Islamabad, Dec. 9 : The Pakistan army confirmed late on Monday it has begun an operation against banned organizations in the wake of the attacks in Mumbai last month, but did not name any organizations.

“There have been arrests and investigations are ongoing,” the Daily Times quoted a statement released by the ISPR, as saying.

The ISPR said that further details of the operations would be released once preliminary investigations had been completed.

Zamboanga City, Philippines  - Suspected Muslim militants freed seven construction workers they seized a week ago on a southern Philippine island, a regional military spokeswoman said Tuesday.

First Lieutenant Esteffani Cacho said the victims were released unharmed on Monday in Tuburan town in Basilan province, 900 kilometres south of Manila.

Cacho said the hostages were turned over to the emissaries of Lamitan town Mayor Roderick Furigay, who negotiated for their release.

No ransom was paid for the release of the hostages who were undergoing debriefing in a military camp in Basilan, according to Cacho.

The construction workers were seized on December 2 while hauling beach sand in the town of Mohammad Ajul.

Peshawar, Dec. 9 : The attacks by terrorists on NATO supplies outside Peshawar have reportedly deepened apprehensions of the possible fall of the city to the Taliban.

It maybe recalled that armed men stormed two poorly guarded freight terminals on the city’s Ring Road in the early hours on December 7 and burnt around 150 vehicles bound for NATO forces in Afghanistan.

A similar attack was carried out on December 8 at the same time on the same road, leading to the burning of 50 more trucks and armoured vehicles.

London, Dec 9 : Five thousand police officers, including 300 highly-trained commandos, will provide security cover ahead of first Test in Chennai to English players who arrived in India on Monday.

The Tamil Nadu police force has launched a major security operation unseen before in the world cricket, The Telegraph reported.

The unprecedented security for England includes a total lockdown at the team hotel, the clearance of roads to and from the stadium and the use of armed guards from Rapid Action Force -- a specialist team of riot police.

“We are deploying over 5,000 people at the hotel and stadium,” said P Balasubramaniam, Joint Commissioner of Tamil Nadu Police.

Singapore  - Singapore is expecting more job cuts in the first quarter of next year, according to a survey reported by the Straits Times Tuesday.

About half of the 629 bosses surveyed intend to cut jobs in the first three months of 2009, compared to 10 per cent who were polled on staff cuts between October and December this year.

The jobs cuts will be through retrenchments, not replacing staff who leave, and freezing hiring plans, it said, citing the survey by global human resource consultancy Manpower Inc, which had polled the 629 employers in Singapore.

Melbourne, Dec. 9 : The chairman of Australia’s cricket selection committee, Andrew Hilditch, has said that off-spinner Jason Krejza could be preferred to all rounder Shane Watson for the first Test against the South Africans, beginning next week.

According to Fox Sports, Krejza appears to be the favourite to play ahead of the recalled Shane Watson despite Watson''s outstanding Sheffield Shield match for Queensland last week, when he claimed 7-69 and then scored 81.

"The likelihood is we will play a spinner in Perth. They bowl pretty well there. The breeze suits them, particularly off-spinners. Generally it is a pretty good place to bowl spin," Hilditch said.