LAHORE: Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was over the moon on Saturday after becoming only the second bowler in one-day history to reach the magical 500-wicket mark.Muralitharan, already the world’’s leading Test wicket-taker, said that he was happy to collect his 500th wicket in one-dayers in Sri Lanka’’s crushing 234-run victory over Pakistan in the ODI series final in front of a packed Gaddafi Stadium.Muralitharan, 36, bowled just 1.5 overs in the match but finished with 2 for 2 to complete 500 wickets in one-dayers. He scalped tail-enders Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Sohail Khan and is now just three wickets away from breaking former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram’’s record of 502 wickets in one-day internationals.The veteran spinner is already the world’’s top wicket-taker in Test cricket with 769 in 125 Tests. He made his one-day debut against India in 1993, and has 10 times taken five wickets in a match in a 323-match career.
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Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) — Taliban militants are using radio to promulgate their interpretation of Islamic law in Pakistan’s Swat valley, and failure to listen can result in lashing or beheading, the New York Times reported.
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MELBOURNE: World number one Jelena Jankovic crashed out of the Australian Open on Sunday with a humiliating 6-1, 6-4 loss to French 16th seed Marion Bartoli for the biggest upset of the tournament so far. The top seed made a dismal start in her fourth round match against the fired-up Frenchwomen, finally calling on her renowned fighting qualities too late into the match.The loss extends Jankovic’’s Grand Slam drought and marked Bartoli’’s best performance at a major since she reached the Wimbledon final in 2007. “I knew Jelena would fight the last set was really hard for me but I tried to hang tough and play my game,” Bartoli said. “I played my shots and served so well, I”m just so happy.” Bartoli broke Jankovic in the second game then prevented the Serb breaking back twice in the next to race to a 3-0 lead. The statistics in the first 10 minutes demonstrated Bartoli’’s dominance, she hit seven winners while Jankovic could not manage one and committed a single unforced error to the Serb’’s four. Jankovic looked lethargic as she tried to play her way into the match, constantly casting frustrated glances towards coach Ricardo Sanchez in the player’’s box. In contrast, Bartoli was bouncing on her toes between points and chased down everything Jankovic sent her way, returning the world number one’’s ground-strokes with interest.The Frenchwomen treated Jankovic’’s serve with distain, going up another break in the fourth. Only some desperate scrambling prevented Bartoli from completing a humiliating clean sweep of the first set, with Jankovic finally getting on the board after 27 minutes. It was a temporary reprieve and Bartoli outfoxed her opponent with a delicately-hit drop shot four minutes later to take the first set.
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LAHOREFEDERAL Parliamentary Affairs Minister Senator Dr Babar Awan has urged the Punjab government to abide by the coalition formula to end di
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WANA: Thirteen victims of missile strikes by US drone planes in North and South Waziristan Agencies were Saturday laid to rest in their ancestral graveyard. Of the total fatalities, nine were laid to rest in Zirgai graveyard in North Waziristan and five were buried in Gungi Khel graveyard in South Waziristan Agency. The funerals were attended by hundreds of tribesmen and tribal elders. The dead included Dilfaraz Khan Wazir, his three sons Maitool Khan, Habib Khan and Ghulam Khan, and grandson Haider Khan. Talking to reporters, Malik Taj Muhammad Wazir, Malik Muhammad Azam Khan and others demanded of the Obama administration to take solid measures to stop drone attacks in the tribal belt.
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KARACHI: Almost two years after kicking off a so-called rebuilding campaign following a humiliating first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup, Pakistan
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Assaults, threats follow efforts to limit Islamists In many ways, the battle between administrators and Islamists at Pakistan’s largest college is a microcosm of a larger battle, especially with the government facing pressure to rein in Islamist militant groups after the deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The Tribune’s Kim Barker reports from Lahore.
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The death toll from two suspected U.S. missile attacks on al-Qaeda bases in northwest Pakistan has risen to 22, officials and residents said Saturday. Eight suspected foreign militants were among the dead.
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LAHOREPUNJAB Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the Charter of Democracy was a solution to all problems and if it was not implemented in i
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Drone attacks have been effective, U.S. says, but have angered Pakistan.
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