Mar 3 (PTI) The daring attack carried out by "trained terrorists" against the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore today bore the hallmarks of the tactics used in the Mumbai terror strike, according to Pakistani authorities. "The attack resembles the Mumbai attacks," the chief of police in Punjab province Khaled Farooq told reporters here, as the Lahore attack brought back memories of 26/11 though of not that scale and magnitude. more..

Mar 3 (CI) Trevor Bayliss, the Sri Lanka coach, who was in the team bus when the attack took place, spoke to Cricinfo while waiting to be airlifted out of Pakistan. This is the transcript of his interview. It all happened very quickly. We were on the bus, there were a couple of explosions and then the pop-pop-pop of the guns and broken glass. Everyone hit the floor straight away. I'm not sure how long it went on for - maybe half a minute. more..

Mar 4 (PTI) Pakistan captain Younus Khan on Tuesday apologised to the Sri Lankan players for the terror attack carried out on them near Gaddafi stadium here and lauded the visiting team for their noble gesture towards the bus driver who played a key role in driving the visitors to safety. Seven Sri Lankan players and an assistant coach were injured today when 12 unidentified gunmen opened fire at them, killing eight people, more..

Mar 4 (Reuters) A Pakistani minister accused India of being behind the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in the city of Lahore on Tuesday, saying the attackers had crossed into Pakistan from India. "The evidence which we have got shows that these terrorists entered from across the border from India," Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol, minister of state for shipping, told private Geo television. "This was a conspiracy to defame Pakistan internationally." more..

Mar 4 (PISL) The latest critique of Sri Lanka in the London Telegraph, in what is termed a blog by one of its Foreign Correspondents, Peter Foster, continues with misinformation based on information from what it terms a ‘veteran international aid worker’. The diatribe goes far to explain why such self-appointed guardians of morality are thought to be concerned more with their personal agendas than the work they are paid to do. more..

Mar 4 (PTI) A stunned Sri Lanka reacted with shock and anger after Tuesday's terror attack on its cricket team in Pakistan on Tuesday, as the Opposition targeted the government for sending the players in place of the Indian squad which pulled out due to security concerns. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is on an official visit to Nepal, condemned the terrorist attack as "cowardly" and cut short his trip and rushed to Colombo. more..

Mar 4 (IFRC) M. A. David Chaminda, 29, is in his second year as a volunteer with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society’s water safety programme. In both his personal capacity, and as a Red Cross volunteer, he has saved an impressive total of 60 lives off Sri Lanka’s perilous beaches. The water safety programme was set up in response to the 2004 tsunami. It has a theme of timely response to disasters and preparedness – and volunteers like Chaminda are the foundation behind its success. more..

Mar 4 (AA) This being among the saddest days in cricket history, it may not be the right time to retrace the steps from Tuesday to when this ill-fated tour was planned. However, it does raise questions whether the safety of players had been kept foremost in mind when the Pakistan Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket met in Kuala Lumpur on December 27 last year to decide on the schedule. more..

Mar 4 (PTI) Thanking India for help rendered to people displaced by the ongoing conflict, a Sri Lankan Tamil leader has asked New Delhi to allow children from the embattled LTTE zones for higher studies in the country. "I kindly request you to evolve a scheme with the concurrence of the Sri Lankan Government and in consultation with your Government to enable a few such children to pursue their studies in India," the President of the TULF V Anandasangaree wrote in a letter to more..

Mar 4 (AFP) Pakistan cricket chiefs said the deadly attack on Sri Lanka's team was "beyond the control" of the board, adding they were deeply shocked by the incident. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also expressed sadness over the six policemen who were killed along with two civilians. Seven Sri Lankan players and a coach were wounded in the assault on the team's convoy. "We would say that a terrorist attack of this nature is beyond the control of the management," the PCB, more..

Mar 4 (Xinhua) As many as 60 suspects related to the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team have been arrested on Tuesday, private TV channel Geo reported. The police raided markets in Lahore, capital city of Punjab province where the attack occurred, and recovered arms from several markets. Speaking to reporters in front of the parliament house here, Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said the terrorists came from three sides and trapped the Sri Lankan convoy. more..

Mar 4 (BBC) Sri Lankan cricket fans are yet to recover from the shock and disbelief that their national team was attacked by heavily armed men in the Pakistani city of Lahore. The disbelief slowly turned into anger and many people have now started questioning the wisdom of sending the team to Pakistan after India had pulled out of its series with the Pakistani team because of security reasons. more..

