COLOMBO, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels vowed on Thursday to fight a full-scale civil war if the government wages one after scrapping the remains of a tattered ceasefire, and called on Norway to stay on as mediator. "If full-scale war is thrust upon us, we will face it and the Sri Lankan armed forces will face the same fate that they have faced in 1997/1998," S. Puleedevan, head of the Tigers' peace secretariat, told Reuters by telephone from the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi referring to the bloodiest stage of a 25-year war. The government has vowed to wipe out the Tigers militarily, setting the stage for what many fear will be a bloody battle for the north as a death toll of around 70,000 people since the war erupted in 1983 climbs daily. (Reporting by Simon Gardner; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
An HIV+ girl walks with her plate to the wash basin after eating her lunch at a school for HIV/AIDS affected children in Bhugaon, some 130 km (81 miles) from Mumbai ...
