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Protesters had blocked the tracks near the site in northern Germany where the spent nuclear fuel is to be stored.
The 150 tonnes of uranium, originally from German nuclear plants, is being moved in 11 containers from Normandy, France, where it was reprocessed.
It is the last of 12 such shipments from France because of a German move away from nuclear power.
Reports said 1,300 people had been detained following the clearing of the protest.
Riot police About 20,000 police have been deployed along the German route of the train.
When the train started out from north-western France on Wednesday, riot police were used to remove protesters who tried to block tracks.
Twelve arrests were made in the violent clashes which erupted.
Other protests have also slowed the train's progress but have been largely peaceful.
Anti-nuclear activists have said it was too dangerous to move the nuclear waste 1,200km (750 miles) from the Areva reprocessing plant at La Hague to its final destination of Gorleben.
Areva has denied that transportation of the waste poses a risk to the environment.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said this year that all of her country's nuclear plants would be shut down by 2022.

The move comes after the UK Treasury imposed sanctions on Iranian banks on Tuesday, accusing them of facilitating the country's nuclear programme.
Iranian radio reported some MPs chanted "Death to Britain" during the vote, which was approved by 87% of MPs.
The move needs approval by Iran's Guardian Council, which vets all legislation, before it can take effect.
Parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani warned that the chamber was "observing the behaviour of this country [Britain], and it is the beginning of the road," Iranian state media reports.
The vote could lead to the expulsion of the British ambassador in Tehran, Dominick Chilcott, who was only appointed to the post last month.
Britain's Foreign Office said that the vote was "regrettable".
"If the Iranian Government acts on this, we will respond robustly in consultation with our international partners," it said.
Nuclear row
Relations between Iran and the UK have been worsening amid rising tension over Iran's nuclear programme.
The sanctions announced by Chancellor George Osborne on Tuesday cut off all UK financial ties with Iranian banks.
Mr Osborne said there was evidence that Iran's banks were funding its nuclear programme.
That decision followed a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency that suggested Iran was working towards acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Iran says its nuclear programme has entirely peaceful ends.

The man's condition has not been confirmed. Five crew from the 81-metre (265ft) Swanland are still missing.
Two other rescued crew rescued earlier have been taken to hospital in Bangor.
Prince William, who is a search and rescue helicopter co-pilot at RAF Valley, took part in the rescue.
The carrier, with 3,000 tonnes of limestone onboard, disappeared 30 miles north-west off the Lleyn peninsula.
Two RNLI lifeboats, with four search and rescue helicopters and two commercial boats, are Ship rescuers recover one crewmansearching for the remaining five crew.
The Swanland's crew raised the alarm at about 02:00 GMT.
One liferaft has been found near Bardsey island off the Lleyn peninsula, but it was empty.
The ship was carrying rock that was loaded at the Llanddulas jetty near Abergele and was en route to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The Swanland regularly visits the area.
Holyhead coastguard, who are co-ordinating the rescue, said they were very concerned for the missing men.
Jim Green, from the station, said: "We are very concerned for the safety of the other six crew members."
"We know that at least some of them are wearing immersion suits and have strobe lighting with them, however sea conditions are challenging at best," he added.
Jo Groenenberg, also from Holyhead coastguard, said weather and sea conditions are difficult, with gale force eight winds.
She said the sea temperature at this time of year would be about 14 to 15 Celsius.
Floating debris
"And, of course, the rescuers have been searching since two o'clock, it's been very dark overnight, so that's made it more difficult as well."
The coastguard sent out a mayday relay and several vessels responded and went to the scene to assist.
When the vessels arrived, they found two liferafts and some floating debris.
One helicopter from RAF Valley on Anglesey and another from Dublin Coastguard arrived at the scene, as well as RNLI lifeboats from Pwllheli and Porthdinllaen.
Two people who were clinging to liferafts were rescued and airlifted to RAF Valley on Anglesey.
RAF Valley has confirmed Prince William, serving as Flt Lt William Wales, was the co-pilot of the helicopter which rescued the two survivors from the Swanland during the night.
There are currently four helicopters taking part in the search for the missing crew members - two from RAF Valley, one from RAF Chivenor and one from Ireland.
Porthdinllaen RNLI spokesman Dylan Thomas said its volunteer lifeboat crew had found two empty inflatable liferafts and a lot of debris when they arrived at the scene early on Sunday.
"The conditions now it's daylight are better. It's better visibility and the sea state is slightly calmer. The wind's gone down a bit," he said.
Lizard peninsula
He added: "Some strobe lights have been found by the rescue helicopter and an emergency position beacon has been located.
"There is numerous bits of debris over a large area."
In August 2010, the Swanland's engines failed and it came close to grounding on rocks off the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall.
According to one shipspotting website, the vessel was built in the Netherlands and is owned by a company, Torbulk, in Grimsby.
Managers, who have met at the office to discuss the incident, told the BBC they will not be making any comment until later on Sunday.

