Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen raided a village in Basilan, killing at least 11 people and injuring 20 others, including a one-year-old girl.
Police said most of the villagers of Poblacion Tubigan in Maluso town were asleep when they were attacked by suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists. The assailants opened fire with automatic arms and torched several houses in the village that also left 10 people wounded, including four children who were last reported in critical condition. Initial reports said the number of victims could increase since many of the villagers were caught in a hail of gunfire from the attackers. The attack came in the wake of the recent killing of Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad and the arrest of two key leaders of the extremist group. Government forces had been told to be on alert for reprisal attacks. It was the worst attack on civilians since 2001 when the Abu Sayyaf seized dozens of villagers and later beheaded nine farmers and shot to death another civilian in Lamitan town. The attack also came a day after government troops rescued two Chinese nationals in nearby Sumisip town. The two men were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf from a plywood factory in Maluso in November. One of the factory workers seized with them was beheaded.

OGRA has announced slight decrease of 1 to 4 percent in petroleum products on Sunday. Petrol declined to Rs 70.67 with a decrease of 64 paisas. In a press conference, ORGA’s senior executive director finance Syed Jawwad Naseem announced slight decrease in petroleum products. According to which, light speed diesel reached at Rs 69.47 with a decrease of 60 paisas, high speed diesel slashed to Rs 69.89 with a decrease of Rs 1.97, kerosene oil decreased to Rs 61.50 with a decline of Rs2.56 and HOBC reached to Rs68.06 with a decrease of 78 paisas. Petrol and HOBC rates have been decreased by one percent each while light and high speed diesel prices have been decreased by three percent each. Kerosene oil has been decreased by 4 percent. New prices have been applied from today.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that Balochistan leadership was onboard on the socio-economic uplift package of the province announced by the government in joint session of the parliament on Tuesday.

The premier said that many missing persons were recovered within 2-3 days of promulgation of the package. He pledged that the package would be thoroughly enforced with its letter and spirit.

He said some 5000 jobs had been would offered to Balochistan graduates.

Gilani said that a cabinet committee has been set up for enforcement of the announced package adding that parliament would fine-tune the package.

Gilani ruled out the impression that the package has been refused by Balochistan politicians, and added that it had been presented in the National Assembly to seek recommendations rather than the approval of the house.

“The government wants to initiate dialogues with the absconding leadership of Baloch nationalists either they are in the country or in abroad,” Gilani said. The government would take steps to bring the Baloch youth to national mainstream, he added.

9 beauties from Europe penetrated the Top 15 of Miss Universe 2009.
For the first time in years, no Asian delegate was able to grab a semi-final slot. Our very own Bianca Manalo, Miss Philippines, did not make it in the Top 15.

Croatia, Albania, Sweden and Switzerland are this year’s surprise entries in the Top 15.

The Official Top 15 are:

PUERTO RICO
ICELAND
ALBANIA
CZECH REPUBLIC
BELGIUM
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
SWEDEN
KOSOVO
AUSTRALIA
FRANCE
SWITZERLAND
SOUTH AFRICA
USA
CROATIA
VENEZUELA

SYDNEY: Captain Ricky Ponting, vice captain Michael Clarke and six other members of the Australia team at risk of losing the Ashes were named Saturday in the country’s 15-man Champions Trophy limited-overs squad.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, Michael Hussey, allrounder Shane Watson and bowlers Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle were also included in the squad for the Champions Trophy in South Africa from Sept. 22-Oct. 5.

Australia, as defending champions, will play its first match in Group A against West Indies on Sept. 26. It plays India on Sept. 28 and Pakistan on Sept. 30 to complete the first round.

The one-day event will be Australia’s next assignment after the current tour of England. In the deciding test, Australia trails by 172 runs on first innings, with England to resume its second innings Saturday at 58-3.

Australia squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice-captain), Nathan Bracken, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

SYDNEY: Captain Ricky Ponting, vice captain Michael Clarke and six other members of the Australia team at risk of losing the Ashes were named Saturday in the country’s 15-man Champions Trophy limited-overs squad.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, Michael Hussey, allrounder Shane Watson and bowlers Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle were also included in the squad for the Champions Trophy in South Africa from Sept. 22-Oct. 5.

Australia, as defending champions, will play its first match in Group A against West Indies on Sept. 26. It plays India on Sept. 28 and Pakistan on Sept. 30 to complete the first round.

The one-day event will be Australia’s next assignment after the current tour of England. In the deciding test, Australia trails by 172 runs on first innings, with England to resume its second innings Saturday at 58-3.

Australia squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice-captain), Nathan Bracken, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

CINCINNATI: World number one Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will contest the Cincinnati Masters final after both claimed impressive victories on Saturday.

Federer beat holder Andy Murray 6-2 7-6 while a rejuvenated Djokovic hammered former world number one Rafa Nadal 6-1 6-4.

Murray was trying to become the fourth man to win the Canada and Cincinnati Masters Series titles back to back.

But he could not even force a single break point and the Swiss broke serve twice in the first set and then saved two set points in the tiebreak to reach the final.

“It was just overall a very good performance,” said Federer, who beat world number two Murray for only the third time in their nine meetings.

“I stayed aggressive. I was always looking to make the plays and I think in the end I deserved to win, just because I wasn’t scared to go after my shots. And I think I served well.”

Attacking from the start, Federer broke Murray’s serve in the fourth and eighth games to take the first set.

The Briton battled hard to stay on terms in the second set and forced two set points, at 6-5 and 8-7.

But Federer saved the first with a big serve and the second when Murray’s attempted backhand pass landed inches wide, before going on to win it 10-8.

In three of their most recent four meetings, Federer won the first set only to lose the match.

This time, the Swiss said, he felt he would have been confident of victory even had the match gone to a decider.

“(In some of the matches), I really felt like, this is going to get really hard in the third set. I kind of felt it
coming that I was not going to win the match.

“Today was different. Even if I were to lose that second set, I would have been in the match with a good mindset. I played a really good match.”

Murray was pleased with his fightback in the second set, but disappointed at his overall performance.

“In the first set, I was leaving the ball short and giving him a lot of second serves to look at and not making a whole a lot of returns, so therefore I was unable to put any pressure on him,” he said.

“He was going for his shots because I was leaving the ball in the middle of the court. But I was happy I managed to up my game in the second set.”

Last year’s runner-up Djokovic produced his best performance of the American hardcourt season to see off Nadal, who was playing only his second tournament back after two months out with knee injuries.

The Serb forced Nadal into a series of uncharacteristic unforced errors and after claiming the first set in 29 minutes, he held off the Spaniard in the second to book a meeting with Federer.