Osama bin Laden is dead, Obama announces Video

Osama bin Laden is dead, Obama announces Video

Obama Announces Death of Osama Bin Laden

U.S. President Barack Obama has announced that the world's most wanted terrorist, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, was killed by U.S. forces on Sunday at a compound deep inside Pakistan.

Mr. Obama made the announcement during a live nationwide television address at the White House Sunday night.

This development comes nearly 10 years after the catastrophic attacks by al-Qaida operatives on the United States on September 11, 2001.

U.S. forces have been hunting the Saudi terrorist kingpin ever since.

Mr. Obama said bin Laden was not a Muslim leader, but a "mass murderer of Muslims." The president said bin Laden was captured with the help of Pakistani intelligence.

Osama bin Laden is dead, Obama announces: Justice is done

Osama bin Laden has been killed, and the United States is in possession of his body, President Barack Obama announced to the nation Sunday evening, saying "Justice is done."

The United States got a lead on bin Laden's whereabouts last August, and Obama ordered a U.S. military action that resulted in a shootout that killed the terrorist mindmind in a compound in Pakistan, Obama said from the White House.

The stunning news of the death of the al Qaeda mastermind comes almost 10 years after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The firefight that killed bin Laden came about as the result of U.S. military action.

U.S. forces shot bin Laden in the head in a mansion outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, CNN and CBS reported. No U.S. personnel were killed in the action, Obama said, and civilian casualties were avoided.

Bin Laden's body is no longer in Pakistan, CNN further reported. A full autopsy will be performed to confirm the body belongs to bin Laden; the United States had collected samples of bid Laden's DNA for just this purpose.

News networks were notified around 8:30 p.m. that Obama planned to give a highly unusual late Sunday evening address to the nation on an unspecified national security matter.

The presidential address was delayed because Obama and CIA Director Leon Panetta were calling members of Congress to notify them of the extraordinary developments.

The turning point in the war on terror comes on the eighth anniversary of former President George W. Bush's controversial "mission accomplished" statement aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln after the March 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

But former President George W. Bush congratulated Obama and the men and women of the U.S. military and intelligence community for the extraordinary achievement Sunday. "This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001," the former President said in a statement, adding that Obama had called him Sunday to tell him the news. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."

India and Pakistan in World Cup showdown

MOHALI: Cricket-crazy India and Pakistan head into an epic World Cup showdown on Wednesday that will showcase the bitter rivalry and common bonds between the estranged nuclear-armed neighbours.

The teams clash in the semi-final of the competition in a battle promising passion and drama, with more than a billion people, or a fifth of humanity, set to follow the contest between bat and ball.

National pride and even regional harmony are on the line, with the event seized by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as an opportunity for some "cricket diplomacy" to improve frosty ties between Islamabad and Delhi.

He has invited Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani to watch the day-night game with him in Mohali, northwest India, and they are expected to shake hands with both teams before the match.

Given the region's history of militant attacks, police have wrapped a security blanket involving 2,000 police and paramilitary personnel around the 30,000-capacity venue.

In the hotel where the players are staying, two policemen working as official food tasters have been eating three lavish meals a day to check for poisoning or other hygiene problems.

"We are leaving nothing to chance. The security will be multi-layered," local police chief G.P.S. Bhullar told reporters on Tuesday.

Pakistan has declared a half-day holiday to allow the public to watch the match, after many offices in both countries said they would shut for the afternoon before play starts at 2:30 pm local time (0900 GMT).

In India, there have been predictions of record absenteeism with workers calling in sick to stay at home and watch the game on television.

"I will fall ill. The weather is just not right for my health," joked 24-year-old Manish Saxena, who works at a private diamond export firm, as he worked out at a gym in south Mumbai on Tuesday.

The cricket is expected to take precedence over all government business. Share markets are forecast to be becalmed, and the normally chaotic roads will be far quieter than usual.

In Pakistan, thousands are set to take part in a mass prayer session during the day, while the chief minister of the country's largest province has promised each team member 25 acres of land if they beat India.

The match will be a contest between Pakistan's well-balanced bowling attack and India's star-studded batsmen, including opener Sachin Tendulkar who needs just one more century to reach 100 international hundreds.

Pakistan, World Cup champions in 1992, have lost all four of their encounters with India in the competition. For India, who last won the World Cup in 1983, a victory on home turf would spark euphoria.

"It's an honour to lead the side," Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Tuesday. "If you take a pressure job, you will find yourself in a pressure cooker."

Amid the wild hype and despite the frequent use of military metaphors to describe the game, there are signs that many see the match as an opportunity to bond over a shared loved of cricket.

"We do not have any animosity towards the Pakistan team," said Ravi Ansal, a 21-year-old Indian college student. "They are a fine team and if India go on to lose the semi-final, I will cheer for Pakistan in the final."

Amarpreet Singh, a 40-year-old fan who owns an electrical shop in Mohali, said he would cheer both countries, whose past includes three wars and a blood-soaked separation at the end of British rule in the subcontinent.