To the anger of small islands and other vulnerable countries, India and Brazil are joining rich nations such as the US and Japan in wanting to start talks on a legal deal no earlier than 2015.
The EU and climate-vulnerable blocs want to start as soon as possible, and have the deal finalised by 2015.
The UN climate summit opens on Monday in Durban, South Africa.
Some observers say small island states, which traditionally aim their criticism at the industrialised world's big emitters, may begin "naming and shaming" developing countries that are also delaying progress.
"They're on the edge of a mess," one experienced delegate told BBC News, "and they may not be able to resolve this mess".
Developing countries will certainly target rich governments such as Japan, Canada and Russia over their refusal to commit to new emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol, whose current targets expire at the end of next year.
They see this as a breach of previous commitments and of trust.
But some of the most vulnerable nations say the impasse should not delay talks on a new deal, arguing that to do so would be, in one delegate's wording, "the politics of mutually-assured destruction".
However, on one of the summit's other main topics - financial aid for poor countries - there is a strong chance of progress at the fortnight-long summit.
Seismic shift Increasingly, countries are dividing into one group that wants a new global treaty as soon as possible - the EU plus lots of developing countries - and another that prefers a delay and perhaps something less rigorous than a full treaty.
The divide was evident earlier this month at the Major Economies Forum (MEF) meeting in Arlington, US - the body that includes 17 of the world's highest-polluting nations.
There, the UK and others argued that the Durban summit should agree to begin work on a new global agreement immediately, to have it in place by 2015, and operating by 2020 at the very latest.
The US, Russia and Japan were already arguing for a longer timeframe.
But BBC News has learned that at the MEF meeting, Brazil and India took the same position.
Brazil wants the period 2012-15 to be a "reflection phase", while India suggested it should be a "technical/scientific period".
China, now the world's biggest emitter, is said by sources to be more flexible, though its top priority for Durban is the Kyoto Protocol.
"The planet has no other sustainable alternative other than to ensure the continuity of the Kyoto Protocol, through a second commitment period starting in 2013," said Jorge Arguello, leader of the Argentinian delegation, which this year chairs the powerful G77/China bloc of 131 nations.
"The adoption of a second commitment period for the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions under the Kyoto Protocol is not only a political imperative and a historical responsibility, but a legal obligation that must be faced as such."
Although the EU does not oppose a second commitment period, other developed nations do.
And as the US left the protocol years ago, nations still signed on account only for about 15% of global emissions - which is why there is so much emphasis on a new instrument, with some legal force, covering all countries.
Cooling wish The US, Russia, Japan and Canada have all argued for delaying negotiations on this for various domestic political reasons.
But the news that big developing countries are also lobbying for a delay is likely to lead to fireworks in Durban.
Scientific assessments say that for this to happen, global emissions should peak and begin to fall before 2020, adding urgency to these nations' quest for a new and effective global agreement.
President Nasheed of the Maldives is virtually the only leader who has spoken openly of the need for major developing countries to begin cutting emissions soon.
Equating the need to develop with the right to emit greenhouse gases is, he has said, "rather silly".
But sources in Durban indicate that delegates from other small developing countries may join him before the fortnight elapses, and demand more of the big developing nations.
China, Brazil and India are also being blamed for blocking moves to phase out the climate-warming industrial HFC gases, which small island states tabled at the Montreal Protocol meeting in Bali last week.
"The global response to climate change simply does not have time for advancing self-serving national interests," said Mark Roberts, international policy advisor for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).
Funding gap Sources say, however, that there is real prospect of agreement in Durban on rules and mechanisms for a Green Climate Fund.
This would raise and disburse sums, rising to $100bn per year by 2020, to developing nations.
There is no agreement on where the money should come from.
Developing countries say the public coffers of industrialised nations should be the main source, whereas western governments say the bulk must come from private sector sources.
That is unlikely to be resolved until the end of next year.
But finalising the fund's rules in Durban would be a concrete step forward.
Tim Gore, Oxfam's chief policy adviser, said UK Climate Minister Chris Huhne must push for "getting the money flowing through the Green Climate Fund that poor people need to fight climate change now.
"A deal to raise resources from international transport could be on the table, and Huhne must convince other ministers to strike it," he said.
However, there is widespread scepticism about the much smaller funds - $10bn per year - that developed nations are already supposed to be contributing under the Fast Start Finance agreement made in 2009.
Developing countries say only a small fraction of what has been pledged is genuinely "new and additional", as it is meant to be; and that little has actually materialised.
The summit may also see a row over the EU's imminent integration of aviation into the Emission Trading Schemen, which India and some other developing nations oppose.

Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi spoke as thousands of protesters again gathered for another rally.
He urged top presidential candidates Mohammed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa to back his nomination for Prime Minister.
Recent unrest, in which dozens have died, has cast a shadow over the polls.
Monday marks the first step of an election timetable which lasts until March 2012 and covers two houses of parliament.
Protesters fear the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) - which is headed by Field Marshall Tantawi and is overseeing the transition to democratic rule - is trying to retain power.
Mass demonstrations have been calling for military rule to end before parliamentary elections are held - although there also have been smaller gatherings expressing support for the country's interim military rulers.
'Dangerous hurdles' Field Marshal Tantawi said the army would ensure security at the polling booths and reiterated that the vote would go ahead on schedule.
"We are at a crossroads. There are only two routes, the success of elections leading Egypt towards safety or facing dangerous hurdles that we in the armed forces, as part of the Egyptian people, will not allow."
More than 40 people have been killed and some 2,000 wounded in the last week as the security forces tried to break up massive protests, leading to the worst violence since the fall of Hosni Mubarak.
Analysts say the vote is almost certain to proceed, but the voting procedure is complex and there has been little time for campaigning, so it is unclear how many people will cast ballots.
Mubarak-era figure On Saturday, Field Marshall Tantawi held talks with leading political figures Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa to discuss the political crisis.
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Cairo, says the man that the military council has nominated as PM, Kamal Ganzouri, has not gained traction or widespread support.
Aged 78, he looked every one of his years at a recent news conference and is seen as a Mubarak-era figure, our correspondent says.
But Mohamed ElBaradei - who has said he would be prepared to lead a national government until a president could be appointed - and Amr Moussa are powerful political figures who would challenge the power of the army, our correspondent says.
By naming Kamal Ganzouri as prime minister, Field Marshall Tantawi is clearly trying to head off that threat, our correspondent says.
One thing is clear, our correspondent adds: Egypt is a very, very divided country.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has told the BBC it appears Speed, the national manager for nearly a year, killed himself.
Cheshire Police confirmed he was found dead at 07:08 GMT at his home in Huntington, Chester. They said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Former Wales team mate Ryan Giggs said: "Words cannot begin to describe how sad I feel at hearing this awful news."
The FAW said: "We extend our sympathies and condolences to the family.
"We ask that everyone respects the family's privacy at this very sad time."
The FAW added: "That this tragedy should have overtaken someone so young and talented is a huge loss not only for his family and friends but a nation as a whole."
Speed, who was awarded the MBE in the 2010 Birthday Honours, leaves a wife and two children.
Phil Pritchard, FAW president, said they would do "whatever we can" to help Speed's family.
"Officers went to the scene where a 42-year-old man was found dead.
"The next of kin have been informed and have confirmed the identity of the man as Gary Speed.
85 caps
"There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and the family have requested that they are left in peace to grieve at this difficult time."
Police said a family tribute will be issued later.
Speed had appeared on BBC1's Football Focus show on Saturday afternoon, just hours before his death.
Footballers, celebrities and politicians began issuing tributes within minutes of the news.
Former Wales team mate, Robbie Savage, Tweeted: "The world has lost a great man in Gary speed I'm devastated spoke to him yesterday morning why ! Why. Why !! I'll miss him so much x
"He come to watch strictly 3/4 weeks ago I high fived him in the front row he loved the show ,he loved life he loved his family ! Devastated".
Former Wales team mate Ryan Giggs said: "I am totally devastated. Gary Speed was one of the nicest men in football and someone I am honoured to call a team-mate and friend.
"Words cannot begin to describe how sad I feel at hearing this awful news. It goes without saying my thoughts are with his family at this tremendously sad time."
First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "I'm deeply saddened to hear about the death of Gary Speed.
"This is devastating news and our thoughts are with his family at what must be a very difficult time for them."
Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan tweeted: "This is a sad day for football and for everyone in Wales.
"Gary Speed served club and country as a player and manager with great distinction."
Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservatives leader, said: "Gary Speed was tremendously gifted and I - along with millions of others - will always remember him as a legend in the game of football."
'Never be forgotten'
Welsh Liberal Democrats leader, Kirsty Williams, said: "It is a terrible, terrible shock. A tragedy for the Speed family and a tragedy for Welsh football."
Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said the "whole nation is in shock", adding: "He will never be forgotten."
At the Liberty Stadium in Swansea - where the home side were playing Aston Villa a minute's silence followed by a minute's applause was held.
Speed, born in Mancot, Flintshire, took over the Wales job in December 2010, and earlier this month, said the side's rapid improvement had exceeded all expectations.
A 4-1 friendly win over Norway represented a third successive win for Wales, and Speed's fifth in 10 games as manager.
At the time, he said: "We've progressed further than I'd have thought in this space of time but we've still got a lot of work to do."
'Stunned and saddened'
Speed won 85 caps for his country during a 14-year international career.
He was given the top job in Welsh football despite only having four months managerial experience.
Speed began his playing career at Leeds United after coming through the trainee ranks, and was part of the side that won the last Football League title in 1992, before the introduction of the Premier League.
A Leeds spokesman said the club was "stunned and saddened" by the news.
He was handed his Wales debut as a 20-year-old in the 1-0 friendly win over Costa Rica in May 1990.
He left Leeds in 1996 after 312 appearances to join Everton - who he went on to captain - in a £3.5m move.
Seven goals
Newcastle followed, in a £5.5m switch in 1998. During his six years with the Magpies, he suffered two FA Cup final defeats, but enjoyed a taste of Champions League football.
He then spent four years with Bolton Wanderers after agreeing a £750,000 move.
Speed became the first player to reach 500 Premier League appearances.
He retired from international duty in 2004, having scored seven goals and captaining his country 44 times.
Speed's final appearance came in 3-2 World Cup qualifying defeat by Poland in October 2004.
His tally of 85 caps is a record for an outfield player.

Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani led mourners in funeral prayers at military headquarters in the north-western city of Peshawar.
The incident on Saturday has heightened already tense relations between Pakistan and the US and Nato.
Nato has apologised, calling it a "tragic unintended incident", and is investigating what happened.
Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he had written to Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to "make it clear that the deaths of Pakistani personnel are as unacceptable and deplorable as the deaths of Afghan and international personnel".
It follows a joint statement by US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who offered their condolences for the loss of life, backed the investigation into the incident and stressed the "importance of the US-Pakistani partnership, which serves the mutual interests of our people".
'Special forces mission' Pakistan has reacted angrily to the attack, which took place at two remote border posts in Pakistan's tribal district of Mohmand in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Prime Minister Gilani called it a "grave infringement of Pakistan's sovereignty".
A meeting of the cabinet's defence committee, convened by Mr Gilani, said it had decided to cut key supply lines to Nato in Afghanistan. Reports later appeared to confirm that Nato traffic was not being allowed through Pakistan's two border crossings with Afghanistan, at Torkham and Chaman.
The committee has also asked the United States to vacate, within 15 days, the Shamsi air base, which the US military has used to launch drones - although the BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad notes that Pakistan has made a similar demand before and the base may already be empty.
The committee further said it would "revisit and undertake a complete review of all programmes, activities and co-operative arrangements with US/Nato/Isaf, including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence".
Pakistan's government also summoned the US ambassador.
Fresh blow The night-time attack took place at the Salala checkpoint, about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) from the Afghan border, at around 02:00 on Saturday morning local time (21:00 GMT Friday).
Pakistani officials said there had been no militant activity in the area, and most of the Pakistani soldiers were asleep. They also said Nato had the grid references of the posts and therefore should not have fired.
Military sources told the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Paktika province in Afghanistan that a US-Afghan special forces mission had been in the area, where they believed a Taliban training camp was operating.
They said the mission came under fire from a position within Pakistan, and they received permission from the headquarters of Nato's Isaf mission to fire back.
The incident looks set to deal a fresh blow to US-Pakistan relations, which had only just begun to recover following a unilateral US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan in May.
Pakistani troops are involved in fighting the Taliban in the crucial border region area. Hundreds of militants have been resisting attempts by the security forces to clear them from southern and south-eastern parts of the district.

It comes after months of unrest. The United Nations estimates about 3,500 people have died as Syria has sought to put down anti-government protests.
The Arab League suspended Syria earlier this month, in a move denounced by Damascus as meddling in its affairs.
League foreign ministers adopted the unprecedented sanctions at a meeting in Cairo by a vote of 19 to three.
The move came after Syria refused to allow 4,000 Arab League monitors into the country to assess the situation on the ground.
Syria, one of the founder members of the Arab League, condemned the sanctions as a betrayal of Arab solidarity.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem accused the league of seeking to "internationalise" the conflict.
Refusal to implement Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani gave details of the sanctions to a news conference in Cairo. They include:

• Cutting off transactions with the Syrian central bank
• Halting funding by Arab governments for projects in Syria
• A ban on senior Syrian officials travelling to other Arab countries
• A freeze on assets related to President Bashar al-Assad's government

The declaration also calls on Arab central banks to monitor transfers to Syria, with the exception of remittances from Syrians abroad.
Two of Syria's immediate neighbours, Iraq and Lebanon, abstained from the vote. Iraq suggested an economic blockade would not work in practice.
Sheikh Hamad said Iraq would refuse to implement the sanctions, while Lebanon had "disassociated itself."
Iraq is Syria's second-biggest trading partner, accounting for 13.3% of Syria's trade, to a value of 6.78bn euros (£5.81bn; $8.97bn).
The EU, whose 27 members together represent Syria's largest source of trade, has already imposed sanctions on Damascus.
The US also has sanctions on Syria, while Turkey - which until recently had close ties to President Assad's government - has shelved plans for a joint oil exploration project with the Syrian state oil company.
The Arab League move is being portrayed in Damascus as part of a Western-inspired conspiracy to undermine the country because of its traditional resistance to Israel, says the BBC's Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon.
Syrian state television described the sanctions as "unprecedented measures aimed at the Syrian people".
Meanwhile, violence continued on Sunday with Syrian activists saying at least 11 people were killed across the country.
The flashpoint region of Homs saw at least six people killed in three separate incidents, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
On Saturday, Syria buried 22 members of the armed forces, including six elite pilots ambushed on a highway near Homs, following a recent upsurge of armed attacks on security forces.
'Humanitarian corridor' The League threatened Syria with sanctions earlier this month after President Bashar al-Assad repeatedly failed to implement steps to end the violence, including allowing international observers to enter Syria.
Damascus depends on its Arab neighbours for half of its exports and a quarter of its imports, so the sanctions - supplemented by Syria's northern neighbour Turkey - will step up the pressure and increase Syria's sense of isolation.
On Saturday, Mr Muallem hit out at the group after it asked the UN to contribute to the proposed observer mission, calling it an invitation "for foreign intervention instead of a call to avoid one".
But Sheikh Hamad said the sanctions were necessary if the international community were to see that the Arab countries were "serious", the Reuters news agency reports.
"All the work that we are doing is to avoid this interference," he said, according to Reuters.

