All Blogs
Sri Lanka army reports lull in fighting
January 31, 2009 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan military reported a lull in fighting Saturday with cornered Tamil Tiger rebels, as the Red Cross tried to negotiate the evacuation of more civilian wounded from the conflict zone. “There have been no incidents, no casualties, no terrorist killed or military items recovered from terrorists,” in the […]
Sri Lanka Tigers, Red Cross in talks to free wounded civilians
January 31, 2009 (AFP) – The Red Cross said Saturday it was in talks with Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger rebels to release more wounded civilians trapped in the island’s embattled north.Sri Lanka’s government, which denies it targets civilians, has rejected international calls for a ceasefire and says the military is in the final phase of […]
UN urges safe passage for civilians caught in Sri Lanka fighting
UNITED NATIONS, January 30, 2009 (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday appealed to the Sri Lankan government and its Tamil foes to ensure safe passage for an estimated 250,000 civilians caught in the fighting in the northeast of the island country.“The Secretary General calls upon the (rebel) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), […]
Yuvraj props up India with 66
January 31, 2009 (AFP) – Yuvraj Singh smashed a half-century to help India post a competitive 256-9 in the second one-day international against Sri Lanka here on Saturday.The middle-order batsman made an impressive 66 for his 38th half-century after his side had lost three wickets for 83 runs.He steadied the innings with an 85-run stand […]
Sri Lankan Tamils in Canada protest fighting
OTTAWA, January 30, 2009 (AFP) – Hundreds of Tamils on Friday formed a human chain in downtown Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, to protest a Sri Lankan military push for victory against Tamil rebels. Toronto is home to the largest concentration of Tamils outside of Sri Lanka. Holding up banners decrying the Sri Lankan military’s latest […]
Sri Lankan stocks slide 0.75 percent
Jan 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka shares closed down 0.75 percent Friday, dragged down by worse-than-expected third quarter earnings of index heavy John Keells Holdings (JKH), dealer said. Foreign investors bought 27.3 million rupees with shares, and sold 85.4 million rupees worth shares, resulting in net sales of 58.1 million rupees. The All Share […]
Finance Meet
Jan 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa had met the heads of banks, finance and leasing companies to discuss recent turmoil and future direction, the president’s office said. Representatives of state and private banks, the Central Bank and Treasury were also in the meeting, held Thursday. The meeting discussed the steps take […]
Refuge
TOKYO, January 30, 2009 (AFP) – The number of asylum seekers in Japan doubled last year amid turmoil in Myanmar but only a small number of them were granted refugee status, government figures showed Friday. By comparison, the United States resettles up to 50,000 refugees a year. Japan imposes tight restrictions on immigration and has […]
Mobile Alert
Jan 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has launched a disaster warning system based on mobile phones that can deliver a an alert to millions of mobile phones users within minutes of an event taking place anywhere in the world, an officials said. “As a result of the international linkages we have built, I received […]
UN evacuates wounded civilians from Sri Lanka war zone
January 29, 2009 (AFP) – The United Nations evacuated hundreds of severely wounded civilians from behind rebel lines in Sri Lanka Thursday as government troops fought to secure final victory over the Tamil Tigers.Human rights bodies have called for immediate steps by both the Colombo government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to […]