Sydney  - Former battlefield foes Afghanistan and Russia will play in the final of the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne on Sunday.

Afghanistan beat Ghana in a penalty shoot out to take on 2006 champions Russia, which qualified by shunting aside reigning champions Scotland.

The tournament, which pits sides from 56 countries, is into its sixth year. Teams of four play 14-minute games on a pitch the size of a basketball court. Players must have been homeless since July 2007, be receiving help for drug or alcohol abuse or be seeking asylum.

In the women's division, where eight teams are competing, Zambia will take on Liberia in the final.

Washington  - Louisiana voters Saturday sent the first Vietnamese-American to Congress, Anh "Joseph" Cao, a Republican who defeated a nine-term incumbent African-American congressman, the Times Picayune reported Saturday.

Cao defeated William Jefferson, 61, a Democrat who is under indictment on charges of corruption, bribery and racketeering that involved US companies and countries across a wide swathe of Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, and Botswana.

Cao, 41, a lawyer, emigrated to the United States at age 8 as Saigon fell to the communists.

Beijing  - China reacted angrily Sunday to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to meet with the Dalai Lama over the weekend in Europe.

"This development is indeed an unwise move which not only hurts the feelings of the Chinese people, but also undermines Sino-French ties," state-run Xinhua news agency said of Saturday's meeting in the Policsh city of Gdansk.

"The Dalai Lama has long been engaged in activities worldwide to split China. He can by no means conceal the separatist nature of his activities no matter what by whatever disguise and whatever florid rhetoric he may use."

Taipei  - Taiwan sent its ruling party chief Sunday to assure Japan that Taipei values their relations while improving it ties with China.

During the week-long visit, Wu Poh-hsiung, chairman of the pro-China Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), will meet with officials from all political parties of Japan and call on Japanese politicians who are friendly to Taiwan, the KMT said in a statement.

According to the statement, President Ma Ying-jeou asked Wu to tell Japan that Taiwan values their relationship and will not neglect Japan while developing ties with China.

Faridkot (Pakistan''s Punjab province), Dec. 7 : Residents of a village in Pakistan Punjab''s Okara District have reportedly told a British daily that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the surviving gunman involved in last week''s terrorist attacks on Mumbai, hails from there.

According to a report in The Observer, electoral lists for Faridkot show 478 registered voters, including the name of Kasab''s father Mohammed Amir.

The paper further goes on to say that a villager, who cannot be named for his own protection, said the village was an active recruiting ground for the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Dubai, Dec 7 : The International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a change to the previously announced umpire appointments for the upcoming Test series in India.

Pakistani nationals require city-specific visas when travelling to India. This week Asad Rauf, the Emirates Elite Panel umpire who was to officiate in both Tests, received his passport back with a visa appropriate for the original venues. With the change in venues he required a new visa but due to the weekend, followed by the Eid al-Adha holidays, there was insufficient time for one to be issued, so he has had to step down from the first Test.

He will be replaced by Billy Bowden, also of the Emirates Elite Panel, who will officiate in the first Test in Chennai, beginning on December 11.