Three bombs exploded in the commercial Bab al-Sharqi district of central Baghdad, killing eight people.
Another two explosions hit a truck carrying construction workers on the road between Baghdad and Falluja.
Violence in Iraq has fallen in recent years, but militants still carry out regular attacks.
"I saw a woman, who was serving tea to customers, lose a leg in one of the explosions," a market vendor near the site of the Bab al-Sharqi blast told the AP news agency.
Fallujah Hospital "received seven bodies and seven wounded" from the truck blast, Dr Omar Delli told the AFP news agency. Two of the wounded later died, he said.
Violence has declined from its peak in 2006-2007, but the attacks have raised concerns over whether the planned withdrawal of US troops will lead to a worsening of the security situation.
The last US troops are due to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011.
However, the US and the Iraqi government are in talks over whether to retain a limited American presence into 2012.

The near one-tonne rover, tucked inside a capsule, left Florida on an Atlas 5 rocket at 10:02 local time (15:02 GMT).
Nicknamed Curiosity, the rover will take eight and a half months to cross the vast distance to its destination.
If it can land safely next August, the robot will then scour Martian soils and rocks for any signs that current or past environments on the planet could have supported microbial life.
The Atlas flight lasted almost three-quarters of an hour. By the time the encapsulated rover was ejected on a path to the Red Planet, it was moving at 10km/s.
Nasa received a first communication from the cruising spacecraft about an hour after lift-off through a tracking station in Canberra, Australia.
"Our first trajectory correction maneuver will be in about two weeks," said Curiosity project manager Peter Theisinger.
"We'll do instrument checkouts in the next several weeks and continue with thorough preparations for the landing on Mars and operations on the surface."
The rover - also known as the Mars Science laboratory (MSL) - is due to arrive at the Red Planet in early August 2012. Then, the hard part begins - landing safely.
One senior space agency official this week called Mars the "Death Planet" because so many missions have failed to get down in one piece.
The Americans, though, have a good recent record and they believe a new rocket-powered descent system will be able to place the rover very precisely in one of the most exciting locations on the planet.
It is being aimed at a deep equatorial depression called Gale Crater, which contains a central mountain that rises some 5km above the plain below.
The crater was chosen as the landing site because satellite imagery has suggested that surface conditions at some point in time may have been benign enough to sustain micro-organisms.
This included pictures of sediments at the base of the peak that were clearly laid down in the presence of abundant water.
MSL is equipped with 10 sophisticated instruments to study the rocks, soils and atmosphere in Gale Crater.
The $2.5bn (£1.6bn) mission is funded for an initial two Earth years of operations, but MSL-Curiosity has a plutonium battery and so should have ample power to keep rolling for more than a decade.
It is likely the mechanisms on the rover will wear out long before its energy supply.
"The agency is ecstatic," observed Doug McCuistion, Nasa's Mars exploration programme director.
"We have started a new era of exploration, not just technologically but scientifically as well.
"I hope we have more work than the scientists can handle. When we get to the surface, I expect them all to be overrun with data they've never seen before. I expect the public to have images, vistas that we've never seen before.
"Down in the bottom of Gale Crater, those images are going to be just stunning I believe. It will be like sitting at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, I think."

According to provisional results, the PJD won 80 seats in the 395-seat assembly, Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui told a news conference.
That would make it the largest party and give it the right to lead a government.
The poll is part of reforms which King Mohamed VI hopes will defuse protests prompted by the Arab Spring.
"We thank the Moroccans who voted for the PJD and we can only be satisfied," PJD leader Abdelilah Benkirane told the AFP news agency.
Mr Benkirane had earlier predicted his party would win 90-100 seats.
Under a new constitution adopted in July, King Mohamed VI must now appoint the prime minister from the party which wins the most seats, rather than naming whomever he pleases.
But the king still has the final say on issues of defence, security and religion.
Morocco's current Prime Minister, Abbas Al Fassi, said on Saturday his nationalist Istiqlal party was ready to enter into a coalition with the PJD party.
"The PJD's victory is a victory for democracy," he told Reuters.
Istiqlal's provisional tally is 45 seats, according to Mr Cherkaoui.
Mr Cherkaoui added that final results would be announced on 27 November.
'Strong signal' The Interior Ministry said 45.4% of the electorate had turned out to vote.
About 13.5 million Moroccans are eligible to vote. Although the turnout was an improvement on the 37% who took part in the 2007 election, it was less than the 51.6% in 2002.
The pro-reform February 20 movement, responsible for the protests staged just before the king announced his plans to reform the constitution, had called for a boycott of the vote.
"This [low turnout] sends a strong signal to authorities that Moroccans are not buying the proposed reforms," Najib Chawki, an activist with the movement, told Reuters.
"We will not give up until our demands are met," he added.
The PJD hope to replicate the success of the Islamist Ennahda party in Tunisia, which won an election there last month.

Brigadier-General Carsten Jacobson said Nato was investigating how the incident occurred and sent condolences.
Pakistani officials have responded with fury to the incident, which they say killed at least 24 soldiers.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called it "outrageous" and convened an emergency meeting of the cabinet.
Pakistan's government promptly closed supply routes across its territory to Nato in Afghanistan. There are reports of some trucks on the main routes being told to turn back.
Investigation The night-time attack took place at the Salala checkpoint, about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) from the Afghan border, at around 02:00 local time (21:00 GMT).
Gen Jacobson said a combined force of Afghan and Nato troops were in the area when "a tactical situation developed on the ground", though he gave no more details.
He said close air support was called in, and "we're aware it's highly likely this caused casualties".
Military sources told the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Paktika province in Afghanistan that a US-Afghan special forces mission came under fire from a position within Pakistan.
They received permission from the headquarters of Nato's Isaf mission to fire back at what they believed was a suspected Taliban training camp.
The Pakistani army said in a statement that two border posts had been attacked by helicopters and fighter aircraft, killing 24 people and leaving 13 injured.
It said Pakistani troops fired back as best they could.
Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had strongly condemned the "blatant and unacceptable act", and demanded "strong and urgent action be taken against those responsible for this aggression", the military said.
'Sincere condolences' A senior Pakistani military officer told Reuters the attack came "without any reasons" and that soldiers were asleep at the time.
Pakistani officials have told the BBC there was no militant activity in the area at the time.
In a statement, Isaf commander Gen John R Allen said the incident "has my highest personal attention and my commitment to thoroughly investigate it to determine the facts".
"My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan Security Forces who may have been killed or injured."
Prime Minister Gilani cut short a visit to his hometown to return to Islamabad, where he called an emergency meeting of the cabinet.
A foreign ministry statement said he was taking up the matter with Nato and the US "in the strongest terms".
Following the attack, lorries and fuel tankers were being stopped at Jamrud town in the Khyber tribal region near the city of Peshawar, officials and local media said - part of a key route supplying Nato equipment to Afghanistan.
"We have halted the supplies and some 40 tankers and trucks have been returned from the check post in Jamrud," Mutahir Zeb, a senior government official, told Reuters.
Pakistani troops are involved in fighting the Taliban in the crucial border region area. Hundreds of militants have been resisting attempts by the security forces to clear them from southern and south-eastern parts of the district.
In October, Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Kayani warned the US against taking unilateral action in nearby North Waziristan.
Washington has for many years urged Islamabad to deal with militants in the area.

