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Palestinians celebrate release of 477 prisoners
Mexico: Cartel leader arrested from Acapulco
Bomb blast kills 8 in Turkey
Karachi: Rangers launch search operation in schools
Efforts on for hostages recovery: Babar Ghauri
USA: First commercial spaceport completed in New Mexico
Somalia: Suicide car bomb kills 6 in Mogadishu
Remains of 2000-year old Roman ship recovered
Formula 1 race track opens in India
Match fixing case: Butt pressurised Asif to bowl no-balls, says lawyer
Karachi: Four shot dead near Nagan Chowrangi
Students protest against Lahore BISE
Bearish trend persists at KSE
Gold price decreases in local, global market
Five-wicket Junaid Khan wants to fill Aamer's void

Palestinians celebrate release of 477 prisoners

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The releases come as implementation of a landmark swap announced a week ago between Israel and the Gaza based militant Islamic group. The deal calls for the release of an additional 550 Palestinian prisoners in two months, making it the highest price Israel has ever paid for the release of one person. That is a major gain for Hamas which was the recipient of effusive thanks here from many families of those released. Later, at the Tel Nof military base in Israel, he was greeted by a buoyant Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told his parents, Noam and Aviva “I have brought your son home.” In Ramallah, thousands welcomed 117 of the released prisoners, with many people waving Palestinian and Hamas flags. Moderate Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas greeted them as “freedom fighters and holy warriors” and called for the release of Marwan Barghouti, a leader from his Fatah faction, who is among several nationalist luminaries whose release Hamas was unable to secure. But Mr Abbas could not undo the sense that yesterday was a victory for Hamas’s path of armed struggle over his own espousal of diplomacy. Referring to the ratio of more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners for Shalit and the fact that more than 5000 prisoners remain in Israeli jails, Raja Abu Rub told The Scotsman: “We are telling a joke, that people want four more Shalits and then we will get all the prisoners out.” In Gaza, prisoners embraced and shook hands with Hamas leaders at the Rafah border crossing. Tens of thousands celebrated at a rally that quickly turned into a Hamas show of strength. In Ramallah, Hamas leader Mohammed Ahmad, himself a former prisoner, said: “The way Hamas got out the prisoners proves to all the people of Palestine that negotiation is not the only way to free these prisoners. There are also other ways, maybe by kidnapping soldiers.”

Mexico: Cartel leader arrested from Acapulco

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Mexico arrested the leader of a cartel based in Acapulco known as "La Barredora" (the Sweeper) based in Acapulco on Tuesday. Christian Arturo Hernandez Tarin, also known as "El Cris," was arrested in the outskirts of Mexico City, together with three accomplices. Ramon Pequeno Garcia, the head of the Narcotics Division of the Federal Police told a news conference Hernandez Tarin s cartel was fighting over control of Acapulco with a cartel known as the Independent Acapulco cartel (CIDA). "Currently this group is fighting over control of Acapulco with the Independent cartel of Acapulco. Both groups stem from the group led by Edgar Valdez Villareal, also known as "La Barbie" after his arrest in August, 2010." Both cartels have caused much of the violence hitting Acapulco. Hernandez Tarin, 30, started trafficking marijuana from Ciudad Juarez to the United States together with his brother for the cartel led by Vicente Carrillo Fuentes. Pequeno added Hernandez Tarin had 100 people working under his orders. "At least 100 people worked under Arturo Hernandez Tarin, also known as "El Cris," working as security guards, homicides and watch men in Acapulco port." Weapons and vehicles were seized during the operation. About 42,000 people have died in drug-related killings in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon went to war on the cartels shortly after taking office at the end of 2006. Violence was long concentrated in northern Mexico, but cities farther south, including Acapulco, have increasingly been swept up in the lawlessness.

