ISLAMABAD - PAKISTAN leaders scrambled on Friday to find a compromise deal to head off a political crisis as police extended a crackdown trying to foil a mass anti-government protest that has raised fears of unrest.

President Asif Ali Zardari, whose popularity ratings are at rock bottom, is locked in a standoff with the main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif over demands that he reinstate judges sacked by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

NEW DELHI - INDIA said on Friday it had answered demands from Pakistan for more details on the militant attacks on Mumbai, and that it was now time for Islamabad to take swift action against the alleged plotters.

HONG KONG - HONG Kong police have arrested four employees of a drug manufacturer for allegedly lying about the expiration dates on more than 200 over-the-counter medicines, officials said on Friday.