Updated at: 1137 PST,  Friday, November 18, 2011  NEW YORK: More than one in five people with heart disease aren't getting life-saving statin drugs despite guidelines saying they should, a new study shows. Researchers looked at nearly 39,000 people who had experienced a heart attack or undergone heart surgery, and found about 8,600 people weren't prescribed the cholesterol-lowering medications. Although there is still controversy over whether people should take statins to prevent heart attacks, research clearly shows the drugs benefit people who have already suffered a heart attack or a stroke. (Reuters)

 RICHMOND: Lollywood Barbie doll Reema Khan, the bride and Dr. Tariq Shahab, the bridegroom attired in their traditional wedding dresses arrived at the ‘Rukhsati’ ceremony being held at Tysons Corners local hotel in the US State Virginia, Geo News reported.

Reema Khan had officially tied knot with the American cardiologist surgeon Dr. Tariq Shahab Wednesday in Virginia court. Sources said the Nikkah took place at a local court in Virginia according to American law, while ‘Rukhsati’ ceremony is underway today at Tysons corner’s local hotel.

Besides the relatives of the bride and bridegroom’s families, friends also attended this ceremony. Conspicuous among those was Lollywood actress Meera who had specially arrived for attending this event.

Reema a mix of beauty and brain, who ruled the Pakistan film industry for nearly two decades, talking to Geo News said that she had left the film industry 8 years ago and now she is focussed on TV shows. Reema said that her 'Walima' ceremony would be held in Lahore.

 DUBAI: Pakistani bowlers held their nerves to stop a threatening Sri Lankan team to win the third day-night international by 21 runs here on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Umar Gul (3-48) bowled well in the final overs to make sure good work by spinners Saeed Ajmal (3-42) and Shahid Afridi (2-42) do not go waste as they dismissed Sri Lanka for 236 in the penultimate over at Dubai stadium.

Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan topscored with 64 but it was Angelo Mathews whose aggressive 40-ball 32 kept Sri Lanka in the hunt before Gul took the last two wickets in a thrilling finish.

Sri Lanka were in a tight corner at 186-6 in the 41st over before Mathews and Jeevan Mendis (19) added 32 for the seventh wicket in quick time to threaten Pakistan but in the end Pakistan carried the day.

Pakistan won the first match by eight wickets last Friday while Sri Lanka levelled the series with a 25-run win in the second match on Monday -- both played in Dubai.

The remaining matches will be played in Sharjah (November 20) and Abu Dhabi (November 23). Both teams also play a Twenty20 international in Abu Dhabi on November 25.

Sri Lanka were set on course for a win by Dilshan who added 106 runs for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara (45) after they lost opener Upul Tharanga (four) in paceman Umar Gul's first over.

Sangakkara, who survived a run out with the total at 89-1, finally failed to beat a direct throw from Shahid Afridi from mid-on after he set off for a quick single.

He hit three boundaries during his 66-ball knock.

Pakistani spinners Afridi and Ajmal then put the brakes on Sri Lankan innings, as Dilshan dragged a leg-break from Afridi onto his stumps after hitting eight boundaries in his 78-ball knock.

Jayawrdene completed his 10,000 runs during his brief knock of 17, becoming the ninth batsman and second Sri Lankan to achieve the landmark.

Earlier, openers Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat hit attractive half-centuries to help Pakistan post a challenging total.

Hafeez made a 101-ball 83 and Farhat notched an 82-ball 70 to give Pakistan, who won the toss and batted, a solid 151-run start before Sri Lanka grabbed four quick wickets in the space of 26 runs.

Hafeez, who took 26 balls for his first ten runs, hit paceman Dilhara Fernando for four boundaries in the 18th over to step up the tempo before he was finally bowled by spinner Seekkuge Prasanna in the 30th over.

Hafeez hit nine boundaries and a six during his 11th one-day half century.

Ten runs later Farhat followed, caught at long-on off Tillakaratne Dilshan. He hit six boundaries and a six.

Pakistan's decision to promote Abdul Razzaq backfired as the allrounder hit Prasanna straight into the hands of long-on after scoring just six off 16 balls.

Pakistan was forced to take the batting power-play in the 36th over and managed just 22 runs losing Umar Akmal and Misbah-ul Haq (seven each) but Younis Khan hit a fighting 52-ball 42 to ensure Pakistan cross the 250-mark.

Prasanna and Malinga finished with two wickets apiece. (AFP)

 ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday unanimously extended the Pakistan Industrial Relations Ordinance 2011 (PIRO) for further 120 days.

Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid moved a resolution to further extend the Ordinance for 120 days. The House unanimously adopted the resolution.

Zahid Hamid of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, while speaking on the occasion, said since the labour related issues had already been devolved to the provinces therefore the Federal Government had no the authority to extend the ordinance.

It may be mentioned here that as per 18th Amendment, all the labour related issues have been transferred to the provinces. The ordinance will help overcome legal lacuna.

 BALI: With the IAEA weighing options to deal with Iran’s nuclear programme, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said the issue should be dealt with diplomatically as he discussed it with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Dr. Singh, who met Mr. Obama on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit said matters relating to Iran’s nuclear programme should be dealt with diplomatically.

With the UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, coming out with the damning report against Iran on its atomic programme, official sources had said it was a “disturbing” development and made it clear that it did not want a nuclear-armed Iran.

“It is disturbing,” they had said while commenting on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s report that Iran carried out “activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device”.

The sources said if Iran acquired nuclear weapons, it would have security implications for the region which India did not want.

This is why India had voted on resolutions at International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against Iran, they pointed out.

At the same time, the sources noted India’s contention that Iran had the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy as per the international norms.

While the IAEA report that came out last week almost accused Iran of trying to pursue nuclear arms, Tehran rejected the report as “baseless”.

 WASHINGTON: US businessman Mansoor Ijaz, who is at the centre of the Mullen Memo-gate controversy, Friday released another chunk of evidence-his phone records of calls made to and received, allegedly, from the Pakistani Ambassador to US Husain Haqqani and his US contact between May 9 and 10, when the controversial memo was prepared and sent.

