frustration over Pakistan’s persistent relationships with groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Afghan Taliban at some point could cause the United States to shift its approach towards Pakistan.
In this case, Washington will have a number of points of leverage with Pakistan. It could curtail civilian and military assistance. It could also work bilaterally and through international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the UN, to sanction and isolate Pakistan.
US operations against Pakistan-based terrorist groups could be expanded and intensified.
In the region, the United States could pursue closer ties with India at Pakistan’s expense.
“Sticks would be directed against Pakistan-based terrorists, but also against the Pakistani state, in an effort to alter its policies. The US-Pakistan relationship would become openly adversarial.”
But the panel warns that “Americans and Pakistanis must understand that these options carry heavy risks and costs. Both sides have a great deal to lose”.
However, once the purchase has been made, just as with other products, we have a tendency to think that the decision-making is over. What many do not consider is that taking care of our products is just as important in maximizing their effectiveness as is purchasing the right kind of products. When it comes to makeup, proper care is absolutely critical.
This is especially true of organic makeup. Why? Simply because organic products do not contain the fillers and preservatives that synthetic makeup products do. As a result, organic makeup products do not have a very long shelf life, and since most manufacturers do not print expiration dates, we must be ever-vigilant about the product’s state on our own. An article in the Green Beauty Guide outlines the problems with expired makeup. Perhaps because of the lack of an expiration date on makeup, it is very common for women to store cosmetic products for years and years. And of course, makeup, whether or not it’s organic, is expensive. As such tossing products away unnecessarily can hit our pocketbooks pretty hard. But the dangers posed by expired makeup are far more damaging than the economic cost of keeping cosmetics products up-to-date. According to the article, old makeup can harbor dangerous bacteria. With foundations, expired makeup can cause what is called peri-oral dermatitis, which is manifested by little red bumps that look like acne. Expired mascara can cause conjunctivitis, an eye infection that is also known as pink eye.
What’s more, women should be particular vigilant when it comes to lipsticks and lip balms, especially if there’s the possibility that it could have been used by others. In many cases, women can get cold sores through a herpes virus that can easily be absorbed by lip products. Experts say that when it comes to cosmetics products, go with the smell test. Even if it has only been three months since purchasing, if the product smells strange, then it probably contains bacteria and should be thrown out. It’s also very important to consistently change makeup applicators, which are also breeding grounds for bacteria. While it may be difficult to justify throwing out expensive cosmetics products, the cost will be significantly less than having to deal with a potential infection.
Newspapers expressed shock at the delighted reaction of the mother of the girl, who reportedly moved from Romania to the small southern Spanish town of Lebrija three weeks earlier.
Photographed smiling outside their modest apartment block, the baby's grandmother, identified only as Olimpia, was quoted telling reporters that she and her only daughter were "very happy" after the birth.
The father of the 2.9-kilo (6.4-pound) baby was 13 years old and had remained in Romania, she said, describing him as her daughter's former boyfriend.
The young mother "is very well, very well, like the daughter who is very well and very pretty," Olimpia was quoted as saying.
The 10-year-old, discharged after three days at a hospital in nearby Jerez where she gave birth, "is very happy with her daughter. This is a great joy. It is not a drama," she reportedly said.
Olimpia could not understand the fuss because "this is the age we get married in Romania," said a newspaper, which broke the story.
National daily said the number of births to girls aged under 15 in Spain had climbed to 178 births in 2008 from 80 in 1997.
It also cited 2008 national statistics showing 386 abortions performed on 14-year-old girls. In the same year, there was also one abortion for a 10-year-old girl and one for a nine-year-old girl.
According to the paper, experts disagreed on the physiological risks from giving birth so early.
If the mother had not yet completed her development or was malnourished, she could face serious risks, and her own development could even be interrupted, gynaecologist Manuel Alonso was quoted as saying.
Another expert, Javier Martinez Salmean, head of gynaecology at the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Leganes, central Spain, said everything depended on the girl's development.
"If she has completed her development and the minor has been cared for there is no reason that there should be a complication," he said.
Giving birth at such a young age presented serious psychological and social risks, it said.
"The body of a minor may be ready for a baby but a girl is not ready to be a mother," child psychologist Carolina Fernandez said.
The daily quoted legal sources as saying Spain could not take action if the baby was conceived in Romania, outside of Spanish jurisdiction. If the father was only 13, he would not in any case have criminal responsibility for sexual relations with a minor, it said.
Local authorities are considering whether social services should take responsibility of the girl and her baby, or whether they can remain with their family.
Speaking at a news conference alongside India’s Prime Minister Manmoham Singh, Obama said that while both India and Pakistan have an interest in reducing tensions in the region, the US, “cannot impose a solution to these problems.”
“We are happy to play any role the parties think is appropriate,” he said.
The conflict over Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region where militants have sought independence from India or incorporation with Pakistan, has been the main source of friction between the neighbours since they won independence from Britain in 1947.
Pakistan has frequently sought outside intervention to resolve it but India vehemently opposes such involvement, and the United States has traditionally stayed above the fray. Obama declined to veer from that stance.
