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June 14, 2009,LONDON: Sri Lanka preserved their unbeaten record at the World Twenty20 with a nine run Super Eights win over Ireland at Lord's on Sunday but only after they'd been given a huge fright by the minnows.Chasing 145, Ireland openers provided a solid start of 59 runs in 9.1 overs but the Sri Lankan spinning pair of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis controlled the situation and Ireland wickets were falling at regular intervals. However, Ireland were on 135 for seven when 20 overs were completed.Their top scorers were captain William Porterfield, Niall Obrien and John Mooney. They all made 31 runs each.For Sri Lanka, pacer Lasith Malinga and off-break bowler Mendis claimed two wickets for 19 and 22 runs, respectively. Muralitharan took one wicket.Earlier, minnows Ireland bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 144-9 in the allotted 20 overs.Only former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene's 78 prevented complete collapse in an innings where the next best score was San...

Sunday, June 14, 2009,TEHRAN: More than 100 reformists, including Mohammad Reza Khatami the brother of former president Mohammad Khatami, were arrested on Saturday night, leading reformist Mohammad Ali Abtahi said on Sunday. A judiciary spokesman said they had not been arrested but that they were summoned and "warned not to increase tension". They were later released, he said. But Abtahi, a former vice president, said, "They were taken from their homes last night". He said more arrests were expected. The arrested reformists were members of Iran's leading reformist party Mosharekat. Thousands of people clashed with police on Saturday after the disputed election victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked the biggest protests in Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iranians to respect Ahmadinejad's victory in a presidential election that his closest challenger described as a "dangerous charade".

Sunday, June 14, 2009 SHANGHAI: The stars came out in their hundreds for the opening of the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival at the Shanghai Grand Theater last night. More than 300 famous names from home and abroad walked the red carpet outside the theater.Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, in an elegant pink evening dress, received a warm welcome from local people and she told them: "I love you" in Chinese.Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi also attended with the crew of her latest romantic comedy "Sophie's Revenge." The festival's grand opening also attracted British heartthrob Clive Owen, American musician Quincy Jones, Italian actress Maria Cucinotta and Chinese action star Donnie Yen.Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle is chairing the seven-member jury panel this year. It also includes veteran Chinese mainland filmmaker Huang Jianxin, American actress Andie MacDowell, Hong Kong director Andrew Lau and South Korean producer Oh Jung-wan.After saying ...

Sunday, June 14, 2009 SAN'A: Yemen accused a Shiite rebel group Sunday of kidnapping nine foreigners in the country's rugged north. The Interior Ministry said the foreigners were kidnapped Friday by a rebel group led by Abdel Malak al-Hawthi while on a picnic in northern Sada province. The ministry did not identify the foreigners, but local Yemenis in Sada said the group included a German doctor, his wife and five children, as well as a Briton and his wife. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal. A local state news agency said the foreigners worked in a hospital in Sada. Tribesmen in Yemen frequently take foreigners hostage to pressure the government on a range of demands and generally release them unharmed. Tribesmen on Friday freed 24 local and foreign medics working at a Saudi-funded hospital in Sada less than 24 hours after their kidnapping, which was not carried out by the al-Hawthi group. Thousands of people have been killed in Saada since a ...

Sunday, June 14, 2009 TEHRAN: At least 10 leaders of two Iranian reformist political groups who backed defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi have been arrested, an official from one group said on Sunday.

Sunday, June 14, 2009 BEIJING: China has reported 22 more cases of swine flu, bringing the total on the mainland to 165. The Ministry of Health said on its Web site Saturday that the cities of Beijing and Shanghai have reported more cases, as did provinces in central, eastern and southern China. The world's most populous country has quarantined travelers including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on the slightest suspicion of contact with an infected person, and has increased surveillance of the virus with temperature checks on incoming passengers at airports. There have been no reports of deaths. Hong Kong, which tallies swine flu cases separately, said Saturday it had confirmed five more cases, bringing the total tally to 78.

Sunday, June 14, 2009 WASHINGTON: The United States urged Iran on Saturday to resolve disputes over its presidential election peacefully, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she hoped the outcome reflected the will of the Iranian people.The White House said it was monitoring the election closely, including reports of "irregularities," after official results showed hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected by a huge margin over reformist Mirhossein Mousavi."We obviously hope that the outcome reflects the genuine will and desire of the Iranian people," Clinton said on a brief trip to neighboring Canada.Ahmadinejad's resounding victory could complicate U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to Tehran, and will disappoint major powers seeking to convince Iran to halt nuclear work that the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.A senior U.S. official reiterated Washington's offer for talks with Iran over a range of issues, fr...

Sunday, June 14, 2009 MUMBAI: Actor Aamir Khan has turned down the state government’s offer to do an anti-child labour campaign. And now the government is reportedly planning to approach Shah Rukh Khan for the same.According to our source, the Labour Ministry had been pursuing Aamir for over four months, as they believed the actor is ideal for the campaign. Of course, there has to be logic behind everything Aamir does! The actor has reportedly clarified that since he’s been doing a lot of government interest campaigns, his credibility would suffer if he spoke on every social subject.Explaining his decision, Aamir said, “I’m doing a lot of public service messages and I didn’t want to dilute the (message in the) ads that I’ve already done by doing another one.” The actor has done some public interest commercials of late like the election campaign and tourism promotion.

