All Blogs
Sri Lanka summit to consider trade, food security moves
July 22, 2008 (LBO) – South Asian leaders holding a summit in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo next months will consider setting up common standards for goods made in the region as well as a food crisis fund and buffer stocks, a senior official said. Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said south Asian leaders are […]
Sri Lanka Tigers declare ceasefire for S. Asia summit
July 22, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s separatist Tamil Tiger rebels declared Tuesday a ceasefire with the military during a 10-day meeting of South Asian leaders starting here this week.There was no immediate comment from Colombo on the ceasefire. Sri Lanka’s army chief said last week that his forces had wiped out two-thirds of the […]
Sri Lankan Airlines to reduce flights to cut costs
July 22, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan Airlines plans to reduce flights to cut costs amid soaring fuel prices but said the new schedule would not affect key passenger segments like tourists and migrant workers. The state-owned airline said in a statement it will go ahead with re-fleeting plans by replacing four old aircraft with […]
Sri Lanka-India trade deal proponents emphasise benefits
July 22, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan proponents of a new trade and investment treaty with India say the island should go ahead with the deal as it gives access to a fast-growing economy with a huge market. Mano Selvanathan, president of the Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says safeguards built into the proposed […]
Indian government survives confidence vote: state TV
NEW DELHI, July 22, 2008 (AFP) – India’s government on Tuesday survived a parliamentary confidence vote that could have led to early polls and scuppered a nuclear energy deal with the United States, state television showed.A total of 253 deputies backed the government, 232 voted against and two abstained, according to results from electronic voting […]
Emerging markets want industrialised nations to make first move
GENEVA, July 22, 2008 (AFP) – Emerging economies challenged rich countries to prove their goodwill on Tuesday at crucial World Trade Organization talks, which were hamstrung by the absence of the Indian trade minister.Ministers from about 35 key nations are meeting in Geneva this week to break seven-year deadlock over a new global trade deal. […]
Indian opposition demand PM resign over bribe allegations
NEW DELHI, July 22, 2008 (AFP) – India’s main opposition party on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over allegations the government was bribing lawmakers to survive a vote of confidence in parliament. The demand came as a crucial debate descended into chaos when opposition MPs started waving around large bundles of […]
‘s carbon sink: study
CHICAGO, July 21, 2008 (AFP) – Nutrients carried by the Amazon River help create a carbon sink deep in the Atlantic Ocean, a study released Monday has found.The key ingredients transported by the river are iron and phosphorus. These elements are all that an organism called a diazotroph needs to capture nitrogen and carbon from […]
European shares get boost from Bank of America earnings
LONDON, July 21, 2008 (AFP) – European stock exchanges forged ahead Monday, powered by news of second-quarter profit at Bank of America that reassured investors about the health of the US financial sector.In London the FTSE 100 index gained 0.52 percent to close at 5,404.30 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 rose 0.65 percent […]
Vaccine kick-starts immune response to cancer
July 21, 2008 (AFP) – Researchers have developed a plant-based cancer vaccine capable of kick-starting the body’s immune response and being tailored to a patient’s specific tumor type, according to a study released Monday.While they have not yet determined whether the immune response is sufficient to destroy the cancer, the researchers are hopeful that the […]