Reacting to Pakistani ambassador's statements on the issue, in which Mr Haqqani said the SMS record was fake, Mansoor Ijaz sent what he said was an authenticated copy of the telephone company record of calls.

"I presented my original telephone company records to the senior Pakistani official whom I met to verify and validate the evidence in my possession," Mr Mansoor said adding that "I asked him (the official) to independently verify and check that the numbers of the individuals concerned were in fact their telephone numbers. I further asked him to put the calls in sequence with both e-mail and BlackBerry Messenger messages that had been sent to the ambassador and my US contact so that he could develop a comprehensive picture of the entire set of events." Mr Mansoor claimed that "the data was transferred to his (the official's) secure e-mail address directly from my computer, and he verified in front of me that the original telephone bills and original e-mail and BBM traffic were authentic and forensically unaltered."

The US businessman also recalled a Blackberry Message conversation in which Mr Haqqani had stated: "Husain Haqqani: you can keep saying you delivered a message and show BBM convos (conversations) to prove it... Basically, you don't get it."

In another such conversation, this time by SMS, on November 11, 2011, Mr Haqqani says: "I have just changed BBs...I may never trust you or your judgment again..."

The telephone record released by Mansoor shows the dates, time, phone numbers, duration of the calls made and received. "All calls were made from or received into my GSM number, +44 7730 33 --."

The following is the record. Name and phone numbers of the US contact have been deleted (IN indicates incoming call, OUT indicates outgoing call):

DATE/TIME/TEL NO/ DURATION IN/OUT/DESCRIPTION

05-09-2011,12:35:49, +442071060900, 16:03, OUT, Husain Haqqani at Intercontinental London, Room 430

05-09-2011, 12:58:06, +1703----, 02:25, OUT, US CONTACT, Home (spoke to wife, left message)

05-09-2011, 13:54:31, +1703----, 19:26, IN, US CONTACT, returning phone call from mobile phone

05-09-2011, 17:51:41, +16179532835, 00:23, OUT, Husain Haqqani mobile

05-09-2011, 18:28:45, +16179532835, 02:34, IN, Husain Haqqani mobile calling in

05-09-2011, 18:36:41, +1703----, 00:48, OUT, US CONTACT mobile, relaying essence of Haqqani call

05-09-2011, 21:20:11 +442071060900, 00:31, OUT, Husain Haqqani at Intercontinental London, Room 430

05-10-2011, 00:30:55, +16179532835, 01:17, IN, Husain Haqqani mobile calling in

05-10-2011, 00:33:05,+1703----, 01:39, OUT, US CONTACT mobile

05-10-2011, 09:06:16, +442071060900, 11:16, OUT, Husain Haqqani at Intercontinental London, Room 430

05-10-2011, 14:51:33, +1703----, 02:55, OUT, US CONTACT mobile

 WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Husain Haqqani has left for Islamabad. Prior to his departure he met US special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman.

It is pertinent to mention here that senior leadership of PPP in its meeting noted that Haqqani had been called to Islamabad to give his viewpoint over controversial memo.

 CHAKWAL: Four intelligence personnel have been killed in Pir Chanbal area of Chakwal, Geo News reported.

According to the security sources, intelligence personnel raided the compound of militants’ on Friday evening. However, militants managed to escape after opening fire on intelligence personnel.

On Saturday morning, police personnel led by intelligence official entered the area where they found the dead bodies of four intelligence personnel. Police place the area under a security cordon and a launched door to door search operation.

Contradictory reports were received about the operation. Police claimed that five proclaimed offenders were killed. It also claimed that Dr. Arshad among his associates were killed during the operation.

Dr. Arshad belonged to Mandi Bahauddin where he had attacked the worship place of Ahamadis in Mung area, resultantly nine people were killed in the incident. These days, Dr Arshad was said to be residing in a shrine located at the mountain of Pir Chanbal.

Meanwhile, military sources said that they did not have information about the operation in Pir Chanbal. However, dead bodies of intelligence personnel have been shifted via helicopter.

 PARIS: Pakistani tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna advanced to the finals of the Paris Masters Tennis Tournament.

The duo defeated M. Mirnyi of Belarus and D. Nestor of Canada in the semi-final. Aisam and Bopanna won the first set 6-3 and after a tough fight were victorious in the second set 7-6.

Aisam and Bopanna are ranked seventh in the tournament.

 NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accepted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's invitation to visit Pakistan, Geo News reported.

Manmohan said the Pak-India peace dialogue would resume soon.

Singh added that he would not visit Pakistan till an effective action against terrorists is taken.

The Pakistan army is on board in the peace process, Singh added.

 ISLAMABAD: Appearing once in 100 years, the date of 11.11.11 on today's calendar has created quite a frenzy worldwide, while adding more amazement people can witness a unique moment at 11.11am and 11.11pm.

The rare palindrome of single digits appeared 100 years ago on 11.11.1911 and will surface again on 11.11.2111 only.

Superstitious people are planning their weddings, baby births and other special moments to mark the unique day and make the day special for their lifetime.

Scientists, however, dismissed associating adjectives of good or evil with the date, describing the rarity as a mere classroom curiosity.

 LAHORE: Another patient fell victim to dengue virus on Thursday, mounting the total death toll to 306 in the city.

Today 43-year-old Zahid Bashir resident of Tajpura who was under treatment in a special dengue ward of the Jinnah Hospital lost his weeklong battle against dengue fever.

According to Health Department only 23 persons with positive dengue symptoms in their blood reports were reported in Punjab during last 24 hours, out of them 10 are from Lahore. The total number of dengue patients in the Punjab has risen to 3678, out of them, 2498 belong to Lahore.

Meanwhile, Secretary Health Punjab Jehanzeb Khan told a local news agency that with the turn of weather there was an appreciable decrease in the dengue patients across the province. He hoped that the situation would be more under control as the temperature falls in days to come.

 MUMBAI: 11.11.11 seems to be bookies’ favorite bet on when Baby B would be born. Till recently, focus was on whether Ash will have a baby girl or a boy. But now, everyone’s focus has shifted to the date of the birth of the baby.

If rumors are to be gone by, then Rs150 crore is being bet on the date of the baby’s birth.

“There are a lot of bets being placed on dates between November 9 and 14, confirms a Mumbai-based bookie. The money riding on it is at least 150crores which may go up. November 11 is the hot favourite amongst bookies. The second most speculated date is November 14, which is Children’s Day.”

“If the kid is born on 11.11.11, then he/she will be governed by the moon and his birth number would be 2, says numerologist Sanjay Jumani.

