Pakistan’s security forces pounded militant positions near strategic areas in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, killing 25 suspected insurgents in a new round of a military offensive that also left three troops dead, officials said.
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Pakistan is struggling with a financial meltdown and terrorism that has hurt confidence in the government.
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NEWDELHI: Delhi captain Virender Sehwag returned home midway through the Irani Cup owing to migraine and not because of any resentment, a senior team official said.Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Sports secretary Sunil Dev said Sehwag returned with him last night due to migraine and nothing else.”He has not been feeling well and the pain was there all along. It increased yesterday and because he has already been dismissed in the second innings, he could well afford to return with me,” Dev told PTI from New Delhi.Sehwag’’s abrupt return led to wild speculations here with some claiming that the Delhi captain left in a huff to protest the poor accommodation and fuming why they were not accommodated in the same hotel where Rest of India players are staying.A few also claimed that Sehwag was bitter after being abused by Munaf Patel and hence once he got out in the second innings, he didn”t want to stay longer in the city.Dev, however, dismissed such speculations and said, “This is all nonsense. He never had an issue with hotel and he returned purely because he was not feeling well and circumstances allowed him to comeback.”
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COLOMBO: Nishantha Ranatunga, brother of Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Arjuna Ranatunga, has been appointed the new manager of the Sri Lanka team.Nishantha Ranatunga was appointed for the team’’s tour to Canada later this month for a Twenty20 tournament also involving Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Canada.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’’s selectors made several changes to the one-day squad for the tour, calling up Twenty20 specialist all-rounders Dilhara Lokuhettige and Jeevantha Kulatunga.Sri Lanka A captain Thilina Kandamby also returned to the senior squad while middle-order batsmen Chamara Silva was axed.Off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and left-armer Chaminda Vaas were both rested for the short tour but all-rounder Farveez Maharoof returns after injury.The four-nation tournament runs from October 10 to 13 in Toronto.
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Chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff Admiral Michael Mullen Friday sought to ease tensions with Pakistan after an incident on the Afghan-Pakistan border, urging calm cooperation.
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Flirtatious remarks by President Zardari unleash a firestorm of criticism in Pakistan
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The candidates delved for the first time into whether to threaten military action inside Pakistan or against Iran.
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Republican U.S. presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said on Friday he would not publicly state a policy of attacking militants in Pakistan over cross-border incursions into Afghanistan.
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SINGAPORE: McLaren’’s Lewis Hamilton established himself as the man to beat at the Singapore Grand Prix by setting the fastest time under the lights in Friday practice.In Formula One’’s first ever night practice sessions, the overall championship leader clocked a best time of 1.45.518 in the first session around the 5.067 kilometre downtown street circuit.Hamilton is one point ahead of Ferrari’’s Felipe Massa in the drivers” standings with four races to go, and edged his Brazilian rival by less than a tenth of a second for best time over the two 90-minute sessions.Renault’’s Fernando Alonso had the best lap in the second session to be third quickest overall, ahead of Finnish duo Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren and Ferrari’’s Kimi Raikkonen.”It’’s a very physical circuit, more than I expected actually,” Hamilton said. “You need to put quite a lot of work into the car to get a good lap. I”d say it requires double the energy of Monaco over a single lap. One lap around here is like two laps of Monaco.”The Singapore GP is F1′’s inaugural night race and drivers had expressed concern about driving on an artificially lit track, with rain potentially producing glare under the lights.However the rain stayed away during the sessions after heavy downpours early Friday. Instead, drivers had difficulties with handling on a bumpy and unrubbered new surface, with the ends of the pits particularly challenging.
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Pakistan News
KARACHI: Foreign portfolio investors continue to withdraw their funds from the country due to growing security tensions in northern Pakistan.The net outflow of 228 million dollars has been recorded during the current fiscal year.Official data shows that investors from the US topped the list with an outflow of 154 million dollars during the period, followed by UK’’s outflow of 62 million dollars and Switzerland with 36 million dollars.Even in September, which has seen the stock market floored at 9144 points with no real exit available foriegn investors have managed to sell up to 9 million dollars worth of equities.Market analysts relate this capital flight to the country’’s deteriorating law and order situation coupled with rupee’’s depreciation against the US dollar amid fragile economic fundamentals.
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