Singh said that while he believes a strong, moderate Pakistan is in the interest of India and the wider region, India can’t engage in talks as long as Pakistan’s “terror machine is as active as ever before.” However, he deflected a reporter’s question about whether he would call Pakistan a terrorist state.
Singh is seen as a driving force behind Indian efforts to make peace with Pakistan. He called off peace talks following the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, carried out by allegedly by Pakistan-linked militants, but was generally restrained in his reaction and never threatened military retaliation. The two countries have resumed periodic “trust-building” talks between foreign ministers and foreign secretaries in recent months.
Obama’s three-day stop in India is the longest amount of time he’s spent in a foreign country since taking office.
The US president praised the relationship between the US and India as one of the “defining partnerships of the 21st century.” He and Singh said they would co-host an international education summit next year and said the US Department of Homeland Security and India’s Ministry of Home Affairs would collaborate to combat terrorism by improving security at airports and seaports.
Obama also said the US will continue to share intelligence with India. And Singh said his country would establish new centres to focus more attention on the issues of nuclear proliferation and disease.
The leaders also reaffirmed their pledges of newfound economic cooperation, including moves by the United States to ease export controls affecting trade between the world’s two largest democracies.
Speaking to the sensitivity about high unemployment in the US, Singh said at one point that his country “is not in the business of stealing jobs from America.”
Obama said in response to a question: “I don’t think India is emerging. It has emerged.”
Obama’s final day in India began with a grand welcome ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the palatial residence of India’s president. Guards on horseback led Obama’s limousine up the red clay driveway leading to the residence, where Obama was greeted by Indian dignitaries. He stood with his hand on his heart as a military band played the US national anthem.
Following the arrival ceremony, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama placed a wreath at Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mohandas Gandhi. As a sign of respect, the Obamas removed their shoes before placing a large white wreath on a flower-covered tablet in front of an eternal flame.
Later Monday, Obama planned to speak to the Indian Parliament, with announcements expected on counterterrorism, regional security, clean energy, climate change and economic growth.
Hanging over Obama’s 10-day trip to Asia are heavy election losses at home. On Sunday, Obama promised to make “midcourse corrections” to reinvigorate his embattled domestic agenda in the face of a testier American public and more combative Congress.
Domestic politics came up not in response to a question from a Washington reporter but rather an Indian college student, who told Obama: “It seems that the American people have asked for a change.”
The president agreed that people vented their frustration about the economy by sacking many incumbents.
A “healthy thing,” he said, even though his Democratic Party suffered, losing control of one of the chambers in Congress. He said he would not retreat on spending money for energy and education, and offered no specific policy changes.
The U-23 football event kicked off five days prior to the actual opening of the games. The Group ‘F’ encounter between Pakistan and Thailand saw the latter on constant attack from the word go (Pakistan got one shot at the goal while Thailand 16) while a few good initial saves on Pakistan’s goalkeeper and captain Jafar Khan’s part proved to be futile in the end.
Pakistan were 0-3 at interval with Thailand’s captain Datsakorn Thonglao leading from the front to get them their first and third goals in the 15th and 29th minutes with Teerasil Dangda scoring in 16th minute in between.
The thrashing of the green jerseys continued in the second half, too, with three more coming from the Thai boys sporting royal blue kits in the 59th (Kirati Keawsombut), 65th (Anawin Jujeen) and 73rd (Teerasil Danga again) minutes.
Although they scored no goals, Pakistan did, however, earn three yellow cards when Haider Ali, Mohammad Ahmed and Aurangzeb Baloch were cautioned by referee Sabbagh Ali.
AFP adds: In the other matches of the day, Qatar opened their account with a 0-0 draw against Singapore while the United Arab Emirates were held to a 1-1 draw by Hong Kong.
But Kuwait, Oman and Uzbekistan got their tournament off to winning starts with comfortable opening victories.
Kuwait, recently crowned champions of the West Asian football tournament in Jordan, proved too good for India in Group ‘D’, winning 2-0 with an early strike from Mohammad Alrashedi setting them on their way.
Alazemi Khaled ensured the three points with a fine finish in the 53rd minute. Uzbekistan cruised past Bangladesh 3-0 in Group ‘E’, with first-half goals from Kenja Turaev and Odil Ahmedov putting them firmly in charge before Ivan Nagaev added a late third. In another Group F clash, Oman beat the Maldives 3-0.
“We condemn terrorism. We do not and will not allow Pakistani soil to be used against anyone and that includes India,” he told India’s CNN-IBN news channel.
“We have taken considerable steps in the last two years to deal with this situation.”
Rebuffing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent remarks regarding regional stability, Qureshi said terror groups are active in India as well as Pakistan.
Qureshi said terror networks should not be linked to a specific country as it is a global phenomenon.
DUBAI: Pakistan tail-end batsman Zulqarnain Haider and Wahab Riaz pulled off a sensational one wicket win for their team over South Africa in the fourth one-day match after Younis Khan’s fifty here on Friday.
Younis’s sedate 73 built Pakistan’s run-chase but they owed it to their tail-enders Haider (19 not out) and Riaz (18) as they put on 28 runs for the ninth wicket to help their team chase down a challenging 275-run target.
