Tag: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka troops, Tigers fight heavy sea battle
COLOMBO, Sept 25, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s navy and Tamil Tiger rebels fought a fierce sea battle on Monday, with both sides giving conflicting casualty figures ranging from three to 70 killed. A navy vessel detected several boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) off the coast of Mullaitivu sparking a battle […]
Tigers deny forcing Muslims out of Sri Lanka town
COLOMBO, Sept 25, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels Monday denied forcing minority Muslims to quit a coastal town where 17 aid workers of a French charity were massacred last month. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they were not responsible for distributing leaflets among thousands of Muslims in the […]
Oil Slump
SINGAPORE, Sept 25, 2006 (AFP) – Oil prices fell back below 60 dollars in Asian trade Monday to their lowest level in six months, before regaining some ground, partly on easing concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, dealers said. At 2:40 pm (0640 GMT) New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for November delivery, was down […]
Condoleezza Rice urges Sri Lanka to push ahead with peace talks
NEW YORK, Sept 23, 2006 (AFP) – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged her Sri Lankan counterpart here Saturday to make a concerted effort in planned peace talks with rebels from the country’s Tamil minority, a senior US official said.Meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaweera on the sidelines of the UN General […]
Fighting picks up in Eastern Sri Lanka despite peace efforts
Sept 24 (AFP) – Tamil rebels and Sri Lankan troops waged artillery duels Sunday in the embattled east, the military said, in continued fighting despite a push by Norway to restore a ceasefire ahead of talks. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired artillery and mortar bombs at the Kiran and Vavunathivu army […]
Human rights group demand probe of abuses in Sri Lanka
GENEVA, Sept 22 (AFP) – International and Sri Lankan human rights campaigners on Friday called for a United Nations inquiry into abuses against civilians by Tamil Tiger rebels and government forces on the strife-torn island.They urged the UN Human Rights Council, the world body’s top watchdog forum, to launch a probe as soon as possible […]
Six civillian killed Northeast Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sept 22(AFP) – At least six civilians were killed in separate incidents across Sri lanka’s embattled northeast, the defence ministry here said Friday.Security forces found the bullet-riddled bodies of three men in the Jaffna peninsula where another man had been similarly shot dead by unidentified attackers on Thursday, the ministry said. It said a […]
British travellers warned after new Sri Lanka violence
LONDON, Sept 22, 2006 (AFP) – Britain’s foreign ministry tightened up its advice Friday to travellers in north and east Sri Lanka after at least six people were killed in the troubled area. In a review of its travel advice, the Foreign Office warned Britons not to travel to any part of the north or […]
Sri Lanka troops deployed at Muslim town after rioting
COLOMBO, Sept 21, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops were deployed at a Muslim town in the island’s east to quell rioting following the massacre of 10 residents, military officials said Thursday. Soldiers were deployed in the town of Pottuvil after residents clashed with local police, although an overnight curfew was eased early Thursday. “Soldiers […]
Developing states aim to lift millions out poverty with new G11 forum
NEW YORK, Sept 20, 2006 (AFP) – Eleven developing economies clubbed together Wednesday to unveil a new forum aimed at easing their debt burden, narrowing the income gap with rich countries and lifting millions of people out of poverty. Jordan’s King Abdullah II unveiled the Group of 11 (G11) mostly lower-middle income countries on the […]
End bloodshed to restore Sri Lanka business confidence: IMF-WBank
SINGAPORE, Sept 20, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has shown economic resilience but needs to end violence to restore much-needed business confidence, the World Bank and IMF said Wednesday. The South Asian nation forecasts a blistering 8.0 percent growth this year, the biggest in nearly three decades, despite soaring violence that has claimed more than […]
Advertisers take advantage of tighter Sri Lanka security
COLOMBO, Sept 20, 2006 (AFP) – The fear of bomb attacks in Sri Lanka following an upsurge in violence has spawned extra security checks, making daily life more difficult, but the hassle has also created unexpected marketing opportunities, according to advertising specialists. At road-blocks, for instance, prominent adverts for products such as the pain-killer “Panadol” […]