Bomb blast kills 8 in Turkey

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A roadside bomb planted by suspected Kurdish rebels exploded in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday killing five policemen and three civilians including a child, security officials said. The bomb, placed on a road in the Guroymak district of Turkey s Bitlis province, struck a police vehicle as it returned from a shooting range, officials said. Five policemen inside the vehicle as well as three civilian bystanders, including a two-year-old girl, were apparently killed by the blast. Three people were being treated for wounds. Kurdish separatists have carried out a string of attacks in southeastern Turkey in recent months, killing more than 50 Turkish nationals since July. Bitlis is located in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. The Turkish military has launched retaliatory air raids on Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq, its first strikes in the region in more than a year. Both the central government in Baghdad and regional Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq have condemned the Turkish raids as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Kurdish rebels took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have died in the conflict. They have bases in northern Iraq from which they cross the border to attack Turkish targets. The militant Kurdistan Workers  Party (PKK) is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Last month, five people were killed and at least 13 wounded when a car bomb exploded in a busy street in the Turkish capital Ankara. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a group connected to the PKK, claimed responsibility for that attack and threatened more in Turkish cities.

Karachi: Rangers launch search operation in schools

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The Rangers personnel cordoned off the area and started search operation in the schools with the help of sniff dogs. Nobody was allowed to enter the schools while the Rangers also dug the ground to find ammunition. When asked about the operation in government schools and its success, the Rangers authorities refused to disclosed the details. According to the residents of the area, the operation remained confined to schools and the adjacent areas were not inspected.

Efforts on for hostages recovery: Babar Ghauri

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Federal Minister for Port and Shipping Babar Ghauri said that the government is its trying best for the recovery of Pakistani hostages of Somali pirates while the families of the hostages have expressed their satisfaction over governments’ effort. Babar Ghauri, along with CPL chief Ahmad Chinoy visited the families of the hostages first time after taking charge of the ministry. Babar said that the Somali pirates demanded 10 million dollars which was later reduced to 8 million after the talks with the pirates; however the efforts are on for the deduction of more amount. He said that the money would be arranged and agreement will be done with the pirates in the third phase. Expressing his concern over the pirate’s activities, Babar said this was a sad situation the presence of NATO forces .

USA: First commercial spaceport completed in New Mexico

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British entrepreneur and Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson dedicated the world s first commercial spaceport on Monday with a splash of champagne. Branson joined government officials in Las Cruces, New Mexico to celebrate the renaming of the Spaceport America, now dubbed the "Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space". Home of Virgin Galactic s two test spacecraft, WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo, the $209 million taxpayer-financed building was designed to be a green building by UK-based Foster Partners, URS Corp and New Mexico architects SMPC. Branson, who has made a name for himself in pursuing futuristic technology, told the crowd about the planning that went in to the space-age structure. Already 450 tickets, at $200,000 a shot, have been purchased for the commercial flights into space. The suborbital flights will last two and half hours and feature about five minutes of weightlessness. A hundred and fifty ticketholders joined Branson for the celebration. Virgin Galactic plans to finish testing by the end of 2012 and to start flights soon after.

Somalia: Suicide car bomb kills 6 in Mogadishu

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A suicide car bomb exploded near a building housing government ministries in Mogadishu on Tuesday) killing at least six people. It was the second such attack in the capital this month. "As you know the security forces are scrambling nowadays to prevent explosions. Many of these explosions are prevented before they happened. Now a car bomb explodes here and you can see the body of the driver in the car. Civilians were killed and wounded in the blast. So far, the police are investigating. After that we will submit the findings about this explosion. I say to the dead, may God have mercy on your souls," said Somali Interior Minister Abdisamad Mo alim Mohamud. A suicide truck bomb struck a compound housing several government ministries in Mogadishu on October 4, killing more than 70 people. Al Shabaab rebels, against whom Somali and Kenyan forces recently launched an attack in the south of the country, claimed responsibility for that attack. At the time the al Qaeda-linked rebels warned Somalis to stay away from government buildings and military bases, saying "more serious blasts are coming". Al Shabaab rebels pulled most of their fighters out of Mogadishu in August allowing government troops and African Union soldiers to seize much of the capital. But the militants vowed to carry out attacks on government installations.