Many superstars in Bollywood have their birth number as 2 including Amitabh Bachchan (Oct 11), Shahrukh Khan (Nov 2), Ajay Devgn (April 2), Sanjay Dutt (July 29), Dilip Kumar (Dec 11), Rajesh Khanna (Dec 29) and many more.

Also, with the moon being the planet with the maximum influence on the day, the kid’s creative abilities would be much sharper. Many musicians, actors and painters are ruled by the moon. On the flipside, the moon also has side effects, which can make the person very sensitive and moody.”

 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan delegation will be leaving for India tomorrow for secretary-level trade talks between Pakistan and India, while the formal talks would be kicking off on November 14 in News Delhi, Geo News reported.

Commerce ministry officials said that the Trade Secretary, Zafar Mahmood would be meeting Indian officials and other delegations on November 13, while on the next day i.e. November 14 opening formal talks would focus on matters relating to Pakistan cabinet declaring India the most favoured nation, eliminating tariff and non-tariff bottlenecks faced by Pakistani traders in India besides Pakistan could announce implementation of the switching trade arrangements from existing 'Positive List' to 'Negative List' of importable items from India.

Officials expect some positive headways from the talks Nov.14 to 18.

 NEW DELHI: India's Supreme Court expressed shock on Friday that more than 250 Pakistanis were being held in Indian jails without ever having faced trial, with at least one behind bars since 1965.

The court, hearing a public interest case filed by a member of the public, ordered the central government to file a comprehensive report explaining the detentions.

"It's shocking that over 254 Pakistani nationals are languishing in jails without a trial," said Supreme Court judge R.N. Lodha.

The inmates are being held in the north-western state of Jammu and Kashmir, with many thought to be people arrested after unwittingly crossing the disputed border in the area, the court heard. Four are women.

It is thought that there may be inmates held without trial in other states too.

The prime ministers of India and Pakistan said Thursday they expected to open a "new chapter" in their fractious relationship after talks at a regional summit in the Maldives.

The countries have fought three wars since independence in 1947. (AFP)

 FASIALABAD: Three bodies including that of two children were recovered from a house in the Allama Iqbal Colony of the city, Geo News reported.

According to initial reports a person named Javed was living with his two children on the ground floor of this house. When the neighbours realized that Javed and his children had not left the house for three days they opened the front gate and informed the police about the stench.

All three had been strangled to death and police say the bodies have been sent for post-mortem as further investigations continue.

 LONDON: Two alleged killers of Dr. Imran Farooq were arrested in Karachi, London police commissioner confirmed.

London police commissioner said that they were working with Pakistan in Dr. Imran Farooq’s murder case. He further said that the killers would not be allowed to roam freely on the streets of London.

It is pertinent to mention here that Dr. Imran Farooq was killed on September 16, 2010 outside his residence in London

 BERLIN: People who have donated part of their liver for transplant can experience physical and psychological complications years after the operation, according to a German study.

Almost half of the 83 liver donors surveyed had complaints ranging from pain and digestive problems to depression three or more years after surgery -- but nearly all said they'd donate again, the study in the Annals of Surgery said.

In a living-donor liver transplant, a team of surgeons removes a lobe of the donor's liver to implant in the recipient. The remaining portion of the donor's liver regrows to full size within two months.

"There is a risk for some long-term complaints, which may be potentially controllable by workup modifications, improvements in surgical techniques and a thorough follow-up of donors at the transplant centers," said Georgios Sotiropoulos, lead author and professor of surgery and transplantation at University Hospital Essen in Germany.

Transplant surgeons say they would rather not have to put a healthy person at risk, but there aren't enough organs available to provide livers for everyone who needs them.

Organs from living donors also have some advantages over the alternative, a liver from a cadaver, for a number of reasons, including that the donation can occur at the best time for the recipient.

The average age of donors in the German study was 36, and their average time since donation was six years.

In the study, 31 percent of donors complained about having diarrhea or an intolerance to fatty foods and about 10 percent complained of gastroesophageal reflux. A small number of donors had discomfort at the incision site or in their ribs.

Three donors reported bouts of severe depression, two of them requiring hospitalization, and one patient had a worsening of pre-existing psoriasis.

Of the 83 donors surveyed, 39 reported no lingering symptoms or problems. But three young and otherwise healthy men said they had been turned down for life insurance because there's so little data available on the long-term effects of living liver donation.

While the study did not have a control group, its findings are consistent with past research, said Jean Emond, vice chair of the Department of Surgery and director of the transplant center at New York Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital in New York.

"I think the conclusions are cautious and reasonable. We need to keep a close eye on these people," he said, adding that there needs to be psychological support before and after the procedure.

About 4,500 liver donations have been made in the United States by living donors since the first surgery in 1989, according to the national transplant database. The first such donations were made to children, who require a smaller piece of the liver.

Emond, who assisted with the first live-donor liver surgery, said the risk of death after donating a large portion of the liver is about one in 1,000.

"The ethical standard has to be that you do it because it's the right thing to do for the patient with full and informed consent, he added. (Reuters)

 BELFAST: Lady Gaga stole the show at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Belfast on Sunday, scooping four prizes and going one better than 2010 when she also led the field with three.

The flamboyant 25-year-old New Yorker won best female artist, best song and video for her hit single Born This Way as well Way as well related stories as the biggest fans award.

"I knew that this song was very special when I wrote it and I just didn't know when I first started out ... how special you would all be to me," a tearful Gaga told a packed, boisterous Odyssey Arena as she accepted the best song award.

"This is the single most important song that I've ever written and the single most important album. I love you little monsters to the end!" she added, using the term she employs to describe her fans.

Canadian teen sensation Justin Bieber was among the other multiple winners, picking up best pop act and top male singer.

Much of the attention in the run-up to the awards has been on the 17-year-old, who has denied allegations made by a US woman that he fathered her child when he was 16.

Bieber's girlfriend Selena Gomez, an actress and singer, hosted the MTV event, and the pair were photographed out the previous night in the city in a public show of togetherness.

Los Angeles rockers Thirty Seconds to Mars won two awards -- best alternative act and best world stage - as did Bruno Mars, honoured as the best new act and "push" artist who was promoted by MTV as an up-and-coming talent.

Katy Perry was voted best live act by more than 150 million MTV voters who decided most of the prizes. Eminem won best hip-hop artist, repeating his 2010 success, and Linkin Park scooped best rock.

Birth of MTV Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen accepted the previously announced Global Icon prize. "We were there at the birth of MTV," May said.

"How wonderful for us to be here 40 years later ... and here in Belfast which is finally showing its beauty and setting an example to the world by finding, out of grief and tragedy, the beginnings of truth and peace."

British rockers Coldplay kicked off one of the biggest nights of pop music outside the United States with Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall from their new album Mylo Xyloto.

