GENEVA - THE contraction in trade in response to the economic crisis appears to have begun bottoming out with Asia already showing a rebound, World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy said on Friday.
However, Mr Lamy also warned against 'excessive optimism' as he pointed out that the jobless numbers are still rising and that the political and social impact of rising unemployment has not been fully felt.
LIVERPOOL - LIVERPOOL and England midfielder Steven Gerrard was found not guilty Friday over an alleged assault on a businessman during a bar brawl.
The player voiced relief at the ruling, in a case which has hung over him since the incident last December.
KUALA LUMPUR - ASIA Pacific airlines suffered a steep decline in passengers and cargo traffic in the first half of 2009, an industry group said on Friday, warning the outlook remains challenging.
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said international passenger numbers fell 11.5 per cent in the first six months to June, while air cargo volumes slumped 22.3 per cent, compared with a year ago.
JAKARTA - INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won this month's election in a landslide and will not need to contest a run-off, the election commission said on Friday.
Final official results showed Yudhoyono and his running-mate Boediono with 60.8 per cent of the vote, far ahead of ex-president Megawati Sukarnoputri with 26.8 per cent and Vice President Jusuf Kalla with 12.4 per cent.