Younis’s sedate 73 built Pakistan’s run-chase but they owed it to their tail-enders Haider (19 not out) and Riaz (18) as they put on 28 runs for the ninth wicket to help their team chase down a challenging 275-run target.
Fit-again Graeme Smith played a captain’s knock of 92 to steer South Africa to a challenging 274-6 but once again his team choked in the final moments despite having grabbed all top wickets.
Pakistan still needed 31 when they lost Abdul Razzaq (33) — whose robust 72-ball 109 not out which shocked South Africa by one wicket in the second match in Abu Dhabi — but Haider and Riaz held their nerves.
Even when Riaz was run out with three needed off as many deliveries, Haider kept his cool, scoring two off paceman Wayne Parnell and then pulled the penultimate delivery for a single, much to the delight of a 25,000 capacity crowd.
The win helped Pakistan level the series at 2-2 and set up an intriguing fifth and final match here on Monday.
It was Younis whose 115-ball half-cenury with only one boundary that put Pakistan on course for a tight run-chase, adding 58 for the second wicket with Mohammad Hafeez (42) and 56 with Asad Shafiq (36).
So cautious was Younis that his first boundary came in the 37th over, but he kept Pakistan on course with another 49 for the sixth wicket with Razzaq before paceman Morne Morkel dismissed both to finish with 3-48.
Captain Shahid Afridi also bolstered the run-chase with a swift 25-ball 29 studded with four boundaries.
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis praised his team’s fighting ability.
“One should praise the game, it was a hell of a match and all praise to the boys who showed great fighting ability, especially Younis who batted well and the tail-enders who kept us in the hunt,” said Waqar.
Earlier Smith missed his ninth one-day century by just eight runs on his return after injuring his hand during South Africa’s eight wicket win in the first match in Abu Dhabi.
South Africa took a 2-1 lead with a narrow two-run win in the third match here on Tuesday.
Smith put on a 94-run stand with AB de Villiers (49) to put South African on course for a big total before he was trapped leg-before by off-spinner Hafeez in the 31st over.
De Villiers then took charge alongwith Jean-Paul Duminy (36) as South African added 84 in the last ten overs. De Villiers’s 70-ball knock was without a boundary but he batted sensibly after Smith’s departure.
Smith said his team put up a good total but didn’t bowl well.
“A total of 274 was good,” said Smith. “We needed to bowl decently but we didn’t and gave the momentum to Pakistan and in the end we had a chance to win, but it didn’t come about.”
Paceman Riaz briefly put brakes on the South African innings by dismissing Duminy and David Miller (nought) off successive delveries but Colin Ingram (27 not out) and Johan Botha (28 not out) lifted the total in the last five overs.
The two added an invaluable 54 runs in the batting power-play.
It was Smith who gave South African innings the required pace, putting 35 for the first wicket with Hashim Amla (10) before Shoaib Akhtar removed Amla in the seventh over.
Smith paced the innings with three boundaries off Riaz in the 15 over before raising his 42nd half-century off 57 balls.
Later in the day, three grenade blasts killed three people at a mosque in another northwest area where an anti-Taliban militia was active.
The blasts were the latest to hit religious gatherings and underscored the relentless security challenge in the US-allied nation, where Islamist militants have managed to strike at the state and citizens who work against them despite pressure from army offensives.
In the first attack, the Sunni mosque’s roof collapsed as hundreds of worshippers were gathered inside for the most popular prayer session of the week, and many victims were trapped in the debris.
People in private vehicles rushed the wounded to hospitals in Peshawar, the main city in the northwest, TV footage showed. A woman was beating her head, while two elderly men in blood-soaked clothes rested in a hospital corridor.
The explosion occurred in Darra Adam Khel, an area famous for its illegal weapons bazaars and located near Pakistan’s tribal regions where Taliban-led militants have been active.
“The blast tossed me up, then I fell down,” Mohammad Usman, 32, a schoolteacher with wounds on his head and arms said from his hospital bed in Peshawar. “Later, it was just like a graveyard.”
Local government official Shahid Ullah said the mosque may have been targeted because local tribesmen running an anti-Taliban militia have often met there, though not on this particular Friday. The Pakistani government has encouraged tribal leaders to set up militias to fight the insurgents, and the Taliban have frequently targeted those opponents.
GEO News TV reported that the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, but the group’s spokesmen did not immediately respond to calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Another local government official, Saeed Khan, put the death toll at 67 and said 100 others were wounded. That made the attack the deadliest since a pair of suicide bombers killed 102 people and wounded 168 in the Mohmand tribal region in July.
On Friday night, three hand grenades exploded during evening prayers at a Sunni mosque in the Badhber area on the outskirts of Peshawar. Along with three dead, the blast wounded 24 others, said police official Ejaz Khan.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the northwest province’s information minister, said an anti-Taliban citizens’ militia had been pushing insurgents out of the area and that the attack may have been a reaction to that. Pakistani TV channels showed bloodied victims being rushed to the hospital.
Several shrines and mosques belonging to rival sects hated by the Taliban have been targeted in Pakistan this year. At least three such attacks occurred in October alone.
Hussain called the militants “beasts” that are lashing out at Pakistan’s crackdown against them.
