India power past Sri Lanka to Cricket World Cup triumph

India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in a pulsating final to deliver World Cup glory to their cricket-mad population for the first time since 1983.

Sri Lanka smashed 91 from their last 10 overs to post 274-6 in Mumbai, with Mahela Jayawardene making a superb 103.

India lost Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early on but Gautam Gambhir and Mahendra Dhoni rebuilt the innings.

Gambhir was out for 97, but captain Dhoni's brilliant unbeaten 91 led India to a famous win with 10 balls to spare.

The skipper, struggling for form throughout the tournament, played the innings of his life and sealed the victory with a phenomenal straight six that sailed high into the stands, providing the catalyst for euphoric celebrations in the Wankhede Stadium.

Tendulkar's early dismissal for 18 ensured there was to be no fairytale 100th international century for Mumbai's favourite son.

But wonderful innings from Gambhir and Dhoni ensured the "Little Master" can finally get his hands on the sport's ultimate prize at the sixth attempt as India became the first host nation to win the tournament, while Jayawardene became the first player to score a hundred in the final and finish on the losing side.

NATO Airstrike Reportedly Kills Rebels in Libya

BREGA, Libya — A NATO airstrike intended for the forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi apparently killed at least eight rebel fighters in the battle outside this pivotal oil port, an ambulance driver and news reports said Saturday.

The deaths underscored the challenge that the Western allies and the rebels face in relying on airstrikes to push back the Qaddafi forces as the two sides mix in the battle zone along the front.

Perhaps in response to the Western airstrikes, the Qaddafi forces are increasingly plunging into combat in equipment similar to what the rebels are using, mainly pickup trucks mounted with machine guns or artillery. The move makes it increasingly difficult for even the combatants to distinguish one group from the other at first sight.

NATO, which said Saturday that it had conducted 148 airstrike sorties in the previous 24 hours, said it was investigating the episode, according to news reports.

News services reported other rebels grieving for their dead. A rebel spokesman said he could not confirm that the dead were rebels, but he called for continued airstrikes.

“You have to look at the big picture,” the spokesman, Mustafa Gheriani, told Reuters. “Mistakes will happen. We are trying to get rid of Qaddafi, and there will be casualties, although of course it does not make us happy.”

UN launches investigation into Afghanistan murders

Eyewitnesses said armed Afghan riot police watched passively as a mob overran the compound.

Seven UN employees were killed, including four Gurkha guards and three international officials. One police chief said two of the victims had been beheaded, while other reports said some had had their throats slit with knives or been shot in the head.

The protests had been called over the burning of a Koran by a controversial American pastor in Florida last month, and violence related to the incident flared again yesterday when nine protesters were killed and 77 injured in clashes in Kandahar.

Pastor Terry Jones remained defiant in the face of outrage against his actions. He told The Sunday Telegraph that he was considering putting the Islamic prophet Mohammed on trial in his next "day of judgement" – an act which is highly likely to spark further unrest.

Officials claimed that the protests in Afghanistan had been hijacked by Taliban-led insurgents who also injured three soldiers in a suicide bomb attack on a Nato base in Kabul yesterday.

The scale of the violence, the brutality of the Mazar-i-Sharif attack, and the failure of local security forces to protect their compound has left UN staff in Afghanistan bewildered and raised questions about the ability of Afghan forces to take over security in the area when Nato forces withdraw later this summer.

It was the worst attack it has suffered in the country since 2001, but a UN spokesman vowed its staff will not abandon their work in Afghanistan.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday condemned the attack as "outrageous and cowardly" while the UN Security Council said those killed were "dedicated to the cause of peace in Afghanistan and to a better life for all Afghans."

As UN investigators continued their inquiries last night, senior police officials and eyewitnesses in Mazar-i-Sharif described how incompetence, cowardice and indifference were key factors in leaving some of the UN's most dedicated staff at the mercy of a baying mob.

Sheen kicks off 'Torpedo of Truth' tour in Detroit

Charlie Sheen has been pretty well everywhere the past few months, popping up all over national TV, the Internet and in other forms of mass media, blathering on about the "tiger blood" coursing through his veins and decrying the "trolls" who derailed his lucrative acting career.

So much has been said by and about the unemployed actor, it's almost as if there's nothing left to learn about him.

Sheen's banking on the "almost" part.

Promising "the REAL story," the 45-year-old ex-"Two and a Half Men" star is hitting the road for a month-long, 20-city tour that gets its start Saturday night in Detroit.

Why Detroit?

"Why not," asked publicist Larry Solters, who, like his boss, hasn't said a lot about the show, other than it will last an hour and a half and feature guests, music and a multimedia presentation. Rapper Snoop Dogg will be there as will guitarist Rob Patterson.

What remains to be seen is whether Sheen - a talented comic actor, but not a stand-up comedian - can sufficiently entertain a live audience for that length of time.

Libya mission: US eases off, Gadhafi holds on

Two weeks after a dark-of-night barrage of mostly U.S. missiles and bombs opened the international air assault on Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, the American combat role is ending, the rag-tag rebels are reeling and the Pentagon is betting its European allies can finish the job.

Gadhafi is still standing, with a few uncertain signs that his inner circle could crack. The Obama administration is hoping that if Gadhafi's government doesn't implode soon, a relentless campaign of airstrikes on his tanks, air defenses and most trusted army units will at least weaken his ability to survive a renewed uprising by a disjointed opposition. The rebels initially rattled Gadhafi but in recent days have given up most of their gains.

The bottom line, according to Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: "He's still killing his people."

So the mission remains incomplete, but the U.S. is following through on a pledge to shift the main combat burden to Britain, France and other NATO allies.

Starting Sunday, no U.S. combat aircraft are to fly strike missions in Libya. Also falling silent on Sunday will be the initial workhorses of the military campaign: U.S. Navy destroyers and submarines that launched Tomahawk cruise missiles from the positions in the Mediterranean Sea.

The planes and naval vessels will be on standby in case NATO commanders decide their own forces cannot handle the mission on their own. Combat air missions will continue to be flown by Britain, France and other NATO member countries.

A larger group of participating air forces will patrol over Libya to ensure that Gadhafi's air force stays grounded. U.S. planes will support them with refueling aircraft and electronic jammers.