Son born to Salman Butt minutes before guilty verdict

LAHORE: The wife of former captain Salman Butt gave birth to a baby boy just minutes before her husband was found guilty Tuesday of a “spot-fixing” betting scam during a match against England.

The 27-year-old’s father told AFP by telephone from Lahore that the baby was born 30 minutes before the verdict, news that was splashed immediately all over Pakistani television stations.

“Salman Butt had a baby boy 30 minutes before the verdict came,” his father, Zulfiqar Butt, told AFP, without giving the baby’s name.

“It’s a matter of great grief for us that Butt has been found guilty. We hope the Almighty will bring him out of this trouble because these are very difficult times for him and the family,” he added.

It is Butt’s first son, he already has a daughter.

The former Test captain was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling, while fast bowler Mohammad Asif was found guilty of conspiracy to cheat.

Prosecutors alleged that they conspired with British agent Mazhar Majeed and fast bowler Mohammad Amir to deliver three intentional no-balls during the Lord’s Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010.

The pair were charged after allegations about their involvement in spot-fixing appeared in the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, owned by Australian-born media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, shortly after the Lord’s Test.

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Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif convicted in spot fixing trial. 7 years in prison for Salman Butt. .

LONDON: Cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of fixing part of a test match against England last year. 

Former captain Butt and opening bowler Asif were convicted at London’s Southwark Crown Court (SCC), the Press Association reported.

Earlier, after three days of deliberations by the jurors at SCC, Judge Jeremy Cooke was informed on Monday that they could not reach a decision they all agreed upon.

He told the six men and six women to try to reach an unanimous verdict but said he would now accept a majority verdict of 10-2.

Butt and Asif were charged after allegations about their involvement in spot-fixing appeared in the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, owned by Rupert Murdoch, shortly after the Lord’s Test.

Majeed and Aamer face the same charges as Butt and Asif but are not standing trial alongside them.

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Yemen airport shut after explosions at military base

Yemen has shut its international airport in the capital Sanaa after explosions were reported at an adjacent air force base.

A number of blasts were heard at the al-Daylami base, prompting flights to be rerouted from Sanaa International Airport to Aden.

Sanaa has been racked by fighting between forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his opponents.

Tens of thousands protest regularly for an end to his 33-year rule.

Transfer of power

Residents and witnesses said at least one shell had hit the air base.

One aviation official told Agence France-Presse news agency: "There were four explosions at the air force base alongside the international airport and two fighter jets went up in flames."

No-one has yet said they carried out any attack and no casualties have been reported.

Flights have been diverted to Aden in the south of the country.

Clashes continue between pro- and anti-Saleh factions.

Reuters news agency quoted tribal sources as saying four people were killed by army shelling in the Arhab area, north of the capital, overnight.

The UN Security Council has called on President Saleh to step down immediately and has condemned excessive force against protesters, hundreds of whom have died since the unrest began in January.

Mr Saleh has so far failed to implement a political solution based on a plan put forward by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which urges him to transfer power to his deputy.

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