Mar 4 (NZH) Amid the sledging and strategising, Daniel Vettori and Mahendra Singh Dhoni both realised their cricketing battle had been put in context last night by the tragic events unfolding in Pakistan as the match was underway. The New Zealand and Indian captains both learned of the terrorist attack targeting the Sri Lankan team in Lahore as the opening game of the best of five one-day series approached the midway point at McLean Park. more..

Mar 4 (TC) The news of the Lahore armed attack on Sri Lankan cricketers sent the Sinhala South into a momentary shock. It took a few seconds, if not minutes for most Southern Sri Lankans to ask each other faintly, “Why attack our cricketers?” And then they all got fired and were buzzing the news around, often with their own interpretations. Some thought it was a LTTE contract on SL. “These Muslim armed groups do things for money.” they told others. more..

Mar 4 (TOI) With India largely refraining from supplying weapon systems and platforms with "offensive capabilities" to Sri Lanka in its bloody fight against the Tamil Tigers, Pakistan and China deftly stepped into the vacuum. In fact, Sri Lankan defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, during a visit to Islamabad on January 19-20, profusely thanked Pakistan for its "continued support" to his country's armed forces which had helped in virtually breaking the backbone of LTTE. more..

Mar 4 (Guardian) Pakistani officials received specific warnings that militants were planning to ambush the Sri Lankan cricket squad, but they were unable to prevent today's deadly attack because of the country's spiralling political crisis, opposition MPs claimed tonight. At least a dozen heavily armed gunmen remain at large after launching the commando-style assault on the Sri Lankan team, killing six policemen and two bystanders, and injuring seven players and officials. more..

Mar 4 (CI) Ahsan Raza, the fourth umpire for the second Test in Lahore, is in a critical condition after reportedly being shot in the back during the attack on the Sri Lankan team on Tuesday. Raza was travelling in a mini-bus just behind the coach which contained the Sri Lankan team, and was rushed to hospital shortly after the attack. Raza, 34, hails from Lahore and played 21 first-class fixtures as a wicketkeeper before turning to umpiring. more..

Mar 4 (LG) Professor Rohan Gunaratna is Head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research and Professor of Security Studies at the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technology University. He holds several honorary appointment including Member of the Steering Committee of George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute and more..

Mar 4 (LBO) Sri Lanka's once prosperous motor industry has seen a sharp fall in sales, hit by shrinking credit, a fast depreciating rupee and import restrictions, a senior official of the Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA) said. "The import duty on some of these midsize cars is close to 300 percent of the Cost, Insurance, Freight (CIF)," said Senake Amarasinghe, Chairman of CMTA. "That is regarded as the most expensive in the region." more..

Mar 4 (BBC) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in north-eastern Sri Lanka. Up to 150,000 people may be trapped in the area by fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels. The ICRC has reiterated calls for a mass evacuation of civilians and for far more aid to be allowed in. The ICRC's Jacques de Maio said the situation was one of the worst disasters he had experienced. more..

Mar 4 (AT) Replying to an article by Victor Ivan in "Ravaya" (August 2008?) Dr. Kumar David stated the following: "Unfortunately the English, Tamil and Sinhala media live in non-intersecting compartments. When is somebody going to have the courage and the money to establish a free flowing cross-fertilization?" What a beautiful suggestion! Dr. David is fully aware that today, those who have the money dispatch their children to the western world for education. more..

Mar 4 (LT) The Political Bureau of the JVP vehemently condemns the terrorist attack carried out on Sri Lankan cricket players in Lahore in Pakistan today morning. A statement issued by the Political Bureau of the JVP states: Several players were injured in a terrorist attack carried out on Sri Lankan Cricket team in Lahore in Pakistan today (3rd) morning. Several Pakistani nationals too have been killed in the attack. more..

Mar 4 (Xinhua) U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday expressed deep concern about the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan, saying the country's frontier regions still is the safe heave for terrorists."Obviously, we are deeply concerned," Obama told reporters in the White House after meeting with visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. more..

Mar 4 (BL) The protest statements and comments made to date, of Sudar Oli editor N. Vidhyatharan’s arrest last Thursday, have focused attention on one aspect: the mode and manner of his arrest, mainly on the failure to follow accepted legal procedure and on the use of excessive force. They have failed to take into account the fact that, the arrest was made during the funeral of his close relative. more..

