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Terminally ill Tiger peace negotiator laments fate of Tamils
COLOMBO, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger peace negotiator Anton Balasingham has confirmed he has terminal cancer but that it is “minor” compared to the “immense suffering” of Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils, a report said Thursday. The London-based Anton Balasingham, 68, who was diagnosed with bile duct cancer last week, also said he was […]
Fresh fighting erupts in eastern Sri Lanka as Indian envoy arrives
COLOMBO, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) – Heavy fighting gripped Sri Lanka on Thursday as Tamil Tiger rebels and troops blamed each other for the renewed battles and India sent a top envoy to discuss the worsening violence. Sri Lanka’s defence ministry said war planes pounded bases of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) […]
Sri Lanka troops mount fresh offensive: Tigers
COLOMBO, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan soldiers backed by tanks and artillery launched a fresh ground offensive Thursday into territory held by Tiger guerrillas in the east of the island, a rebel spokesman said. The bitter ethnic conflict has claimed at least 60,000 lives since it began in 1972. Troops were advancing into […]
Sri Lanka rupee gains sharply in volatile trading; stocks up
November 22, (LBO) – Sri Lanka rupee zoomed to 106.05 in early morning trade Wednesday, two days after it hit an all time low of 109.40, after authorities took measures to take immediate pressure off the market, dealers said.Information reaching the market that petroleum bills would not be settled with purchases from the market in […]
Home Bias
Nov 22, 2006 (LBO) – Government attempts to retain more re-insurance at home may reduce the quality of the cover available from the industry and concentrate too much risk in one geographical location, an international risk analyst has warned. Top local firms were now placing risks with re-insurers with ratings of A- or higher, but […]
Big Fish
November 22, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s securities watchdog has filed action against nine people for misleading market players with transactions connected with shares of Nawaloka Hospitals Ltd. The nine persons, the SEC says committed “acts to create a false/misleading appearance of an active share market and the offences of aiding and abetting and conspiracy […]
Air travel to boom on low-cost, emerging economies: Airbus
LONDON, Nov 22, 2006 (AFP) – European aircraft maker Airbus said Wednesday that its estimate of world demand for airliners in the next 20 years had leapt by 31.2 percent in two years to a total of 22,700. The surge from estimates in 2004 was being driven by demand from low-cost airlines and by growth […]
Choices: Going North or Going South?
November 22, 2006 (LBO) – The Colombo-Habarana Road is a military supply route. Those driving on it are likely to come across slow moving convoys of army containers guarded by soldiers going North and buses carrying soldiers and sailors going South on home leave. Yet, the recent rains washed away parts of this road between […]
Sri Lanka unfazed by donor condemnation
COLOMBO, Nov 22, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government was Wednesday undeterred in its battle against Tamil Tigers, despite heavy criticism dished out to the warring parties after a key international donor meeting.“Even more impatient than us, we believe, are the different people of Sri Lanka.They are suffering from this present atmosphere of fear,” Solheim […]
Tiger chief peace negotiator terminally ill: report
COLOMBO, Nov 22, 2006 (AFP) – The top peace negotiator for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels, Anton Balasingham, is terminally ill with cancer, a Tamil newspaper here reported Wednesday. Balasingham had been the main contact for peace broker Norway as well as other key international players involved in attempts to bring about a peaceful resolution […]