"India and Pakistan are like brothers. It is the politicians who bring all the bad blood," he said. "One team has to lose, but the real winner will be love and brotherhood."

Prime Minister Singh's "cricket diplomacy" is an attempt to warm up relations at a time when the countries are tentatively getting their peace process back on track.

India broke off contact with Islamabad in 2008 after the Mumbai attacks, which India blamed on Pakistani militants who wrought carnage in the city over three days, killing 166 people.

Cricket has helped to dissipate tension between the countries in the past.

In 1987, then Pakistani President General Zia-ul-Haq travelled to India to watch a Test match between the two sides in Jaipur at a time when both countries were massing troops at the border.

In 2004, the Indian team went on a "peace tour" of Pakistan, their first trip to the country in 14 years.

The final of this year's World Cup takes place on Saturday in Mumbai, with the winner of Wednesday's game set to meet Sri Lanka.

Cricket craze peaks, as Pak, India to clash today

MOHALI: The prime ministers of India and Pakistan will mix with Bollywood stars and thousands of fans as the two rivals square off in a World Cup cricket semi-final today (Wednesday) in the wake of high profile peace talks between the two nations.
    
The two teams will meet in the northern Indian town of Mohali with army helicopters and anti-aircraft guns imposing a no-fly zone over the stadium a few hours' drive east of the Pakistan border.
    
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will host his Pakistani counterpart, Yusuf Raza Gilani, at the match in an effort at "cricket diplomacy" to rebuild relations shattered by the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people were slaughtered.
    
The two cricket-crazy South Asian nations have talked of little else for the past week in a buildup that has put the spotlight on anything from players' preparedness to a row over match-fixing to public prayers for victory.
    
The winner of what has been dubbed the "mother of all matches" will play Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai, the home of Bollywood, on Saturday.
    
Many companies in both countries have declared half days on Wednesday. The Karachi stock exchange plans to put a big screen up for traders to watch. Lawmakers in the eastern Indian state of Bihar have petitioned their government to suspend legislative business during match time.
    
Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has announced not to carry out daily load shedding throughout the day today as the heat of Pakistan-India semi-final has already peaked. Federal government has announced half-day off across Pakistan. Meantime, Sindh government declared today as public holiday.

"This is a more important event than any other event for Pakistan this year," said Omar Ehtisham Anwar, a fund manager at Faysal Asset Management in Karachi who has taken the day off to watch the match.
    
"There is no way I would miss even a second of this match -- I will try to not even blink during the game."
    
The game pits India's world-class players, including Sachin Tendulkar, against a Pakistani side that has looked in devastating form and ended Australia's 12-year winning streak in the competition.
    
In a major confidence-building measure ahead of the match, Islamabad agreed on Tuesday to let Indian investigators travel to Pakistan to probe the Mumbai assault. 
    
Scores of Pakistani fans poured across the border post in India's northern Punjab state on Tuesday amid tight security.
    
"Obviously, love grows when two countries play together," said Syed Akbar Masood Nizami, a Pakistani cricket fan. "The people from both countries get together, sit together to cheer their teams and it helps develop feelings for each other."
    
There was a sea of blue-and-red turbans in Mohali and the neighbouring city of Chandigarh which were patrolled by the local Punjab police, with some 1,500 policemen being deployed around the team hotel alone.
    
Police conducted surprise midnight checks on hotels near the stadium to verify the identity of guests.
    
Thousands who had travelled to Mohali to queue for tickets were left disappointed but at dusk on Tuesday some die-hards decided to wait in line even after organisers had hung up the "sold out" sign. Some Indians reportedly decided to give up their tickets in a goodwill gesture to Pakistani fans.
    
For Prime Minister Singh, the match may be a way of regaining the policy initiative after his government was battered by months of corruption scandals that could dent the ruling Congress party's chances in upcoming state elections.
    
Both sides will hope to ride a wave of goodwill ahead of ministerial talks in July. But there has been some skepticism about the push for Singh's "cricket diplomacy", which has been tried as far back as 1987, without bringing lasting peace.
    
"It facilitates resolution, it doesn't lead to resolution," former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf told the Indian news channel Times Now. "Cricket diplomacy doesn't mean that you can resolve disputes just because you attended a match together." 
    
On Wednesday however, all eyes will be on the game.
    
"I will be watching the match because there will be hardly any customer out there, so it is better to watch it instead of wasting fuel," said Idees Ahmed, a taxi driver in Islamabad.

Shahid Afridi Vs Dhoni

Playing against Pakistan to be difficult

Mohali: India cricket team captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni has said that playing against Pakistan would be difficult as the green shirts have the best bowling attack.

Addressing a pre-match press conference on Tuesday Dhoni said that Indian team were fit for the game against Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan have the best bowling attack including pacers and spinners.

Dhoni said that he had asked team members to stay cool and avoid hype during the semi-final match.

Replying a query the Indian Skipper said that Mohali’s wicket generally favoured batsmen.

“One of the teams would win the match” Dhoni added.