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Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Pakistan squad for Bangladesh announced
Nadal ready for Davis Cup return
World number one Rafael Nadal will make his return from injury when Spain begin the defence of their Davis Cup crown against Serbia in Benidorm on Friday. Nadal has not played since losing to Andy Murray in the Rotterdam final on 15 February because of a knee injury. "I feel great and with a great will to keep going on," Nadal told his personal website. "I'm very excited about representing my country." The 2009 Davis Cup gets under way with eight first-round ties this week. Champions Spain are without Australian Open semi-finalist, and 2008 Davis Cup hero, Fernando Verdasco because of injury but are otherwise at full strength.
Commonwealth Games move ruled out
The head of the Commonwealth Games has rejected any suggestion the 2010 event will be switched from Delhi as a result of fears about security in the region. Tuesday's terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan has prompted further questions about Delhi's ability to stage the Games. But Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) boss Michael Hooper said Delhi would do whatever is required to ensure safety. "There is no plan B, the Games will be here, that's the reality," he said. "The Games are 20 months away and no other city, no matter how good its infrastructure, could manage to stage an event of this magnitude in the time now available. "There has never been any discussion whatsoever about shifting the Games. The Games will be in Delhi in 2010."
Sri Lanka cricketers arrive home
The Sri Lanka team have arrived home following the attacks on their bus by armed gunmen in Lahore on Tuesday. Seven players were wounded in the attacks, which killed six policemen and a driver. "None of us thought we would come alive out of the situation," said skipper Mahela Jayawardene. Batsman Thilan Samarweera, the most seriously injured, will have surgery on his knee in a private Colombo hospital after suffering a bullet wound. Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Suranka Lakmal, Thilan Thushara and assistant coach Paul Farbrace sustained minor injuries. Jayawardene explained the civil war in Sri Lanka left them better able than other teams to cope with the atrocious attack."We have been brought up in a background of terrorist activities," he said. "We are used to hearing, seeing these things. Firing, bombings. So we ducked under our seats when the firing began - we were screaming and hurt but couldn't help each other. "It's about families, livelihoods, kids, wives, parents everybody," he continued. "We need to look at the bigger picture and hopefully in the future we can make right decisions looking at all these and not just the small things. Geethanjana Mendis, director general of the Sports Ministry medical unit said: "The boys are all suffering from trauma. But they should all be OK and can get back to cricket in a week to 10 days. "Samaraweera, however, will need further surgery and treatment and he will need more time to recover." Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the leading wicket-taker in Test and one-day cricket, added: "All the while bullets were being sprayed at our bus, people around me were shouting. I am glad to be back." Former England batsman Chris Broad, the match referee in Lahore who shielded a wounded Pakistani umpire as his car was fired upon and the driver killed, is set to arrive back at Manchester airport on Wednesday morning.
Seize the moment, Brown urges US
Gordon Brown has received a standing ovation from the US Congress after he called for a renewal "of the special relationship for our generation". Mr Brown, the fifth UK prime minister in history to address both houses on Capitol Hill, urged the US and UK to push for "essential" economic changes. Neither nation should "succumb" to protectionism "which protects no-one", but "seize the moment", he said. Mr Brown announced Senator Ted Kennedy would get an honorary UK knighthood. The prime minister paid tribute to the work of US troops in Afghanistan and said terrorists could "not ever destroy the American spirit". The partnership between the UK and the US is "unbreakable" and that "no power on earth can ever draw us apart", he also said.
Asteroid passes close to Earth
Abu Dhabi to hold Pakistan talks
Abu Dhabi Cricket Association boss Dilwar Mani plans further talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board about having more games in the neutral venue. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are already due to host Pakistan's limited overs games against Australia next month, and New Zealand could go there later this year. That could extend to England, who are scheduled to play four Tests and five one-day matches in Pakistan in 2010. "The decision must be made between the two cricket boards," Mani told the BBC. England are due to tour Pakistan in February and March next year, but in the wake of the attacks in Lahore it appears unthinkable that those matches will go ahead there. Mani said he had not yet been approached about staging some of England's matches but told me he would be 'delighted' to step in as host. ''Should any country require our assistance and facilities we can make them available," said the chief executive.
Sudan soldier: 'They told me to kill, to rape children'
Zardari rules out Taleban truce
Pakistani President Asif Zardari has said Pakistan has not and will not negotiate with the "extremist Taleban and terrorists". Mr Zardari said that the "clerics" with whom his government had engaged in Swat valley were not the Taleban. Authorities and a key radical cleric recently agreed a deal that would bring Sharia law to the region in return for an end to Taleban militancy. The scenic valley has long been blighted by militant violence. The Taleban have also destroyed nearly 200 schools, most of them for girls, during a sustained campaign against secular education in Swat. Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Mr Zardari said: "The clerics with whom we have engaged [in Swat] are not Taleban. Indeed, in our dialogue we'd made it clear that it is their responsibility to rein in and neutralise Taleban and other insurgents." "If they do so and lay down their arms, this initiative will have succeeded for the people of Swat Valley. If not, our security forces will act accordingly." Mr Zardari said that "this process of weaning reconcilable elements of an insurgency away from the irreconcilables has been mischaracterised in the West". Mr Zardari said that Pakistan "will not condone" the closing of girls' schools in Swat. "Indeed, the government insists that the education of young women is mandatory. This is not an example of the government condoning or capitulating to extremism - quite the opposite."Mr Zardari said Pakistan's fight against terrorism is "relentless" and the ruling government had conducted a number of operations against militants. Taleban insurgents in the troubled Swat valley of Pakistan announced an indefinite ceasefire following the deal with the authorities. The situation in Swat remains tense and the militants are yet to disarm or end their hold over areas they control. Swat has been the scene of bloody clashes between militants and government forces since November 2007. More than 1,000 civilians have died in shelling by the army or from beheadings sanctioned by the Taleban. Thousands more have been displaced.
