LAHORE — Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy in September provided there are no safety and security fears, a top official of the International Cricket Council said yesterday.

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BRAD Haddin has confidence in Cricket Australia’s ability to decide whether the team will play in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

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Brad Haddin says he has confidence in Cricket Australia’s ability to decide the team’s involvement in September’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

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BEIJING: Foreign journalists in Beijing have all but given up hope of interviewing China’’s top athletes as the gatekeepers of hurdler Liu Xiang and his fellow stars keep them well away from the media.Olympic organizers give regular press briefings at which reporters can question officials about everything from the weather and pollution to the economy and the organization of events. But when it comes to talking sport, journalists hoping to rub shoulders with athletes are mostly drawing a blank. Instead of meeting real Olympians, foreign reporters are being taken to city parks to see Olympic flower arranging, to derelict factories to discuss the environment, and to watch willowy Chinese beauties practice presenting gold medals to Games champions.”What about the athletes?” complained one foreign reporter, who said he had already virtually given up hope after trying for months to interview Chinese medal hopes.”We have literally sent thousands of faxes every week asking for interviews with Chinese athletes — and got nothing,” he said. With just two months to go before August 8-24 Games, Olympic sponsors — who initially had a freer hand in organizing publicity assignments with Chinese athletes — have also been cut off from the stars. State-run domestic TV seems to meet fewer obstacles, with its specialist Olympic channel churning out upbeat stories on their top hopes. So far, the televised reports are the closest most foreign journalists have got to China’’s star athletes. Requests to interview Liu Xiang are met with a standard response. “In response to your request for an interview, we deeply appreciate your interest in Liu Xiang and Chinese athletics,” says the four-line message from the Chinese Athletics Association. “Unfortunately, because of his Olympic preparations, Liu Xiang has entered into a crucial training phase and as a result he cannot speak to the media and we hope for your understanding. Thank you for your support.”

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Pakistan News

UNITED NATIONS, June 18: Saying that it was against the enlargement of the “coterie of the powerful and privileged”, Pakistan has called for a broad agreement on the expansion of the UN Security Council which envisages creation of mostly non-permanent seats and a few extended ones.

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INNSBRUCK: Guus Hiddink’’s reputation as a miracle worker was given further credence here on Wednesday as a young Russian side overcame a vastly more experienced Swedish one 2-0 in their Euro 2008 Group D clash to progress to the last eight at the expense of the Swedes. The 61-year-old Dutchman - whose side will face his compatriots in the last eight on Saturday - looked on with a broad smile on his face as goals by Roman Pavlyuchenko in the 24th minute, for his second of the tournament, and Russian player of the year Andrei Arshavin in the 50th minute sealed a deserved victory. Russia progress to their first ever knockout stages of a major tournament since the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, and their meeting with the Dutch will be a repeat to a certain extent of the 1988 final when present Dutch coach Marco van Basten scored in the 2-0 victory over the Soviets. Hiddink, who took Holland to the 1998 World Cup semi-finals where they lost on penalties to Brazil and then South Korea to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals, said that his young bunch - who have the youngest average age of all the sides at Euro - had recorded a famous win over the side with the oldest average age. “This is a huge win for a side still under construction, with lots of young players and some experienced players,” said Hiddink. “It gives me real pleasure to work with them. “In the course of the past three weeks these youngsters have learnt a lot. “Swedish coach Lars Lagerback was gracious in defeat. “I would like to congratulate the Russians, who really play joyful football,” said the soon to be 60-year-old veteran handler. “I think they saw rapidly where they could hurt us and they exploited our weaknesses perfectly.” Russia produced their usual flowing football in the early stages with playmaker Arshavin - coming back after a two match suspension - pulling the strings, and the unimaginative Swedes, who did start with star striker Zlatan Irahimovic despite his knee problem, content to sit back on the whole.

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LAHORE: Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy in September provided there are no safety and security fears, a top official of the International Cric

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LAHORE: The Lahore stock market lost 107 points on Wednesday, dropping below the 3,900 level to close at 3,832 points as major brokers got no support

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MUMBAI: Indian paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth has been asked by the national cricket board to explain an altercation he had with the staff of a Bang

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KARACHI: The present government in the budget has changed the focus from consumerism to basics in this regard has announced various duties and taxes o

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Pakistan News