A RULING Friday by Sri Lanka's Supreme Court's to halt payments to an international bank in connection to a badly judged oil hedging deal entered into by the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) could harm Colombo's ability to obtain credit from global markets, an international rating agency warns.

THE UN strongly condemned the killing of an aid worker in late November and called for safety guarantees for humanitarian aid staff. The European Commission also condemned the killing but announced an increase of 2 million euros in aid to the Sri Lankan state, which is accused of killing number of aid workers

Even as Tamil Nadu leaders pressed for an immediate ceasefire and India reiterated that there could only be a political solution to the Tamil national question, both the Sri Lankan government and the main opposition, UNP, rejected calls for a ceasefire during a debate on the defence budget.

While conveying his love and gratitude to the people and leaders of Tamil Nadu and India who have grasped the heartbeat of Eelam, the LTTE leader V.Pirapaharan in his Hero’s Day speech on Thursday requested them to voice firmly for Tamil Eelam and to undertake conducive measures to remove the ban, a great hindrance to amicable relationship between India and the LTTE.

A journalists’ body urged the Sri Lankan government to release a Tamil radio station manager who was arrested in Colombo on November 15 on allegations of having ‘links with terrorists’ and ‘aiding terrorist activities’.

So, did you heed the government's call and hang the Lion Flag over your front door last week? If you did, feel free to turn the page. If not, dear worthy, liberal-minded soul, we pray you read on.

Sri Lankan national flags flew from buildings and lamp posts and posters covered walls in the capital Colombo and across the south of the island as part of week-long celebrations ordered by the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse to mark the capture of Pooneryn in the north.

Leader of New Left Front, Dr Wickramabahu Karunaratne, in a column that appeared last week in Lankadeepa accused the Rajapakse administration of spending 500 billions of national wealth in its military drive to kill Tamil Tigers.

Tamil Canadians express their concerns and hopes for an independent Tamil state.

According to Sri Lankan media reports, around 70 cadres of TMVP have fled the organisation to join the Tamil Tigers in the east during the past few months.

At least 130 SLA soldiers were killed and more than 450 wounded in the space 3 days when they attempted to breakthrough LTTE Forward Defence Lines (FDL) in Kilaali and Muhamaalai fronts, according to a reliable Sri Lankan military source.

The Tamil Tigers are likely building up their capacity for receiving weapons shipments with two long airstrips to receive large cargo planes, defence analysis group Jane's said on Tuesday, November 18.

The JHU, all Buddhist monks' party has declared that it severely opposes the TNA, Sri Lanka’s largest Tamil political party taking part in the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) deliberations.

The SLA launched an intensive artillery barrage targeting all the roads from Paranthan junction last Monday, killing a 24-year-old youth in front of Paranthan St. Antony's Church and causing injuries to six, including two elderly men, in the town.