Remains of 2000-year old Roman ship recovered

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Archaeologists have recovered the final piece of a ship that sank in the river Rhone in France more than two millennia ago. Scientists hope the vessel will shed light on how the Romans led the way with globalisation. French archaeologists are breathing a sigh of relief after successfully bringing a 2,000 year-old Roman barge up out of the depths of the Rhone River. The ancient Roman barge is remarkably intact, but the boat s oak planks have gone limp over the many centuries spent submerged, making the excavation process particularly difficult. The 31 x 3 metre boat was discovered submerged in the Rhone River at the port of Arelates in 2004. It took until 2010 for a plan to be approved to remove the ship from the river in ten discrete sections. The two pieces pulled up from their watery grave on Wednesday were the last of the extraction process. Exactly why the ship sank remains unknown, but such a well preserved vessel, intact from rudder to mast, is unusual after 2000 years underwater. While other merchant ships of its kind have been unearthed and displayed, none remain as sturdy and complete as this one. A sizeable layer of detritus that covered the ship underwater played a key role in its conservation. Consisting of objects discarded by the population of Arles, this critical pile of trash has some secrets of its own to offer historians and archaeologists. The last two pieces of the ship will be sent along with the other eight to a laboratory at Grenoble to be restored before moving back to Arles, where the entire boat will be reassembled and displayed. The project will cost nine million euros altogether, but for the archaeologists; it is a project well worth keeping afloat.

Formula 1 race track opens in India

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Buddh International racing track formally opened on Tuesday ready for India s first Grand Prix on October 30. The 5.14km track in Greater Noida, near New Delhi, has been described as a roller-coaster ride with a one kilometre straight, numerous sweeping corners, a series of elevation changes of up to 14 metres and a long, long hairpin corner. The stands are huge, with one of them claiming to be the world s biggest grandstand. Red Bull racing - the 2011 champions - sent Swiss driver Neel Jani to drive a demonstration car around the track for the entertainment of the spectators. India s first Formula One driver, Narain Karthikeyan, was on hand - driving the Mercedes safety car around the track. At present Karthikeyan will be the only Indian driver to drive in the Grand Prix. His place in the Hispania Racing Team has been confirmed by team bosses. Another Indian driver, Karun Chandhok, is test driver for Team Lotus and is anxiously waiting to hear if he will be allowed to drive in place of one of the regular drivers - Heikki Kovalainen or Jarno Trulli. Neel Jani said the track was fine when he came in from his laps. F1 fever has gripped India with sponsor companies organising various promotional events to boost interest around the event. Narain Karthikeyan said he was feeling slightly overwhelmed with less than two weeks before his country s first Grand Prix. Organisers are keen to avoid the bad publicity associated with last year s Commonwealth Games in the capital, which was due to preparation problems. Manoj Gaur, chairman of the Jaypee Group, owners of the Buddh International Circuit, said they were leaving nothing to chance to ensure a safe and successful event that would make all Indians proud. Organisers have predicted a full house at the 100,000-capacity circuit.

Match fixing case: Butt pressurised Asif to bowl no-balls, says lawyer

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The lawyer representing Mohammad Asif has accused former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt of pressurizing Asif to bowl a no-ball during the Lord s test against England last year. During the 10th day of the spot-fixing trial at a London court on Tuesday, Butt spent a grueling five hours in the witness stand as he was questioned first by Asif s lawyer Alexander Milne and then by prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee. After playing a video of an over in which Asif bowled a no-ball, Milne told Butt: "You had been talking to Mr Asif through this over and pressurizing him." Milne continued: "Before Mr Asif bowled his no-ball, you said to him,  run faster you are running too slow. " Butt, who frequently showed flashes of anger during a challenging day for the 27-year-old, denied the accusation. Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the match in August 2010 when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammed Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges. Butt must continue in the witness stand on Wednesday as Jafferjee was yet to even start probing him on the match in question at Lord s and three no-balls. The jury has already been informed that it can only give a verdict on what happened in relation to Lord s and the three no-balls in question. Jafferjee spent much of Tuesday questioning Butt about the background to the Lord s test. Referring to a notebook Butt kept to track income, expenditure and money that was "still to be received," the prosector wanted to know why Butt had not noted a >30,000 endorsement deal that he signed with Majeed to have a sticker on his bat advertising one of Majeed s companies Capital Cricket. Jafferjee also asked Butt why he withdrew $181,000 from his Bank Alfalah account in Lahore, Pakistan on the day of his police interview in London on Sept. 3, 2010. Butt transferred the amount into his mother s account. "It might have happened on the same day as my interview but it was not something that I aimed to happen on the same day," Butt said. "I can t explain why (I withdrew it). "You are trying to portray something else, but you don t know anything about the Muslim culture."