Sunday, June 14, 2009 TEHRAN: Hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that Iran's presidential election, which he won by a landslide, was "completely free" and a "great victory.""Today, the people of Iran have inspired other nations and disappointed their ill-wishers," Ahmadinejad said in his first address to the nation after being declared victorious in the 10th presidential election held Friday. He also called on his supporters to gather on Sunday at 5:00 pm (1230 GMT) in the capital's Vali Asr Square. Sunday is the birth anniversary of Fatima Zahra, daughter of the Prophet Mohammad. The square was on Saturday the site of clashes between police and angry supporters of Ahmadinejad's main rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who blamed vote "rigging" for his defeat at the hands of the president.

Sunday, June 14, 2009,LONDON: Two matches will be played in Super Eight round of ICC Twenty20 World at The Lord’s.The first match will be played between Sri Lanka and Ireland at 1830 PST and the second match will be held between England and India at 2230 PST.For nearly 48 hours the Sri Lankan team would have put down bats and balls and passed through a recuperating period ahead of today’s Super Eight match against Ireland which team manager Brendon Kuruppu said was just what the doctor ordered. “We have not had a single day off (for three weeks), it has been a very tough tour and it was important that the players took a rest”, said Kuruppu. The break also gave the players, a chance to recondition their minds for what they see as the second and final phase of the tournament where the knock-out punches have to be delivered for four semi final slots. “I would say the break gave the players a chance to take in everything needed to refresh physically and mentally and come out again,” said ...

Sunday, June 14, 2009 TAUNTON: Pakistani team cannot access to the semi-final of ICC Women Twenty20 World Cup, as India dashed all their hopes by defeating them in a low-scoring match on Saturday.The national women team will play the last pool match against England on Tuesday.Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first but quickly slipped to 27 for three. Rumeliu Dhar claimed three for 13 with Priyanka Roy taking five for 14 in a total of 75 all out.India lost five wickets in their response and might have struggled even more had it not been for opener Anjum Chopra's 37 not out.‘Am I happy?’ said India coach Sudha Shah. ‘Well, we had to win and we did.But no, I'm not happy with the way we played at all. Our final game against Sri Lanka is another must-win. Hopefully we will click against them.’Chopra added: ‘Wickets were falling like nine-pins, so it was a little tense. Fortunately the score wasn't too high and you could push it around for singles. You need matches like th...

Sunday, June 14, 2009 LONDON: Lancashire have confirmed they hope to stage Pakistan's 'home' Tests against Australia next summer. Discussions between the ECB, Cricket Australia and the PCB have been underway for Pakistan to 'host' Australia for two Tests and two Twenty20s in England, but venues have yet to be confirmed. "The ECB asked us about this and we have declared our interest," Jim Cumbes, Lancashire's chief executive said a UK-based newspaper. "We have a great Asian population here. We have staged a World Cup match between India and Pakistan at Old Trafford, so we know the interest Pakistan's return would create." The venues for the series are yet to be decided though cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham - traditionally home to large British Asian populations - are likely to be on any shortlist. "Playing here would be good for us and our younger players," said Pakistan captain Younis Khan. Australia were due to...

Sunday, June 14, 2009 LONDON: Andy Murray reached his first grass-court final Saturday, while Andy Roddick's quest for a fifth title at Queen's Club ended when he had to retire against James Blake with a foot injury. Murray beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2, 6-4 in their Aegon Championships semifinal, before Roddick had to quit at 4-4 in the first set of his match against Blake. Roddick said the right-foot injury did not seem serious and hoped to be fit for Wimbledon, which starts June 22. ``I'm going to do everything I can to play at Wimbledon,'' Roddick said. ``We're scheduled to get it looked at again tomorrow and do some scans on it and see where we're at, but initial tests showed the stability was OK. ... I'm not walking in here saying I’m going to be out six weeks or anything like that. We're looking at days, not weeks.'' Roddick, a four-time champion here, sustained the injury in the third game after running back on a lob from Blake. After...

Sunday, June 14, 2009 OVAL: Pakistan have thrashed New Zealand by six wickets with 41 balls to spare in the Super-8 match of ICC World Twenty20 match here on Saturday,

Sunday, June 14, 2009 LONDON: Pace bowler Umar Gul became the first bowler to claim five wickets in Twenty20 International cricket when helped Pakistan skittle New Zealand out for a meager total of 99 in 18.3 overs in their World Twenty20 Super Eights Group F match at the Oval here on Saturday.Umar Gul captured five wickets for eight runs from three overs, eclipsing previous best of 4-07 by Mark Gillespie of New Zealand against Kenya at Durban in 2007.After New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat on a good batting wicket, Pakistani bowlers never let them play freely and bundled them out for 99.Only Scott Styris (22), Aaron Redmond (15) and Brendon McCullum (12) could enter into double figures.Abdul Razzaq, playing for the first time in the tournament after being called up as a replacement for Yasir Arafat, made the initial breakthrough and bagged two wickets in his first two overs. Mohammad Aamer and Shahid Afridi took one wicket each.Left-arm spinner Vettor...

Saturday, June 13, 2009 LAHORE: Pakistan come across a difficult task when they will play mighty Australia in its first match of super eight round of Junior World hockey Cup tomorrow, Sunday at Johor Bahru,Malaysia. According to information made available here on Saturday, the organizing committee of Cup announced the schedule of super eight round of the grand event. Defending champion Argentina, The Netherlands, Germany and Spain are in pool E, while Australia, South Korea, Pakistan and New Zealand are in pool F. The second round will be played at two centres Johor Bahru and Singapore. Pak-Australia will played at 1730 (PST). South Korea will face New Zealand at Johor Bahru, Netherlands will face Spain at Singapore and Germany will face Argentina at Singapore. The Green shirts will play its second match against New Zealand on June 15 at Singapore. Argentina will face Netherlands at Johor Bahru, Poland will take on Germany at Johor Bahru and Australia will clash Korea at Singapore. Th...