Persija claims Bang Yos Golden Trophy: The Capital city's soccer

Persija claims Bang Yos Golden Trophy: The Capital city's soccer
club, Persija, won the 2003 Bang Yos Golden Trophy after
defeating Surabaya-based Persebaya 4-1 in a penalty shootout in
Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, on Sunday. Persija's Elie Aiboy, who
was later awarded as the tournament's best player, delivered the
last goal and brought his club entitled of a total prize money of
Rp 200 million (US$23,600). The match was ended with no goals
before entering extra-time and continued with the shoot-outs. The
countries' eight top clubs participated in the mini-tournament
held by Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, who often referred as Bang
Yos, from Dec. 6 to 14.

Blast in Rawalpindi after Musharraf's car passes: An explosion
ripped up a section of road in the northern Pakistani city of
Rawalpindi on Sunday shortly after President Pervez Musharraf's
car had passed by, but no one was hurt, officials said. A
military spokesman called it a "terrorist act" but added it was
too early to say if it was an attempt on the life of Musharraf,
who has enraged Muslim radicals by backing the U.S.-led "war on
terrorism". "The president's motorcade passed a minute before the
blast," a military spokesman, Major General Shaukat Sultan, said.
"He is safe and sound." "It is a terrorist act," Sultan said.
"Whether it was an assassination attempt or not can be said until
after the investigations." -- Reuters

At least 70 killed in weekend fighting in Nepal: Fighting between
Maoist rebels and security forces left at least 70 people dead
over the weekend, officials and media reports said on Sunday. The
clashes were some of the bloodiest in months and underscored the
severity of the seven-year insurgency. In the worst fighting,
security forces attacked a rebel hideout Sunday in Dailekh
district, 360 kilometers (225 miles) west of Katmandu, killing at
least 35 insurgents, state-run Radio Nepal said. Fighting erupted
when the rebels attacked an army patrol near Piyakolek, in the
same district, the radio report said. Security forces retaliated
and chased the guerrillas to their hideout. There were no reports
of army casualties. -- AP

Too early to talk about Osama after Saddam, says Kabul:
Afghanistan welcomed news of Saddam Hussein's capture on Sunday,
but said it was too early to say if it might lead to stepped up
efforts to find elusive al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The
whereabouts of bin Laden, the man accused of masterminding the
September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, are not known,
but Pakistani and Afghan officials have said he may be hiding in
rugged border regions. Asked to comment on a U.S. announcement of
Saddam's capture near his hometown of Tikrit, Afghan government
spokesman Javid Loodin said: "It is positive news. It's a
positive development. The capturing of Saddam Hussein has been
one of the primary objectives of the war in Iraq. -- Reuters