Host Gomez underwent multiple costume changes -- at least eight -- while lasers and flames lit up the darkened arena.
LMFAO performed Party Rock Anthem, a high octane disco hit that brought over 20 dancers to the stage where they strutted under tinsel "snow" that fell from the roof.

Red Hot Chili Pepper and Northern Irish favourites Snow Patrol played at other venues around Belfast, while Bieber earned the loudest screams when he sung his new track Under the Mistletoe followed by Never Say Never.

Lady Gaga sang Marry the Night from the top of a giant moon structure, and presenter and actress Hayden Panettiere was joined on stage by a naked man in a scripted appearance.

There was also a video tribute to late singer Amy Winehouse, who died in July aged 27.

The event closed with a medley of Queen hits including The Show Must Go On and We Will Rock You.

Belfast had been overtaken by Biebermania ahead of the show with hundreds of girls camped outside his hotel to catch the briefest glimpse of their idol.

"He's beautiful, he's like an angel," said Aya Lawlor, a 14-year-old Belfast girl who stood for hours on a cold Saturday night just to see Bieber. "He's proven that anyone can do it."

Thousands watched the main concert and other performances in the open and in smaller venues around Belfast, and millions tuned in around the world to see it via live stream on the web.

The awards are generally dominated by US acts even though they are held in a different European city each year.

Last year Gaga picked up prizes for best female artist, best pop act and best song for Bad Romance. This year she led the way with six nominations.

 NEW DELHI: Debutantes Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav grabbed two wickets apiece as India put the West Indies under pressure on the third day of the opening Test on Tuesday.

The West Indies struggled to reach 109-7 in their second innings at lunch for an overall lead of 204 runs, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (39 not out) sustaining their hopes of setting a challenging target on a low, slow pitch.

Skipper Darren Sammy was unbeaten on eight at the break.

The tourists had gained a 95-run lead when they bowled India out for 209 in their first innings on Monday after posting 304.

India dominated the morning session as they claimed five wickets for 88 runs after the West Indies had resumed at 21-2, with off-spinner Ashwin and seamer Yadav doing the maximum damage.

Ashwin, who took three wickets in the first innings, trapped Darren Bravo leg-before for 12 runs and then bowled Marlon Samuels for no score in the same over to reduce the West Indies to 63-6.

Fast bowler Ishant Sharma was the first to strike when he had nightwatchman Fidel Edwards (one) caught behind before Yadav dismissed Kirk Edwards (33) and Carlton Baugh (seven).

Kirk Edwards was bowled shouldering arms after adding 18 runs to his overnight score of 15 while Baugh was caught behind.

The remaining two Tests will be played in Kolkata and Mumbai.

 ATHENS/ROME: Italian government bond yields soared to near 15-year highs, putting the euro zone's third largest economy front and center of the region's debt crisis, despite scrambling efforts by policymakers to stem the growing contagion.

Italy, the world's eighth largest economy, overtook Greece as the prime threat to the stability of the 17-country single currency zone, as finance ministers met to try to find ways of building a firewall around the two-year-old crisis.

Italian 10-year bond yields rose to their highest since 1997 -- approaching levels regarded as unsustainable -- with political turmoil in Rome threatening to drag a fourth European economy after Greece, Ireland and Portugal into the debt mire.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of Eurogroup finance ministers, said the European Central Bank would take part in monitoring Italy's promised economic reforms along with the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund, effectively putting the country under full surveillance.

Greece's outgoing socialist prime minister and conservative opposition leader rushed to put in place an interim national unity government for just long enough to save their country from imminent default by implementing a new bailout program.

France announced new austerity measures designed to preserve its wobbly AAA credit rating, without which the euro zone might no longer be able to bail out its weakest members.

In Brussels, euro zone finance ministers agreed a detailed mandate to scale up the currency zone's rescue fund by the end of November to shield vulnerable but solvent economies such as Italy's and Spain's from a possible Greek default.

In Rome, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi defied huge pressure to resign as he struggled to hold a crumbling center-right coalition together after being forced to accept intrusive IMF surveillance of his economic reforms.

Political sources said leaders of Berlusconi's PDL party had urged him to resign late on Sunday but he was resisting.

Juncker stopped short of calling for a national unity government in Italy, saying it wasn't under EU/IMF protection.

"What we are expecting from Italy is that Italy will implement all the measures which have been announced in Silvio Berlusconi's letter," he said after the finance ministers' meeting, referring to a letter sent last month that set out plans for pensions reform and deregulation.

Stocks fell worldwide on the uncertainty, but Italian shares ended higher, partly on hopes that Berlusconi could soon be gone, traders said.

A cabinet minister said Italy would face early elections if party rebels stripped Berlusconi of his majority in a crunch vote on public finances in parliament on Tuesday.

"If we have the majority we'll carry on, otherwise there'll be elections," Gianfranco Rotondi, a minister without portfolio, said after meeting Berlusconi at his Milan home.

Former European Central Bank vice-president Lucas Papademos was on his way to Athens, tipped to head a transitional Greek cabinet charged with pushing a 130 billion-euro ($170 billion) bailout plan through parliament to secure a crucial 8 billion-euro aid tranche before early general elections in February.

A Greek government spokesman said talks on finding a new prime minister were continuing in a good spirit, indicating no decision had been reached. The Greek cabinet will convene at 5 a.m. ET on Tuesday to discuss developments.

A senior opposition source said Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos and his top economic team would stay for continuity.

Whoever leads the temporary Greek administration will face a monumental task in restoring order to a country of 11 million whose chaotic economy and politics are shaking international confidence in the entire euro project. (Reuters)

 HEART: Ten people were killed by a roadside bomb in northwest Afghanistan late Monday, a local politician told Tuesday.

The blast struck a police vehicle in Badghis province, killing two officers, and also killed eight civilians from the same family in another vehicle which was following it, said Badghis provincial council chairman Faizullah Azimi.

"A mine planted by the Taliban hit a police vehicle in Qadis district yesterday evening leaving two policemen and eight civilians dead," Azimi told. "All the civilians were members of the same family." He added: "Two policemen and one child were also injured."

Monday was the second day of the Muslim holiday Eid- ul-Azha, when many Afghans celebrate by visiting friends and family.

The Taliban's spokesman was not immediately reachable to comment on the attack.

 GILGIT: Three persons were crushed to death by a falling chunk of glacier at Chopurson area of Gojal here, Geo News reported.

Those killed were on way from Afghanistan to their native places in Pakistan in a caravan of 17 persons for Eid celebrations, when the unfortunate incident of a chunk of glacier fall occurred near Pak-Afghan border at Chopurson area of Gojal, crushing to death three of them, while the remaining 14 persons of the caravan finding the way blocked by glacier fall returned back to Afghanistan.

Rescue operation could not be started thus far due to severe cold and four feet thick of piled up ice at the place of incident.