Karachi: Four shot dead near Nagan Chowrangi

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According to police sources, some unknown motorcyclists opened fire on the victims when they were standing outside a cloth shop near Nagan Chorangi. All four persons critically injured and were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where they succumbed to injuries. The victims included Hassan, Arif Sohail and Raza. The enraged heirs of the deceased protested outside Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and and made rumpus. A wave of fear spread in the area. Police cordoned off the area and controlled the situation while extra number of police force has also been called in near Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Students protest against Lahore BISE

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As per details, a large number of affected students gathered in front of the office of Lahore Board and blocked road by burning old tyres. The board employees also observed a symbolic hunger strike while expressing solidarity with the students. The result of hundreds of students has not been declared in time while some of the students complained that they have been given 0 marks despite good performance. The board’s administration assured the students that their results would be declared within 15 days. At this, the students ended their demonstration.

Bearish trend persists at KSE

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Selling trend remained in cement, banking and fertilizer sector. The KSE-100 index closed at 11,912 points. Trade volume remained at 84 million shares.

Gold price decreases in local, global market

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According to All Pakistan Jewellers Association, 10-gram gold price dipped by Rs 600 to close at 46,97,1 while one tola price reached Rs 54,800 with a decrease of Rs 700. In international market, price of the precious metal dipped by $29 a ounce.

Five-wicket Junaid Khan wants to fill Aamer's void

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The 21-year-old took a maiden five-wicket haul to help Pakistan dismiss Sri Lanka for a low score of 197 on the opening day of the first Test at Abu Dhabi stadium. "I will do my best to fill the void and do as well as my team needs," said Khan, whose 5-38 rocked the formidable Sri Lankan batting. "I am delighted with my effort but all the bowlers did well as no one man can get a team out." Khan hails from Abbottabad in North-Western Pakistan, a town where Osama Bin Laden was killed by American Special Forces in May this year, played most of his cricket with Aamer. The duo, both left-arm pacemen, toured various countries with Pakistan junior teams between 2005 and 2009 before the more talented Aamer was picked for Pakistan s seniors. Khan said the pitch at Abu Dhabi stadium was responsive. "There was a little bit of seam early but otherwise, I used the yorker and mixed the bowling up and it s pleasing to get them out for a low score," said Khan, who hoped Pakistan put up 300-350 for a winning lead. Khan got just one wicket on his debut Test, against Zimbabwe last month. Khan said legendary Pakistan pacemen Imran Khan and Wasim Akram were his idols but he developed into a good bowler only under Waqar Younis s coaching. "I am quite lucky that way. During the World Cup (2011), there was Aaqib Javed and Waqar and alongside them Wasim also gave tips when he came on how to bowl. I started playing cricket only after watching Imran. "When I went to Lancashire, Wasim used to call me and tell me how to bowl, how to use the conditions," said Khan. "That stint was very helpful. I learnt there how to seam, how to swing the ball, how to bowl a yorker." Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews, who topscored with 52 not out, was disappointed with the overall batting performance. "We lost our way in the second session and the batsmen did not bat well. "The second session made a huge difference where we lost six wickets in four five overs and that was bad," said Mathews, who added 54 for the eighth wicket with Suranga Lakmal (18). Mathews denied the pitch was difficult for batting on. "It was a pretty good batting wicket. Whoever hits the wicket hard had a bit off a nip off the wicket. All in all it was a very good wicket and Khan did hit the deck hard and got the reward," said Mathews. "Obviously it s the first day of the Test match and we have got four days left. I strongly believe that our bowlers can still get us back into the game," said Mathews, whose fifty was his fourth in the last five innings.

PoliticusUSA

Cricket - Sports

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

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