DUBAI: Graeme Smith hit a sedate century to strengthen South Africa’s grip on the second day of the second and final Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Thursday. The South African skipper was unbeaten on 107 for his 27th Test century — his fourth against Pakistan — as the Proteas reached 198-4 at lunch, having a lead of 99 over their rivals’ first innings total of 99. With Smith was AB de Villiers on 26 as the two added 64 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket stand after South Africa resumed at 128-3. Smith, overnight 67, anchored the innings and reached his century with a straight drive off Saeed Ajmal for only his sixth boundary. It took Smith 204 balls to reach the milestone.
North Korea says will return six South Koreans across border
SEOUL: North Korea will return six unidentified South Koreans across the two countries’ heavily-militarised land border, it said in a surprise announcement Thursday. The South’s Unification Ministry said it had been informed the transfer would take place on Friday, but was given no details of the identities of the people being returned. “We just received a sudden notice from North Korea that it would send back six South Koreans tomorrow,” a ministry official told AFP.
Richie Benaud stable after car crash
SYDNEY: Legendary cricket commentator Richie Benaud was in a stable condition in hospital Thursday after driving his vintage car into a brick wall. The former Australia captain, who has worked in the commentary box since retiring from Test cricket in 1964, was driving to his Sydney home on Wednesday when he mounted the curb and hit the wall. The 83-year-old, who is due to commentate on the Ashes series against England for Australia’s Channel Nine starting next month, suffered chest and shoulder injuries. A Nine statement said he was expected to be hospitalised for several days.
Over 50 suspects arrested during Karachi raids
KARACHI: Rangers and police personnel Thursday arrested more than 50 suspects during targeted operations in different areas of Karachi, DNA reported.
Hundreds of millions of emails, messages monitored by US
WASHINGTON: The US National Security Agency has monitored hundreds of millions of email and instant messaging accounts around the world, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The NSA’s monitoring systems focus on data crucial to government security in the United States and in allied nations, the report added. The Post based its report on information it received from senior intelligence officials and on top secret documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Election tribunals yet to decide 400 complaints
ISLAMABAD: Four months since they were set up, none of the 14 election tribunals across the country has adjudicated upon a single complaint against alleged poll rigging in the 2013 general elections. Some 400 such complaints are pending in the tribunals. The law requires the tribunals to decide the cases within 120 days, but this has never happened in the electoral history of the country. This time there were hopes that the cases would be adjudicated upon within the stipulated period as the tribunals comprised retired judges who were to hear the cases on day-to-day basis free from the pressure of routine judicial workload.
Zardari to formally launch political activities tomorrow
ISLAMABAD: Five weeks after completion of his five-year term in the Presidency, Asif Ali Zardari is formally starting his political activities from Larkana with a meeting of the PPP leaders belonging to Sindh on Thursday (tomorrow), Dawn has learnt. When contacted, spokesman for the former president Farhatullah Khan Babar confirmed that Mr Zardari had invited the office-bearers of the party’s chapters from various divisions in Sindh at a dinner in Larkana on Thursday evening.
High court seeks fresh report on rape case
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Pakpattan district and sessions judge to file a fresh report related to the police report under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before the trial court regarding the gang rape of a girl. According to a handout issued on Tuesday, the LHC sought a report from the district and sessions judge within a week in order to get the investigation of the case done in a transparent manner. The handout says the alleged rape victim, a resident of village 25-EB, went to Arifwala with the suspect to get financial assistance of the Benazir Income Support Programme. The suspect took her to some unidentified place where he along with two other accomplices raped her.
Jail trial of Musharraf ordered
ISLAMABAD: On the request of the capital police, the city administration has ordered the jail trial of former president Pervez Musharraf in the murder case of a Lal Masjid cleric and his mother during the 2007 operation. The case was registered with the Aabpara police on September 2, 2013, sources in the police and administration said. They added that the request for the jail trial was made in view of threats to the former president. “According to the intelligence report, militant outfits have planned to assassinate the former president,” they added.
Death toll in Philippines quake reaches 110
CEBU: The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the central Philippine island of Bohol reached 110 Wednesday with only three people pulled alive from rubble. The three were rescued in nearby Cebu province hours after Tuesday’s quake shattered office buildings and homes and caused many centuries-old churches to crumble. In Bohol, the quake’s epicenter, rescuers counted 100 dead, said regional military commander Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda. Cebu reported nine fatalities, and one died on another island.