“This is part of international terrorism. America, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the main players, who need to work closely and more aggressively to root out this menace,” said Hussain, whose only son was killed by militants earlier this year.
Pakistan is in the midst of multiple offensives against Taliban and linked militants in its northwest, including the tribal areas that border Afghanistan.
The US has praised the offensives, in hopes they will break the backs of at least some of the groups involved in attacks on American and Nato troops in neighboring Afghanistan. However, Pakistan has yet to mount an operation in North Waziristan, the tribal region where the most dangerous groups working against the US in Afghanistan have bases.
The US needs Pakistan’s support for the war in Afghanistan in part because it uses its roads to transport supplies to troops across the border. Those supply trucks, however, have become targets of suspected militants and criminal groups.
Two blasts targeting Nato supply trucks damaged 11 of the vehicles at the Torkham border crossing in the Khyber tribal region on Friday, government official Tahir Khan said.
The explosions struck an area where the trucks were waiting for their turn to go through to Afghanistan. Authorities were still investigating the nature of the blasts, Khan said.
In Pakistan’s southwest, two men on a motorcycle opened fire at a Nato supply truck in Sohrab town, killing its driver and wounding two others, police official Mohammad Younus said.
The truck was on its way back to Karachi after off loading Nato supplies in Afghanistan.
Pakistan, which lost the opening one-dayer and both Twenty20 matches against South Africa, was staring at another defeat when Razzaq belted 10 sixes and seven boundaries for a 72-ball innings of 109.
Razzaq scored 63 of the last 65 runs and hit the final boundary as Pakistan overhauled South Africa’s score of 286 with one ball and one wicket to spare.
”This is one of my best innings ever and I am so happy that it came at a time when Pakistan cricket is going through so much troubles,” said Razzaq, who was named Man of the Match. ”I have been under tremendous pressure like many others in the team and I hope those criticizing us will realize that we are all playing for the country.
”I just wanted to stay till the end and I was just hoping that I do not mis-hit during the final overs as I was the only batsman left.”
Skipper Shahid Afridi, who had had a poor run in the three matches of the tour so far, finally found some form. Coming in at 70-4, Afridi started off on an aggressive note but after hitting three fours and two huge sixes, he got out to a rash stroke for 49.
After Afridi left, Fawad Alam was joined by Razzaq, the latter in pursuit of his first ODI half century in four years. Together they put 81 runs in just 75 balls to keep the Pakistan supporters interested before Alam scooped a catch to Albie Morkel to give Charl Langeveldt his 100th ODI wicket.
After that, Razzaq took over and not only reached his half century, the first since 2006, but went on to convert it into a match-winning century.
Earlier in the match, South Africa put up a healthy score of 286-8 after winning the toss and electing to bat. A superb century by Colin Ingram and half centuries by Hashim Amla and J.P Duminy steered them to that challenging total.
Ingram scored exactly 100, his second century in five ODIs since making his debut in the recent home series against Zimbabwe, while Amla and Duminy scored 65 and 54 respectively.
Ingram’s 100 came off 119 balls as the left-hander was at ease against both spin and pace. He scored 10 boundaries and one six and starred in two useful partnerships, an 84-run stand with Amla for the second wicket and another 86 runs for the third wicket with AB de Villiers.
Amla slammed eight fours in his 65-run knock off 62 balls while towards the end, Duminy’s 54, studded with three fours and a six, piled the misery on the Pakistan bowlers.
For Pakistan, skipper Afridi and Wahab Riaz, the young left arm fast bowler who replaced Umar Gul, took two wickets each.
Graeme Smith, who did not play, said he was disappointed that a great innings from Ingram and the rest of the batting displays went in vain.
”We dominated through the 50 overs of batting and also through the 34 overs of bowling,” Smith said. ”It was only in the last 16 overs that Razzaq took the game away from us. You can’t do anything when someone like Razzaq hits the ball so cleanly and so often.
”There have been a few positives and we will also work out a plan, especially the bowling at the death.”
Smith, who is nursing a finger injury which he suffered when a Shoaib Akhtar ball hit him in Friday’s first ODI, and Jacques Kallis, who is still recovering from a viral infection, both sat out the match. Robin Peterson and Albe Morkel came into the lineuip, with Johan Botha standing in as captain.
The ODI series now moves to Dubai where the remaining three ODIs and the first test will be played. The two teams meet in the third ODI on Tuesday.
Officials from cricket’s governing body said the hearing would now conclude on Sunday.
“The hearings went on all day,” Butt’s lawyer Khalid Ranjha told reporters after the eight-hour session. “It will continue tomorrow. I can’t say anything more about the discussions today.”
Michael Beloff, who is presiding over the hearing and heads the ICC’s code of conduct commission, said: “We are making progress.” However, he declined to elaborate.
The proceedings in Dubai are concerned only with the pair’s suspensions and whether the ICC followed the correct procedures in imposing them.
The innocence or guilt of the players, who have denied any wrongdoing, will be judged at an independent tribunal, the date of which has yet to be set.
Pace bowler Amir and opening batsman Butt were suspended by the ICC on Sept. 2 after being charged with various offences under cricket’s anti-corruption code.
