Treplo.com - Economics & Finance World Blog

Russia expelled four British diplomats on Thursday in response to Britain’s expulsion of the same number of Russian diplomats earlier this week over Russia’s refusal to extradite a suspect in last year’s radiation poisoning of a former K.G.B. officer in London.

Russia will also tighten visa requirements on British government officials’ travel to Russia, in response to a similar move announced by Britain on Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mikhail Kamynin, said in a statement.

The symmetrical nature of the reply suggested that Russian authorities wanted to avoid any escalation in the poisoning case, which has unraveled into a bruising and drawn-out controversy for the Kremlin.

In his first public comments on the tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions, President Vladimir V. Putin said he believed that relations with Britain would now develop normally.

“It is necessary to measure our actions with common sense, to respect the legitimate rights and interests of partners, and everything will work out in the best way,” Mr. Putin said in remarks carried on state television. “I am sure we will cope with this minicrisis.”

Mr. Kamynin said the four British Embassy staff members in Moscow had been declared persona non grata and should leave Russia within 10 days, the same conditions the British had announced for the Russian diplomats. “From now on we shall act in a mirrorlike fashion in regard to all visa-related issues,” he said.

He also said Russia would suspend counterterrorism cooperation between the F.S.B., a successor agency to the K.G.B., and security agencies in Britain.

In an earlier statement, on Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry suggested that Britain first articulated a refusal to cooperate with the F.S.B. in response to the murder of Alexander V. Litvinenko, the former K.G.B. officer. Counterterrorism cooperation, strengthened at Russia’s initiative after the Sept. 11 attacks, when Mr. Putin was the first foreign leader to telephone President Bush to offer assistance, had been seen as a strength in otherwise strained relations between Russia and the West. The issues with Britain do not affect ties with the United States, however.

Mr. Kamynin also said Britain’s ambassador to Russia, Tony Brenton, had been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and notified of other countermeasures, which were not specified in his public statement.

Finally, he said, Mr. Brenton had been told that Russia perceived Britain’s expulsion of diplomats as “unfriendly conduct.”

Neither side identified the diplomats who had been declared unwelcome. Britain announced its expulsions on Monday, in response to Russia’s refusal to extradite a suspect in the killing of Mr. Litvinenko, who died on Nov. 23 after ingesting the radioactive isotope polonium 210.

Russia’s uncharacteristically subdued response came as the Kremlin had faced a din of criticism from Europe and the United States over the case, and suggested a desire to wind down the dispute, Pavel E. Felgenhauer, a defense columnist at Novaya Gazeta in Moscow, said in a telephone interview.

Just on Thursday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked for Russia’s “full cooperation” in the extradition request, and the European Union issued a statement supporting Britain.

“A terrible crime was committed on British soil, and Britain has to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” Ms. Rice said on the sidelines of a Middle East peace conference in Portugal, Agence France-Presse reported. “It is not in anybody’s interests that you can have a crime committed of this kind and nothing be done about it.”

Mr. Litvinenko had been a vocal critic of Mr. Putin’s leadership, among other things accusing his former employer, the F.S.B., of being behind a series of residential apartment buildings in Moscow in 1999 that killed more than 300 people, something the Russian government denies.

British prosecutors say they have enough evidence to prove that another former K.G.B. agent, Andrei K. Lugovoi, administered the lethal dose to Mr. Litvinenko’s tea at a meeting last November. But Russian officials say their Constitution prohibits extraditing citizens to other countries to stand trial.

Premier Ann Arbor jewelry store, Lewis Jewelers announces its Free Lifetime Diamond Trade-Up policy.

“Buy the diamond ring you can afford today, and trade it in for a larger diamond tomorrow,” said store owner David N. Lewis.

Lewis Jewelers guarantees the full trade in value of a diamond purchase toward a larger diamond worth 50% or more than the original price, at any time a customer wishes to upgrade the stone.

Customers will receive credit for the price paid for a diamond towards a new diamond purchase. There is no limit on the number of times a person can upgrade, and there is no re-stocking fee.

Simply call Lewis Jewelers, reserve your new diamond from the Bridal Ring Builder inventory, and obtain a Return Authorization Number (RA#). The original purchase price of the trade-up will be applied toward the purchase of a new diamond with at least a 50% additional value or greater, providing the following conditions are met:

A. Diamond is not damaged.
B. The original diamond certificate is included. (If you do not return the original diamond certificate, there will be a $150.00 fee).
C. The copy of original purchase receipt showing price paid and date of purchase.

Lewis Jewelers requests that when shipping the ring that customers send their diamond with original diamond certificate, copy of original purchase receipt and Return Authorization Number to:

Lewis Inc.
Attn: Bonnie Schneider
RA#
2000 West Stadium Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-994-5111

Please ship the diamond via US Postal Service Registered Mail and have the package insured for the purchase price. If a customer does not insure the package, and the ring is lost on shipment, he or she will be responsible for the loss.

The store was founded in 1921 by Morris B. Lewis of Detroit, Mich. He had envisioned a jewelry store built on the foundation of integrity, customer service, and quality merchandise at affordable prices. The store was then passed onto Morton H. Lewis, who then moved the store to Ann Arbor.

