Vice President-elect Joe Biden has met with leaders in Pakistan during an Asian trip meant to show the new administration’s interest in the troubled region.

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Five small bombs exploded outside two theaters in a major eastern Pakistan city late Friday, but there were no casualties, police and other officials said.

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U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden assured Pakistani president Zardari Friday that the incoming Obama administration will continue to support Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen democracy and combat terrorism, according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Pakistan said Friday that it has sent “feedback” and information to India about the Mumbai attacks, and Joe Biden came here to underscore how seriously the incoming U.S. administration takes the terror threat from South Asia.

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COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’’s cricket selectors Friday recalled in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan for an upcoming three-match One-day International series in Pakistan.The middle-order batsman, who played his last one-dayer at home against India in August 2008, has so far scored 2,994 runs in 152 matches with one hundred and 14 half-centuries.Dilshan was in impressive form during his team’’s 2-0 Test series victory in Bangladesh recently, scoring 162 and 143 in the final Test in Chittagong to become only the fourth Sri Lankan to hammer two centuries in the match.However, he was not named immediately in the squad for a triangular one-day series starting in Bangladesh Saturday. Zimbabwe are the third side.Fast bowler Dammika Prasad, part of the Test team in Bangladesh, was not included in the 15-man squad for Pakistan to be led by middle-order batsman Mahela Jayawardene.Veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya retained his place in the one-day squad which had two young players in former under-19 captain Angelo Matthews and Thilina Kandamby.Sri Lanka agreed to tour Pakistan after India cancelled the January-February series due to simmering political tensions between the two countries over the Mumbai attacks.The three one-dayers will be played in Karachi (January 21), Lahore (January 24) and Faisalabad (January 27).Sri Lanka will then return to Pakistan in mid-February for two Tests, in Karachi and Lahore.Sri Lanka one-day squad: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilina Kandamby, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thilina Thushara, Angelo Matthews.

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HONG KONG: Venus Williams crushed world number one Jelena Jankovic in straight sets Thursday, inspiring the Americas to victory over second seeds Europe at Hong Kong’’s World Team Challenge.The Wimbledon champion pulled her team level after the Americas lost their opening doubles clash and in Thursday’’s late evening match Gisela Dulko beat Agnes Szavay 6-4, 6-7 (8-10), 6-3 to take her team through to the gold group final.In the final, the Americas will face top seeds Russia, who won all three of their matches against Asia-Pacific.Williams seized control early in her match with Jankovic and never let up, breaking twice in each set for a 6-2, 6-2 win.The seven-time Grand Slam champion broke the Serbian in the first game of the match, racing into a 4-0 lead, unfurling a series of unanswerable ground strokes.Williams, who trails Jankovic 4-5 in head-to-heads on the WTA tour, broke again in the third game of the second set and went on to seal the match with the help of another break.

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Sri Lanka’s cricket selectors Friday recalled in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan for an upcoming three-match one-day series in Pakistan.

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KARACHI: Profit taking eroded morning gains in leading scrips at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), but 100-Index surged by 68.94 points to close at 6143.81 on Friday, dealers said.The turnover volume dropped to 145.449 million shares as 171sustained losses and 88 scrips recorded gains while 3 remained unchanged.A dealer at a leading brokerage house said that the market was bullish in the morning and Index touched as high as 6243, but slipped buy 100 points on profit taking.The market capitalization was improved by Rs 15 billion to Rs1.936 trillion.OGDC was the volume leader with a turnover of 11.342 million shares followed by PTCL 10.091 million shares, TRG Pakistan 7.484million shares, HUBCO 7.428 million shares and WorldCall Telecom 6.592million shares.D G Khan Cement closed at Rs21.33, NIB Bank Rs5.92, OGDC Rs54.02, PTCL Rs16.45, TRG Pakistan Rs2.68, HUBCO Rs17.88 and WorldCall Telecom Rs4.26.Attock Petroleum recorded the highest gain of Rs 7.93 to close at Rs166.66 followed by Millat Tractors which went up by Rs 7.92 to Rs166.51while Siemens Pak dipped by Rs 48 to Rs922 and Pak Services Ltd went down by Rs 17.92 to Rs333.22.

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Pakistan’s main spy agency has given India information about the Mumbai terror attacks, the prime minister said Friday, while denying media speculation of a rift between him and the president.

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LAHORE: Fourth blast has been reported in Lahore.

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