The bans followed allegations in a British newspaper of spot-fixing during the recent test series against England.
Butt and Amir refused to speak to reporters on Saturday.
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif was also suspended by the ICC over the same allegations but withdrew his appeal earlier this month in order to give his lawyers more time to prepare a detailed challenge.
Asif also denies any wrongdoing.
The British newspaper report alleged Amir and Asif deliberately bowled no-balls to order in a test against England at Lord’s in August, with the involvement of Butt who was then Pakistan captain.
British police are also investigating the spot-fixing allegations against the trio.
On the occasion of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's sixty-first death anniversary presents an oral history in which the first generation of Pakistani citizens recall encounters with the pathbreaking leader of their new nation. The memories and stories of those who knew Jinnah comprise the most vital account of what the Quaid was like both as a friend and a head of state - they sift through the politics and convey a sense of the person.
The bombs were found on Bartolome Island, one of the Galapagos group located about 600 miles (966 km) off South America’s northwestern coast.
The islands are a province of Ecuador, which let the United States set up a military base on one, Baltra Island, during World War Two due to its strategic location southwest of the Panama Canal.
Luis Martinez, chief of operations for Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, told Reuters that the bombs posed no danger to the public but that the Ecuadorean navy had been informed as a precaution.
“This military equipment that was found dates from the Second World War and was buried. It was not in sight of the beaches, nor close to them,” Martinez said.
He said the authorities were considering making a more thorough search of the area on Bartolome Island in case there were any other wartime explosives to unearth.
The volcanic Galapagos Islands are visited by thousands of tourists from all over the world every year thanks to their vast array of native species, many of which are endangered.
British naturalist Charles Darwin developed his evolution theory in the 19th century after studying the wildlife there.
The scramble for a place inside is a weekly headache for Muslims in the Russian capital, a city with one of the biggest percentage of Muslims in Europe but with only four mosques.
And their plea for more space to worship is stirring tension with Russia’s resurgent nationalists.
“When I can get here early, I can find a place inside. Otherwise I need to stay outside,” said Abdyl Ashim Ibraimov, 30, a regular at the Sobornaya mosque, Moscow’s largest.
Thousands of faithful descend upon the site each Friday for the Islamic day of prayer, but the green building topped with gold crescents – wedged between blocks of apartments and an immense stadium in central Moscow – can only hold up to 800 people.
Once full, worshippers filter into its nearby administrative offices, then the interior courtyard and finally spill onto neighbouring sidewalks.
“Friday prayers are very important. That’s why we come here, whether it’s raining or snowing,” said Ashur Ashurov, a silver-haired man in his sixties.
Estimates vary for the number of Muslims in Moscow, a vast city of 10.5 million. Russian officials put it at about 1.2 million but the Council of Muftis, the official Muslim organisation in Russia, says it is closer to two million.
With only four mosques, “there is a catastrophic shortage of place,” said the Sobornaya mosque’s imam, Ildar Khazrat Alyautdinov. “It is not enough to accommodate those who want to come and pray.” Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, hundreds of thousands of immigrants from ex-Soviet republics in mainly Muslim Central Asia have flocked to Moscow, swelling the capital’s already significant Muslim population.
“We are asking, and even demanding, that there be a mosque in every borough, ideally in every neighbourhood,” Alyautdinov said.
Efforts to meet these demands, however, have been stymied by objections from local residents influenced in part by the rise in Russian nationalism since the Soviet collapse.
According to Alyautdinov, a project to add a second building to enlarge the Sobornaya mosque site has been blocked by the absence of “one small signature from a bureaucrat” needed to finish the work.
And fierce protests from residents have thwarted other plans to build an enormous new mosque in the city’s southeast designed to hold up to 5,000 people.
Moscow officials had promised to hand over land in a park to build this new facility. Angry local residents, however, delivered a petition to authorities against the mosque’s construction while a group of anti-mosque activists went further, recently planting trees in the area set aside for the building.
“At the moment we can wander here with pets, have barbecues. But an imam could say: don’t roast pork here, don’t walk your dogs here,” said Mikhail Butrimov, a spokesman for the activists.
“There will be altercations” if the mosque is built, he warned.
Critics, including Sova, a Moscow-based NGO that monitors hate crimes, have linked the protests to xenophobic groups, singling out Butrimov whom they say has been put forward as a candidate in several elections by obscure nationalist parties and does not even live in the neighborhood of the proposed mosque.
Alexei Malashenko, an expert on Islam with the Moscow Carnegie Centre, a think-tank for nonpartisan research and analysis, said the root of the problem is a lack of tolerance among Moscow residents.
“Moscow is a cosmopolitan city… and the city with the biggest Muslim population in Europe. People need to get used to seeing mosques,” he said.
GUJRAT: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday declared that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had made a blunder in its first government in 1972 by nationalizing tens of thousands of schools and colleges in the country.
“Yes it was a wrong move, and we cannot move forward without admitting our mistake”, the prime minister said about the decision of the party’s founding leader late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Gilani in his remarks also offered Mr Sharif all-out support for creating the right atmosphere for politics of reconciliation.
