Category:
” despite policy conflicts
July 30, 2008 (LBO) – A summit meeting of South Asian leaders this weekend is placing ‘food security’ high on its agenda with promises of more state intervention, officials said, despite recent state meddling that backfired on the region’s poor and farmers.Sri Lanka’s international trade minister G L Peiris told reporters that the time has […]
Japan foreign minister puts off South Asia trip
TOKYO, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura has put off a visit to South Asia starting this weekend due to political uncertainties at home, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Japan was arranging for Komura to visit India, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan from Friday until August 8, said a foreign ministry official, […]
Sri Lanka suspends internal flights for security reasons
July 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan authorities plan to suspend domestic flights to northern Jaffna later this week for the duration of a summit of south Asian leaders in Colombo, a senior government official said.Civil Aviation Authority director general Parakrama Dissanayake said flights by domestic carriers between Colombo and Jaffna have been suspended during […]
Sri Lanka Allianz unit enters life insurance market
July 30, 2008 (LBO) – Allianz Lanka, the Sri Lankan unit of Germany’s Allianz SE, said it has got the license to enter the largely untapped life insurance market where it sees much potential. The local subsidiary of Allianz has been increasing customers in both the corporate as well as retail market. The company recently […]
Fed extends emergency lending to investment firms
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday extended its emergency lending program to January 2009 for investment firms aimed at keeping credit flowing in the financial system.The Fed said it took the action “in light of continued fragile circumstances in financial markets” along with other steps to ease a global credit […]
Dismayed powers plea for salvage effort after wrecked WTO talks
GENEVA, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – World trading powers appealed on Wednesday for efforts to salvage WTO proposals amid regret and emotion at the collapse of nine-day marathon talks, and warnings that the poorest countries will suffer.“I would only urge the Director-General (of the WTO) to treat this as a pause, not a breakdown, to […]
”: Norway
OSLO, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – The breakdown of the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations signals a “new world order” in which the West can no longer unilaterally impose its will on the rest of the world, Norway’s foreign minister said Wednesday.“I may have been present as the world order crumbled.But at the same time, […]
Oil prices fall sharply as dollar strengthens
LONDON, July 29, 2008 (AFP) – Oil prices fell heavily on Tuesday as traders reacted to the stronger dollar, erasing earlier gains seen after energy giant Royal Dutch Shell suspended some of its crude deliveries from Nigeria. OPEC President Chakib Khelil described crude prices above 120 dollars a barrel as “abnormal,” adding that they could […]
Widespread lament over collapse of WTO talks
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – Government and business leaders lamented the failure to reach a global trade pact in Geneva on Tuesday, with a leading US business group blaming China and India for the collapse of the talks.Argentina however blamed wealthy nations for failing to provide enough concrete benefits for developing countries. The breakdown […]
Los Angeles passes ban on new fast-food outlets
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – Los Angeles officials on Tuesday approved a one-year ban on fast-food chains opening in a poor neighborhood of the city battling higher-than-average obesity, officials said.The moratorium covers the 500,000 people living in the 32-square mile area of South Los Angeles, which is predominantly Hispanic and African-American. Designed to […]
‘s backlash in second Test
GALLE, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene says his team is well-prepared for India’s expected fight-back in the second Test starting here on Thursday.The hosts outplayed India in all departments of the game in the opening match of the three-Test series in Colombo, winning by an innings and 239 runs on […]
New media turn Beijing into e-Games
HONG KONG, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – When Coroebus of Elis won the first Olympic sprint in 776 BC, the result was scratched on to parchment and read out in market places in the following days and weeks.This year, the Olympic 100 metres champion will be announced immediately, to billions worldwide, via a click of […]