Lewis Jewelers is distinguishable not only by reputation but also by offering some of the world’s finest jewelry designers. Lewis Jewelers is family owned and operated business with 20 full-time employees, which includes four master goldsmiths and three certified gemologists (graduates of the Gemological Institute of America G.I.A).

Lewis Jewelers is proud to carry the full line of Pandora Jewelry.

For more information, contact Lewis Jewelers at 877-88-LEWIS or visit www.lewisjewelers.com.

Lewis Jewelers is located at 2000 West Stadium Blvd in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Synthetic Genomics and the Asiatic Centre for Genome Technology today (11th July) announced a multi-year, research and development joint venture to sequence and analyze the oil palm genome. ACGT is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asiatic Development Berhad, an oil palm plantation company.

ACGT and its parent company’s chairman and chief executive, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, made equity investments in Synthetic Genomics as part of the deal, however, the financial details were not disclosed.

“Increasing global demand for non-renewable fossil fuels is contributing to climate change and unsustainable development,” explains J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Synthetic Genomics. “Biofuels derived from oilseed plants by using genomic tools are a promising alternative that could alleviate our reliance on fossil fuels if they can be used in an environmentally sound way. We look forward to working with ACGT to advance the use of these energy crops.”

The first phase of the agreement focuses on oil palm. Synthetic Genomics will conduct in-depth genomic analyses of the oil palm genome and this will represent the first full analysis of the oil palm genome. In subsequent studies the groups will also analyze the oil palm’s root and leaf microbial communities, to identify biomarkers and metabolic pathways that affect the plant’s growth and viability.

While oil palm is one of the most productive oilseed crops and is used for both food and for fuels its promise as a clean energy source has not yet been fully realized. Synthetic Genomics and ACGT believe that by understanding the oil palm’s genome, the groups can enable palm oil to be a better source of renewable fuel by breeding plants with useful traits. These include: traits that enable the plant to be grown in more arid locations and the development of plants with high oil yield and low height increment.

Synthetic Genomics and ACGT will also develop diagnostic tests for plant diseases that enhance natural resistance mechanisms for the breeding and maintenance of disease resistant energy crops. The resulting genomic solutions will help address the ecological concerns on biodiversity destruction through more efficient use of land with higher agricultural yield as well as sustainable development with improved stewardship of the plantation environment.

“We are eager to work with Synthetic Genomics as it opens up a new horizon in oil palm research which will result in unprecedented understanding of the oil palm and its surroundings and we are confident it will significantly increase oil palm’s productivity and competitive advantage,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chief Executive of Asiatic. “Our partnership consists of a world class scientific team with expertise in molecular biology, metagenomics, metabolic engineering, chemistry, plant science and agronomy who can greatly improve the selection and breeding of oil palm.”

For the first time in its 100-year history, the Tour de France will start in London as part of a dedicated three-day celebration - The Grand Depart 2007 – which is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors over 3 days.

Celebrations for the world-famous Tour de France would start with an opening ceremony in Trafalgar Square on the 6th July, followed by a 1-day race through London on Saturday 7th July. The official launch of the first leg of the Tour de France takes place on Sunday 8th July and sees riders racing through London on their way to Canterbury.

Speaking about the event, Kate Sharman, Account Manager with BHRConline.com, explains, “It is a great honour for London to host such a prestigious event, and its historic setting will create a dramatic backdrop for one of the biggest annual sporting events in the world.”

It has been estimated that the race will attract over 1 million visitors to the capital and by coinciding with the Wimbledon Tennis Championships Finals, demand for accommodation is through the roof, with majority of hotels near venue already fully booked. BHRC recommends to try the adjoining districts for reasonably-priced accommodation.

“We recommend that if people are visiting London this coming weekend to join in the celebrations or simply through necessity, that they book accommodation immediately. We are anticipating that last minute room availability will be very hard to come by and it is likely that last minute rates might be high,” suggests Kate.

Most top hotels have seen bookings pour in since last week. BHRC’s own highly experienced reservation team has anticipated the situation and is fully prepared to assist customers with difficult bookings, particularly for when occupancy levels in London are high due to various events.

In its drive to expand telecom services both in mobile and fixed line segments, Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel on Tuesday awarded a $900 million contract to Nokia Siemens to deploy equipments in various circles in which it operates.The two-year GSM expansion programme will cover the company’s eight existing circles of Mumbai, Maharashtra and Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand, Orissa, Kolkata and West Bengal, where Nokia Siemens Networks already provides equipment and managed services.

The memorandum of partnership was signed between Bharti Airtel President and CEO Manoj Kohli and Nokia Siemens Networks CEO Simon Beresford Wylie.

Commenting on the partnership Kohli said: “Bharti Airtel is undertaking a massive expansion and integration exercise across its mobile and fixed networks to significantly augment its service delivery capacity. Today’s comprehensive network expansion contract is a reflection of this vision.”

For the two-year fixed network expansion, Nokia Siemens will deploy 1.8 million Next Generation Networks ports across Airtel’s National Long Distance and International Long Distance networks.

“We are honoured to be awarded this first of its kind end-to-end network expansion contract by Bharti Airtel,” Wylie said adding this would enable Bharti Airtel to tap new market opportunities driven by convergence, optimise network performance and costs and continue to grow market share.