He was addressing a ceremony to mark the 68th death anniversary of Nawab Sir Fazal Ali, the founder of the Zamindar College Gujrat.
ABU DHABI: Paceman Lonwabo Tsotsobe and off-spinner Johan Botha took three wickets apiece to help South Africa beat Pakistan by six wickets in the first of two Twenty20 matches here on Tuesday.
Tsotsobe, with a career-best 3-16, and skipper Botha (3-31) led a spirited South African bowling to restrict Pakistan to a paltry 119 at the Abu Dhabi Stadium in a match whose income will go to flood victims in Pakistan.
The two left-handers shared a solid 66-run partnership for the fourth wicket after paceman Shoaib Akhtar gave Pakistan some hope with the quick wickets of opener Loots Bosman and AB de Villiers in the third over.
Ingram hit two towering sixes and four boundaries during his 38-ball knock.
Duminy hit five boundaries as the two dominated the Pakistan bowling which initially looked threatening.
Earlier, Tsotsobe and off-spinner Botha bowled tightly to derail Pakistan, who won the toss and batted on a flat pitch.
Misbah-ul-Haq, recalled after being axed following the World Twenty20 in May this year, topscored with 27 with a six and two boundaries.
Skipper Shahid Afridi hit a rapid seven-ball 25 before he became one of Botha's three victims.
Pakistan had raced to 16 in the second over before Tsotsobe removed openers Imran Farhat (10) and Shahzaib Hasan (nine) in the sixth.
Botha then removed Mohammad Hafeez (13), Afridi and Abdul Razzaq (four) to end Pakistan's hopes of reaching a respectable total.
This is Pakistan's home series shifted to United Arab Emirates due to security fears.
The two teams meet in the second Twenty20 here on Wednesday.
They then play the first two one-day internationals and the second Test in Abu Dhabi. Dubai will stage the last three one-day and the first Test.
KARACHI: The country may not be performing well in several fields but it has moved up the corruption ladder, from the 42nd rung in 2009 to 34th this year.
According to Transparency International’s report for 2010, Pakistan is more corrupt today than it was last year.
The report released here on Tuesday by TI Pakistan’s chief Adil Gilani and in Berlin by its president Huguette Labelle said that on a list of 178 countries Pakistan fared worse than Bangladesh and India.
The perception of the most corrupt government was in 1996 when Pakistan had achieved the second position.
Mr Gilani claimed that billions of rupees were siphoned off through corruption which seriously affected the country’s progress.
The report showed that nearly three-fourth of the 178 countries had scored below five on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10, indicating a serious corruption problem.
The country perceived to be most corrupt was Somalia with a score of 1.1, followed by Afghanistan and Myanmar with 1.4.
Denmark, Singapore and New Zealand were perceived to be the most honest countries with a score of 9.3.
Mr Gilani said that Bangladesh was perceived to be the most corrupt country in 2001, 2002 and 2003, but it took corrective measures and this year it was placed at number 39. Owing to decrease in corruption, Bangladesh’s GDP grew by five per cent, compared to Pakistan’s 2.4 per cent last year.
Mr Gilani said that over the past two years there had been unprecedented cases of corruption involving tens of billions of rupees in public sector organisations which should have been taken up by the National Accountability Bureau.
He claimed that the government lacked the political will to fight corruption because of which the Supreme Court had to take suo motu action against organisations like the National Insurance Corporation, Pakistan Steel and rental power plants.
He said a delay in setting up an independent accountability commission by parliament might aggravate the situation.
He said that the direct impact of increased corruption was witnessed in the shape of up to 120 per cent rise in food prices within a year -- sugar from Rs54 a kg to Rs80, pulses from Rs50 a kg to Rs110, eggs from Rs35 a dozen to Rs60, etc.
Mr Gilani said the perception of corruption had caused a drop in foreign direct investment to $2.21 billion during 2009-10 from $371 billion the previous year. The foreign debt increased from $40 billion in 1999 to $46 billion in 2008 and $53 billion this year.
He said that an across-the-board application of the rule of law, merit-based appointments and easy access to justice were the only solutions to the problem of corruption which was responsible for poverty, inflation, terrorism, illiteracy, lack of electricity and hoarding of essential food commodities.
He said the Supreme Court in its order in the NIC case had considered violation of public procurement rules as a criminal act and a federal crime and this would help reduce corruption.
The TI’s president Huguette Labelle said in a message that the results again showed that corruption was a global problem that must be addressed through global policy reforms.
She said that it was commendable that the Group of 20 in pursuing financial reforms had made strong commitments to transparency and integrity ahead of its November summit in Seoul, but the process must be accelerated.
She urged the G20 to mandate greater government oversight and public transparency in all measures they took to reduce systematic risks and opportunities for corruption and fraud in the public as well as in the private sector.
Comparing the level of corruption perception in the region, the report said that Pakistan held the position of the second most corrupt country in 1996 and now it had improved to be placed at the 34th number, while India had improved from 9th to 91st position and Bangladesh from 4th to 43rd position during the period.
Lauren Booth has given up alcohol and pork, prays five times a day and has not ruled out wearing a burqa in the future, she told The Mail on Sunday newspaper.
