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Tiger leader faces deadline for war or peace in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Nov 26 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s elusive Tamil Tiger supremo marks his 52nd birthday Sunday with a self-imposed deadline to decide the course of Asia’s longest-running ethnic conflict.The TNA is the third largest group in the 225-member assembly and their votes would be crucial for any political deal to end separatist violence, which has […]
‘s worst conflicts to meet in Singapore
SINGAPORE, Nov 25, 2006 (AFP) – Mediators who have tried to settle Asia’s most intractable conflicts will gather in Singapore Monday for a closed-door “retreat” to discuss peacemaking, organizers said. The Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre) will co-host the three-day meeting with Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), HD Centre said in […]
Sri Lanka bombs Black Tiger base
COLOMBO, Nov 25, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan war planes bombed a suspected base of Tamil Tiger suicide bombers in the island’s north Saturday, the defence ministry said, as the rebels commemorated their war dead. The defence ministry said a base housing “Black Tiger” suicide bombers was hit causing “heavy damage”, but gave no details […]
US Dollar falls against Euro
NEW YORK, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – The euro soared against the dollar Friday in volatile trading which saw the euro surpass the 1.30 dollar mark, hitting the highest level against the US currency since April 2005, traders said. The euro was changing hands at 1.3094 dollars at 1900 GMT, up from 1.2948 dollars late […]
Rated Footwear
Nov 24, 2006 (LBO) – An old-established family footwear company from the deep south of Sri Lanka, has published its credit rating, before entering the country’s debt markets through a debenture issue. The group’s origins dates back to the 1930’s and have interests in information technology, power generation and food processing. The holding company of […]
Sales boom at Barista coffee houses as high spending urban Sri Lankans socialise
November 24, 2006 (LBO) – Young urban Sri Lankans are steadily patronising India’s Barista Coffee Co.‘s, chains in Colombo, for a piece of cheescake and sip cappucino, while they surf the Internet, play board games and browse through magazines, officials said. “Our aim is to add two stores every year.We managed to do that this year, […]
Six Sri Lankans jailed in Singapore for credit card fraud
SINGAPORE, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – Six Sri Lankan men were handed jail terms of up to 11 years in Singapore for stealing money from automated cash machines using cloned credit cards, court officials said Friday. The Sri Lankans, who were residents in London and were in Singapore on social visit passes, swiped the money […]
Sri Lanka seeks foreign help to supply Jaffna civilians
COLOMBO, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president on Friday asked foreign relief agencies to help supply food and other essentials to half a million civilians trapped in the embattled northern Jaffna peninsula. President Mahinda Rajapakse said essentials had been shipped to the peninsula, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital, but distribution […]
Sri Lanka seeks Indian help to patrol maritime border
COLOMBO, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will seek India’s help to step up patrols of their common maritime border to prevent drug and arms smuggling and cross-border terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday. Rajapakse said he was also keen to boost bilateral trade with India, currently running at an annual two billion dollars, […]
Sri Lanka violence leaves 30 dead: army
COLOMBO, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – Renewed fighting in Sri Lanka’s embattled northern and eastern regions has left at least 30 people dead, according to defence ministry figures Friday. The bitter ethnic conflict has claimed at least 60,000 lives since it began in 1972. Security forces killed 19 Tamil Tiger rebels in two clashes Thursday […]