How the attack on cricketers happened (Full Story)
"There are two white cars that were apparently used in the ambush that are being investigated by police officers, and there is the police van that bore the brunt of the gunfire," he said."One of the police officers, we understand, was killed in this van. It is surrounded by broken glass and there is blood spilled and congealed on the seats and there is a real sense of shock and bewilderment as hundreds of local journalists and police are milling around." Punjab Governor Salman Taseer arrived at the scene about an hour after the attack. "These [attackers] were fully trained people, the way they were running and the kind of weapons they had... they are the same [type of] people who launched attacks in Mumbai. They were no ordinary terrorists."
Polling for Senate seats underway
China to boost military spending
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Sri Lanka cricketers arrive home
The Sri Lanka cricket team has arrived home from Pakistan after masked gunmen opened fire on its bus in Lahore. Six policemen and a driver were killed in the ambush and eight members of the cricket touring party were injured.
The team's return to Colombo saw emotional reunions with anxious family members at the international airport. Meanwhile, the police hunt for the gunmen continues in Pakistan as officials try to establish who is responsible for the attacks. The attacks on Tuesday drew international condemnation. New Zealand cricket officials have said they expect to cancel their forthcoming tour of Pakistan. Separately, Pakistani police have shown journalists a large cache of arms recovered from several locations near the site of Tuesday's attack. The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says there were backpacks stuffed with food and water, suggesting that the gunmen may have been prepared for a long siege, as was the case in last year's attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai. Rehman Malik, Pakistan's Interior Ministry advisor, said the country was in a "state of war". He called for patience but vowed to "flush all these terrorists out of the country". Up to 14 gunmen were involved in the attack on the Liberty Square roundabout in the heart of Lahore. The masked men opened fire as the Sri Lanka team coach approached the cricket stadium for its latest Test match against Pakistan.
None of the injured Sri Lanka team members was so seriously hurt that they could not fly back to Colombo but once they arrived, five players and assistant coach Paul Farbrace, who is British, went to a local medical centre for further checks.
Funerals
"There were just these images of life flashing through my mind; all the while bullets were being sprayed at our bus, people around me were shouting," spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan told the AFP news agency. Captain Mahela Jayawardene told reporters at the airport that he was relieved to be home but admitted that it will take time to get over their experience.Meanwhile, funerals for the dead Pakistani policemen took place in Lahore on Tuesday night. Officials said Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona had travelled to Pakistan to be updated on the investigation. Earlier, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse condemned the "cowardly terrorist attack". Grenades, rocket launchers and backpacks belonging to the attackers were found at the scene, police said. Officials in Pakistan said the incident bore similarities to the deadly attacks in Mumbai in India last November. The Mumbai bombings were blamed on Pakistan-based Islamic militants and the security forces are expected to investigate any connections to al-Qaeda and Taleban militants as well as Kashmiri jihadi groups.
Security failures
Pakistan is engaged in a bloody struggle against Islamist insurgents who have staged high-profile attacks on civilian targets before.Meanwhile, Sri Lankan authorities are waging their own domestic military campaign against Tamil Tiger separatist rebels. The Pakistani politician Imran Khan, a former captain of the country's cricket team, criticised the security arrangements for the Sri Lanka team. "This was one of the worst security failures in Pakistan," he said. Pakistani cricket was already suffering from serious security concerns. Last month, the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council, decided not to hold the 2009 Champions Trophy there due to safety worries. New Zealand cricket authorities have told the BBC that a proposed tour to Pakistan now seems unlikely. The ICC is now considering whether Pakistan can co-host the cricket World Cup, due to be held across four South Asian countries in 2011. Pakistan invited Sri Lanka to tour only after India's cricket team pulled out of a scheduled tour following the Mumbai attacks.
Sindh govt withdraws cases against Altaf
India win rain-affected one-dayer
India beat New Zealand by 53 runs in the rain-interrupted first one-day international at Napier on Tuesday to take a lead in the five-match series. India made 273-4 from 38 overs after their innings was halted for two-and-a-half hours because of rain. New Zealand were set a revised target of 216 to win off 28 overs after their reply was also interrupted by showers. However, the hosts could only manage 162-9, losing by 53 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method. India captain Mahendra Dhoni top-scored with 84 not out from 89 balls while opener Virender Sehwag blasted 77 from 56 and Suresh Raina 66 from 39. Martin Guptill led New Zealand's reply with a solid 64 but their hopes of winning were destroyed when Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh captured three wickets in four balls. The second match of the series takes place in Wellington on Friday.