The 43-year-old journalist and reality television contestant underwent the religious conversion on her return to Britain following a visit to the holy Iranian city of Qom six weeks ago.
She said that when she was in Iran, “I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy.”Speaking to the newspaper after a multi-faith Global Peace and Unity Event in London on Saturday, Booth said: “What I wanted to share with you today is that I am Lauren Booth and I am a Muslim.
“I always felt that the Ummah (Muslim community) is a very loving, peaceful place and I am proud to be a member of it.”Booth, who works for the English language Iranian news channel Press TV, has frequently criticised her brother-in-law, accusing the former leader of being biased towards Israel and the United States in his role as Middle East peace envoy.
She wrote a scathing open letter in last month's far-left newspaper Morning Star.
“Personally I've never understood this fear of 'political Islam',” she wrote. “It seems to me that religious people should always be educated on world events rather than kept in ignorance. Like, say, Midwest Christian Zionists in the US.”After attending a rally in Iran to mourn Palestinian deaths in cities including Rafah and Nablus, Booth wrote: “Do you recognise these place names, Tony?
“As Middle East envoy, you really should. Israel has massacred children in all of these cities. Didn't you know?”She was refused entry to Israel and Egypt after travelling from Cyprus to Gaza on an activist ship which was protesting the blockade of Palestinian territory.
Religious enlightenment is not unknown in the family with brother-in-law Tony converting to Catholicism in December 2007.Booth is the half-sister of Blair's wife Cherie, who is a human rights lawyer.
Pakistan's recent tour to England was rocked by spot-fixing allegations which prompted a Scotland Yard investigation and the suspension of three of their players by the International Cricket Council.
Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were charged for violating various code of conduct during the Lord's Test against England in August, a controversy which Afridi said is a thing of the past.
“My players are professional and have put all the controversy behind them,” Afridi said at the launching ceremony of the series in which Pakistan will also play five one-day internationals and two Tests.
The series is Pakistan's home series shifted to United Arab Emirates over security fears.
Afridi said the team has ample talent to counter the South Africans.
“We know we are without two of our best bowlers in Aamer and Asif,” said Afridi of the two suspended bowlers. “But we still have ample talent to counter South Africa who are a very good side in the shorter form of the game.”
South African captain Johan Botha agreed Pakistan will miss the talent of Asif and Aamer.
“You always miss quality players and surely Pakistan will miss the two (suspended) bowlers, but we too have injury problems in the team and when such things happen other players step in,” said Botha.
Allrounder Jacques Kallis and fast bowlers Morne Morkel and Dale Styen were still recovering from various injuries and may not be able to play the first Twenty 20.
Botha hoped at least two of the three players will be available for the second Twenty 20, also to be played here on Wednesday.
“Playing Pakistan is always a great challenege and they knocked us out in two major Twenty20 matches,” said Botha of Pakistan's wins over South Africa in the second and third World Twenty20 in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
The two sides play the first two one-day in Abu Dhabi before the last three limited over matches in Dubai.
Dubai will also stage the first Test, while the second will be played in Abu Dhabi.
Squads:Pakistan (from): Shahid Afridi (capt), Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahzaib Hasan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanvir Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider
South Africa (from): Johan Botha (capt), Loots Bosman, AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, David Miller, Graeme Smith, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
The blast at the shrine in Punjab province was the latest in a string of attacks targeting Sufi shrines in Pakistan.
The dead from Monday's blast included at least one woman, said Maher Aslam Hayat, a senior government official in Pakpattan. At least 13 others were wounded in the explosion, he said.
The bombing significantly damaged a row of shops outside the shrine, said Hayat. But the shrine itself, which is dedicated to a 12th century Sufi saint, was largely undamaged, he said.
Local TV footage showed the twisted and charred body of the motorcycle on which the bomb was planted. It also showed large piles of broken wood and chunks of concrete from the shops damaged by the blast.
After the attack, religious scholar Mufti Muneebur Rehman, criticised the government for not doing enough to protect the population.
''Our rulers are too busy serving foreign masters and have not prioritised protecting the people and sacred places from terrorists,'' said Rehman.
Earlier this month, two suspected suicide bombers attacked a Sufi shrine in Karachi, killing at least eight people and wounding 65 others.
A suicide attack in July killed 47 people at the nation's most revered Sufi shrine, Data Darbar in Lahore. That attack infuriated many Pakistanis, who saw it as an unjustified assault on peaceful civilians.
The NHK Trophy is held in Nagoya, central Japan and is the first event of the six-stage ISU figure skating Grand Prix series. Here is a look at the skating event.
Teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir have appealed against their own provisional suspensions and their hearings are still set for Dubai on 30 and 31 October.
“Mohammad Asif confirmed earlier today that he has withdrawn his challenge to the provisional suspension imposed on him on 2 September 2010 pending determination of the charges brought against him under the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code,” the ICC said.
“Arrangements are now being made for the challenges being made by Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir against their provisional suspensions,” an ICC statement read, the organisation adding it would not make any further comment for the time being.
The trio were charged with offences under the ICC’s anti-corruption code after test captain Butt and fast bowlers Amir and Asif were all named in a News of the World report alleging they were involved in a “spot-fixing” scam by bowling deliberate no-balls in a summer Test match with England in exchange for cash.
ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat had warned that the sport had to take a tough stand to preserve cricket’s integrity, noting that such offences “carry serious penalties up to a life ban.”
The News of the World claimed that Amir and Asif had bowled no-balls on request during the fourth Test at the Brit Oval, with Butt orchestrating the alleged fix.
Scotland Yard was called in and the trio had their mobile phones confiscated by police investigators.
Further allegations dogged the subsequent one-day series between England and Pakistan.
The panel set to hear the remaining appeals is to be chaired by the head of the ICC’s Code of Conduct Commission Michael Beloff QC.
Owing to their suspensions, the trio had been left out of Pakistan’s upcoming tour of the United Arab Emirates, where they will meet South Africa.
HERAT: Three suicide bombers wearing police uniforms and burqas on Saturday attacked the United Nations office in the western Afghan city of Herat, senior police and UN officials said.
There were no casualties among UN workers, Delawar Shah Delawar, deputy police chief of Herat province, told AFP after the raid, which was claimed by the Taliban.
“One of the suicide attackers drove his explosives-packed vehicle into the rear gate of the compound. The two other attackers tried to enter the building after the blast but they were killed by guards and policemen,” he said.
“At this stage we are searching the compound to make sure there are no attackers hiding inside the building,” he said, adding: “The attack did not cause any casualties to security forces or UN workers.”
UN officials in Kabul and Herat confirmed the attack and that there were no deaths or injuries among UN staff, who had taken refuge in a safe bunker.
The United Nations has been seen as a specific target of the Taliban since last October, when a Kabul guesthouse was attacked and 12 people, including six UN employees, were killed.
The latest attack began at 12:30 pm, an AFP reporter on the scene said, adding that explosions and small arms fire was heard from inside the compound, which is about eight kilometres from Herat city centre.
The remains of the vehicle lay by the destroyed gate, with body parts — possibly those of the attackers — strewn around it, the reporter said.
Henri Burgard, public information officer with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Herat, said the attackers were on foot.
“There have been either rockets or mortars fired at us and then some small arms fire,” he said, speaking from a nearby guesthouse.
Interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary confirmed an attack and said the area had been cordoned off by police.
Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location, said the group was behind the raid.
“We carried out the attack on the UNAMA office in Herat. The attack is still ongoing and so far 12 UNAMA guards and workers have been killed,” he said.
Herat, Afghanistan's second biggest city, is near the border with Iran. It has until recently been relatively peaceful though the security situation has been deteriorating.
Residents say that the road to the airport is controlled after dark by criminal gangs who kidnap for ransom. Some districts of the city, notably those dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, are controlled by Taliban insurgents, they say.
In January, the US consulate under construction in Herat came under rocket fire. There were no casualties.
The Taliban said earlier this year that all foreigners — including troops, diplomats and aid workers — and Afghans working for them were considered legitimate targets in their war against the Kabul government.
Keeping in line with the instructions given by the ICC, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formed a seven-member team which will monitor cricketers and officials linked with the board.
PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt will head the committee, which will have authority to take immediate action against any player or official found guilty of corruption, a private television channels reported.
The seven-member committee also includes PCB's Chief Operating Officer Wasim Bari and General Manager Cricket Operations Zakir Khan.
Earlier this month, cricket’s governing body issued a warning to the PCB to improve its governance and implement a series of measures within 30 days.
Three Pakistani Test cricketers were suspended by the ICC last month, after British tabloid reports alleged them of spot-fixing.
In an ICC hearing scheduled for October 30 and 31, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif will face an ICC panel regarding their suspension.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the unusually blunt appeal for Obama to seek a resolution of the dispute when he visits India next month, saying he should ''redeem the pledge'' he made as a candidate.
The conflict over Kashmir has been the main source of friction between India and Pakistan.
Pakkistan has frequently sought outside intervention to resolve it but India vehemently opposes such involvement and the United States has traditionally stayed above the fray.
Qureshi, speaking next to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the closing day of three days of US-Pakistan talks, said Obama must get involved because a crackdown against suspected militants in Indian-administered Kashmir threatens the entire region.
''It is in the US strategic interest to work for peace, stability and resolution of the disputes in South Asia,'' he said. ''The starting point in this quest is justice for the Kashmiri people.''
''President Obama has always understood the importance of a Kashmir solution,'' Qureshi said. ''His coming visit to the region is the time to begin to redeem the pledge that he made earlier.''
As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama suggested that the US should encourage India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir dispute so Pakistan could better focus on fighting extremists on its own territory and in Afghanistan.
Although he did not advocate direct mediation, his comments were met with disdain in India.
The violence in the region has killed at least 111 people, mostly teenage boys and young men in their 20s. Indian authorities have imposed off-and-on curfews in an attempt to halt the unrest.
Quershi expressed astonishment that the US and other major powers had said little about India's response to the protests.
''People of conscience have protested the use of force against the defenseless people of Kashmir, in particular the targeting of the Kashmiri youth,'' he said.
''But the Kashmiri mothers are baffled by the deafening silence of the world's leadership. History has proved that the force of arms cannot suppress the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people.''
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