Mar 4 (BL) The controversial Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) bill was passed in parliament yesterday despite heavy opposition by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) who vowed to mobilise the general public and defeat the bill through a massive protest campaign. JVP Parliamentarian Bimal Ratnayake claimed that the government is going to do what it did with the CPC where all profitable ventures were privatised while holding on to the liabilities. more..

Mar 4 (BL) It is undisputed that the world is divided along gendered lines. Permeating through such seemingly watertight demarcations as race, ethnicity, colour, religion, region etc., gender still remains the most potent distinction that divides the world. Inarguably, the status of women in Sri Lanka has significantly improved over the past few decades, where women have been able to mark their presence in almost all the socio-economic and political spheres in the country. more..

Mar 4 (AFP) Former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan told the BBC on Tuesday the ambush on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore was one of the worst security failures ever seen in his country. Khan, who retired from cricket in 1992 and now heads his own political party, said the security provided to the team was less than that provided to most Pakistani ministers, branding it "completely shameful". "I think this was one of the worst security failures in Pakistan," more..

Mar 4 (AFP) Pakistan stepped up a manhunt on Wednesday for the armed militants behind a deadly ambush targeting Sri Lanka's cricket team, which has plunged the troubled nation deeper into crisis. As Sri Lanka's wounded and shaken players arrived back in Colombo, Pakistani forces scoured this cosmopolitan eastern city for up to 12 attackers after the brazen attack that left eight dead and wounded eight of the touring party. more..

Mar 4 (BT) Sri Lanka's wounded and shaken cricketers flew home to Colombo on Wednesday and were rushed straight to a local hospital, a day after being attacked in a deadly ambush in Pakistan, officials said. There were emotional scenes as relieved relatives welcomed home the 25-member tour party, who were led from a specially chartered Sri Lankan Airlines jet by team manager Brendon Kuruppu. more..

Mar 4 (BL) The Golden Key fiasco had a telling effect on Seylan Bank which had apparently suffered a near Rs. 10 billion withdrawal in deposits whilst as a prudential move to ensure better viability the new management had also “cleaned up” the Balance Sheet. In the 2008 unaudited accounts Seylan’s deposit base is indicated at Rs. 108.5 billion down by 3% in comparison to Rs. 112 billion in 2007. more..

Mar 4 (Hindu) It is axiomatic that terrorist strikes are almost always designed to win sensational publicity. The horrific attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team by unidentified gunmen in Lahore seems to be bereft of any purpose other than gaining maximum exposure in a subcontinent that is obsessed with the game. The Sri Lankan cricketers escaped thanks to a combination of luck and pluck, with five of them and an assistant coach suffering fairly minor injuries. more..

Mar 4 (AFP) The Sri Lankan cricket team's exposure to the civil war back home helped them react swiftly when they were ambushed by gunmen in Pakistan, skipper Mahela Jayawardene says. Seven members of the team, their assistant coach and a match umpire were wounded in Tuesday's gun and grenade attack as they travelled by bus to the cricket stadium in Lahore. At least seven people were killed in the assault. more..

Mar 4 (wsws) Sri Lanka's Sunday Times has revealed plans for a US-led military mission into the island's northern war zone in the guise of evacuating civilians trapped by intense fighting between the army and the separatist LTTE. According to the newspaper, the task would be carried out by a Marine Expeditionary Brigade attached to the US Pacific Command (PACOM). The US Navy and Air Force would also be involved. more..

Mar 4 (CI) Captain Jehan Mubarak produced an exceptional bowling performance as Wayamba beat Ruhuna by 140 runs in Dambulla. The Ruhuna batsmen were no match for Mubarak's offbreaks as he snapped up the last five wickets for 28, with Ruhuna collapsing from 128 for 5 to 156 all out while chasing 297. It was Mubarak's first five-for in his first-class career, as he finished with 6 for 11. Ruhuna began the fourth and final day on118 for 4, more..

Mar 4 (LT) Foreign banks are waiting to give loans on .1% interest to build power stations, by passing the electricity bill the country would freely get US$3.8 million, the bill is not intended for privatization of electricity, the monopoly of the Ceylon Electricity Board should be broken and this bill would make it possible to demolish this mafia said Minister of Power Mahindananda Aluthgamage. more..

Mar 4 (GDI) Sri Lankan Police and Civil Defence Force personnel averted a possible infiltration of LTTE terrorists to remote villages in the Buttala area today. The personnel on duty at a combined Police-CDF outpost at Gonaganara have confronted with an armed gang detected in the jungle areas. Following the exchange of fire, the gang fled back to the jungles. Two CDF personnel were killed. Police suspect that assailants were to be LTTE terrorists. more..

