Category: Other
Sri Lanka needs more protectionist agricultural policies: agri economist
August 01, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka needs a more protectionist trade policy to ensure vulnerable sections of society are protected from the negative effects of liberalization while enabling its advantages to be exploited, a top agricultural economist said. This was one of the main reasons for the repeated failure of Doha talks, Herath said. […]
Thailand inflation plunges near four-year low in July
BANGKOK, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) – Thailand’s inflation rate hit a 43-month low of 1.7 percent in July, despite rising food prices, as consumption remained slow, the Commerce Ministry said Wednesday.It was the fifth consecutive rate cut this year and came amid government calls on the bank to tame the volatile baht after the currency […]
Bad TRIP
August 01, 2007 (LBO) – Developing countries Sri Lanka must be provided policy space in areas like intellectual property and get a comparative advantage in world markets, academics say. “The trade rules, even though biased against developing countries, have still created a situation which developing countries with the right policies might be able to succeed […]
EU welcomes ASEAN plan for single market
MANILA, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) – The European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Wednesday welcomed Southeast Asia’s plans to create a single market by 2015.Speaking at an Asian security summit in the Philippines, Solana said Europe was following “with the greatest interest” the plans of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). “We […]
Murdoch wins control of Dow Jones
NEW YORK, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) – Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has won control of Dow Jones & Co. and The Wall Street Journal newspaper in a five billion dollar takeover, the US company confirmed Wednesday. Dow Jones’s assets also include Barron’s magazine, MarketWatch, DowJones Newswires, the Dow Jones Indexes and the Ottaway group of […]
Aborigine wrenched from family wins landmark claim against Aussie govt.
SYDNEY, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) – An Aborigine removed from his family as a baby in 1958 has won compensation in a landmark court case over Australia’s “stolen generation” scandal, the national broadcaster reported Wednesday.Bruce Trevorrow was awarded damages of 525,000 dollars (448,717 US dollars) in the first such case to have succeeded, the Australian […]
World stocks in meltdown over US economy fears
LONDON, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) – European and Asian stock markets plummeted Wednesday, mirroring heavy losses the previous day in New York, on mounting fears that weakness in the US housing sector could infect the world economy.In London, Frankfurt and Paris the main share indices were down almost 2.0 percent nearing the half-way stage. The […]
Maldives heads for referendum on political system
July 31, 2007 (AFP) – The Indian Ocean tourist paradise of the Maldives will hold a referendum to decide the future role of its powerful presidency held by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom for the past 29 years, officials said Tuesday.The main opposition party welcomed the move to hold a plebiscite next month on whether the presidency […]
Saudi Clearance
July 31, 2007 (LBO) – The tribal leader of a victim’s family will only intervene on behalf of a teenaged housemaid on death row once clearance is given by the Saudi foreign ministry, Sri Lankan officials have been told. Rizana Nafeek who was 17 years old at the time of the incident has been convicted […]
News Corp. bid for Dow Jones on brink as deadline passes
NEW YORK, July 30, 2007 (AFP) – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. late Monday awaited a decision from the family that controls Dow Jones & Co. on its five-billion-dollar offer for the company and its crown asset, The Wall Street Journal. A reported deadline for members of the Bancroft family — which controls 64 percent of […]
India tightens monetary policy further with inflation 4.41% in mid-July
MUMBAI, July 31, 2007 (AFP) – The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday hiked its cash reserve ratio for banks by 50 basis points to seven percent, but kept short-term borrowing rates unchanged.The central bank said in a quarterly review that while inflation had fallen below its five percent forecast for the year to March […]
Sri Lanka agribusiness firms reach out to farmers
July 31, 2007 (LBO) –Sri Lanka’s agribusiness companies have started a programme to get corporate executives to volunteer their services help farmers improve productivity, reduce waste and get better access to markets. The aim of the programme, launched under the aegis of the National Agribusiness Council (NAC), is to get member firms to provide two […]