ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to adopt a market-based approach in exchange rate policy by stopping intervention

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LONDON: Oil rose above $46 on Tuesday, bolstered by expectations OPEC will agree on its largest ever supply cut this week to try to halt a fall in pri

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LAHORE: Former Test cricketer and the Director National Cricket Academy (DNCA) Aamir Sohail urged the upcoming cricket series between Indian and Pakistan should be held for the betterment of the Asian cricket while adding that the possibilities for the series could not be ruled out.This he said while talking to media in Lahore. Former player said that the cricket series between India and Pakistan always catches attention of cricket lovers here in Asia maintaining that cricketing relations between both neighboring countries promote cricket in Asia.He regretted that lack of international cricket in Pakistan, in the year 2008, has contributed a great deal in causing harm to Pakistan cricket.

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KARACHI: Pak rupee plunged by 1.60 to close at 80.30 against dollar in open market Tuesday on speculation, money market sources said. Rupee closed at 120.50 against British pound and 108.20 against euro.

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WELLINGTON: New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram was Tuesday ruled out for the second Test against the West Indies due to a lingering calf strain.The injury-prone Oram was a late withdrawal for the first drawn Test and he will now prepare for the Twenty20 games and five one-day internationals to be played after the second Test, the New Zealand team management said.Discarded fast bowler Chris Martin will be brought in as cover for all-rounder James Franklin, who suffered a heavy knock to his ribs while batting in the rain-disrupted first Test in Dunedin.Batsman Peter Fulton, dropped after New Zealand were thrashed in the two Test series in Australia last month, has also been brought into the squad as cover for Ross Taylor, who dislocated a finger when he dropped a catch in the Dunedin Test.But both Franklin and Taylor were expected to be fit to play in the second Test starting on Friday in Napier, the team management said.

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BEIJING: China would work with Pakistan to push forward the bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership, said Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping here on Tuesday. Xi made the remarks in a meeting with General Tariq Majid, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Hailing the relations between China and Pakistan, Xi said the two nations enjoyed profound friendship, which had stood the test of time and international changes. China valued the traditional friendship with Pakistan, and was ready to advance relations with the south Asia country, he noted. Echoing Xi’’s remarks, Majid said Pakistan attached great importance to the relations with China, and would join in China to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation. Later this day, Majid also met with the Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie. Liang applauded that the two countries have witnessed satisfactory achievement on military cooperation, in accordance with the sound development of bilateral relations. China will work jointly with Pakistan to deepen exchanges and cooperation in every military aspect such as anti-terrorism, said Liang. General Tariq Majid was here for the Sixth Sino-Pakistani Defense and Security Talks.

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Pakistan News

CHENNAI: India’’s six-wicket win in the first Test after achieving the fourth-highest run chase in history was a “bitter pill to swallow,” England captain Kevin Pietersen said on Monday.”Our boys tried our hearts out,” he said. “We did not come here just to compete, we wanted to win and we thought we were in a pretty good position to do that.”But unfortunately we got pipped today. It is a very, very bitter pill to swallow in our dressing room.”Batting great Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 103 as India surpassed the seemingly improbable victory target of 387 on a wearing wicket with 20.3 overs to spare on the fifth and final day.The win gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the two-match series with the second Test starting in Mohali on Friday.Pietersen admitted it was particularly hard to take after his team had dominated for a major part of the match with both bat and ball and gained a 75-run first innings lead.

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KARACHI: The Federal Areas Leopards defeated the Balochistan Bears in the Pentangular Cup One-day cricket tournament here on Tuesday.The match played at the National Stadium Karachi, was won by the Federal Areas Leopards by seven wickets.Batting first, the Federal Areas Leopards won the toss and put the Balochistan Bears into batting.Displaying an impressive performance for the Balochistan Bears, Misbah-ul-Haq and Fahad Iqbal made 114 runs for the fourth wicket partnership.Fahad scored 68, Misbah made 63 and Kamran Hussain contributed 56 runs as the Balochistan Bears were all out for 275.For the Federal Areas Leopards, Shoaib Akhtar claimed four wickets for 67 runs and Sohail Tanveer bagged three for 57.In reply, the Federal Areas Leopards lost their three top-order batsmen for only 25 runs but later Afaq Rahim and Umar Amin, setting a winning partnership of 251 runs helped their team win the match.Both batsmen hit centuries - Afaq Rahim made 129 and Umar Rahim 125.

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LAHORE: Secretary Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Asif Bajwa along with Olympian Rana Mujahid have left for Malaysia to attend the meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).The meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation will be held in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, on December 20.Asif Bajwa said that Pakistan has no representation at the AHF and it would be his aim to get Pakistan the fullest representation at the federation.Besides participating in the meeting, the three-member PHF delegation will meet the officials of the Indian Hockey Federation to discuss the matters regarding the Pak-India hockey series and the four-nation hockey tournament to be played at Chandigarh.President PHF Qasim Zia will leave for Malaysia on December 18.

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LAHORE: Fourteen teams will participate in the 46th National Table Tennis Championship, beginning from Wednesday in Lahore.The six-day National Table Tennis Championship will be played at the WAPDA Sports Complex in Lahore and seven events will be played in the championship.Besides two teams each from all four provinces, the teams of Army, WAPDA, Railway, Islamabad, Higher Education, Habib Bank and PWD.

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