Mar 4 (GDI) Import licences have been made compulsory for importing plants and seeds including potato seeds. The Government has taken this decision to prevent the import of inferior seed and plant varieties to the country. At present plants and seeds are imported illegally without Agriculture Department Clearance. Due to import of inferior planting material, farmers have got accustomed to plants and seeds producing a low harvest. more..

Mar 4 (AP) Thilan Samaraweera will have surgery on his wounded knee following Tuesday's terrorist attack in Lahore. The 32-year-old suffered a bullet wound in the attack as gunmen rained bullets on the Sri Lanka team bus travelling to the Gadaffi Stadium for the third day of the second Test. He was the worst hit of seven players injured and was taken to a private hospital in Colombo after arriving back in Sri Lanka on Wednesday morning. more..

Mar 4 (BBC) In a HARDtalk interview originally broadcast on 3rd March 2009, Stephen Sackur talks to Mahinda Samarasinghe , Sri Lankan Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights. The Sri Lankan Government is intent on destroying the Tamil Tigers once and for all. The military offensive in the north east of the island has reduced the Tamil militants to a tiny sliver of territory, but at what cost? more..

Mar 4 (GDI) The Government has taken measures to launch a new bus service to meet the transport needs of the rural population living in the Gampaha District under the Gemi Seriya project. Minister of Transport Dullas Alahapperumathe said. A permanent, low cost bus service is provided for developing rural areas under the Gemi Deriya project, a spokesman from the Transport Ministry said. more..

Mar 4 (LeN) The bar of the Colombo magistrate court decided to boycott appearing for the cases today in protest of the No: 02 magistrate court judge Kavindra Nanayakkara's difficult conduct. However, the Chief Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi mediated t settle the problem and the lawyers agreed to call off their action. The bar decided to proceed with this action as the complaints against the magistrate were not probed since a long time. more..

Mar 4 (Xinhua) China on Wednesday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement that the Chinese government expressed deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the wounded. His comments came in response to a question concerning China's stance over the terror attack which caused at least seven deaths of Pakistani policemen and civilians. more..

Mar 4 (LNP) Qatar Airways is optimistic of expanding local operations and increasing the frequency of its flights to Sri Lanka with the end of the war in the country, said its Regional Manager Rajeewa Jayaweera. With the global crisis, the airline s main objective at present is to consolidate local operations in Sri Lanka. Therefore, we are happy to consolidate all operations, Jayaweera told Daily News Business. more..

Mar 4 (SLA) LATEST confirmed reports from BUTTALA said two members of the Civil Defence Forces (CDF) had fallen victim to the fire, believed to have been directed by infiltrated Tiger terrorists on them when a group of CDF members were cycling in the general area of GONAGALARA, about 20 km to the BUTTALA town this morning at about 8.00 a.m. Those suspected Tiger terrorist infiltrators, hiding in the jungles have directed fire on the CDF personnel on BUTTALA- KATARAGAMA road. more..

Mar 4 (MoD) 7 Division troops operating in Visuamadu area during a search carried out into deep jungles on Monday (2) after the area was brought under them came across an LTTE mass-scale mortar and bomb manufacturing factory that used metal, granite, iron and chemicals for production of explosives. Dummies of mortar bombs, anti personnel mines, anti tank mines, land mines, time bombs, claymore mines and more..

Mar 4 (MoD) Startling discoveries that are being made from Tiger strongholds amply prove that terrorists, thanks to technology that has been smuggled into the country during their heyday, have been experimenting on their own at will with money sent from the Diaspora. Those recoveries had been made from Udayarkattu, Sundarapuram and Visuamadu areas by the troops. more..

Mar 4 (Island) The National Cricket Team was sent to Pakistan as the Pakistan Government had pledged VVIP security for them, Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge told Parliament yesterday in a special statement soon after the news broke out that the Sri Lankan players had come under terrorist attack. He said the promises of security made by the Pakistani government had been re-assured by the Sri Lankan High Commission in Karachi. more..

Mar 4 (DN) One of the main reasons of this financial crisis is that a bunch of few powerful businessmen tried to produce quick money using high risk, high interest investments. Golden Key - Sakvithi scenes are global phenomenon. This excessive greediness creates a credit crunch and recession. The same phenomenon is happening when we tried to solve our economic woes by exploiting more and more natural resources in an unsustainable manner. more..