“If GSP plus were to be withdrawn, the hit would be taken not by the government of Sri Lanka, but by the most vulnerable sections of the community,” said the minister.(Editing by Mohammad Zargham). ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Tens of thousands diedin the fighting, and many more thousands fled in search of peace.Now,hundreds of thousands survive in refugee camps not far from the places theyonce called home.(Logo: http://)After 26 years of bitter civil war in Sri Lanka, this island nation’smilitarized minority, the Tamil Tigers, laid down their weapons. Pelosi Statement on Confirmation of Ellen Tauscher as Under Secretary of Statefor Arms Control and International SecurityWASHINGTON, June 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued thefollowing statement today on the Senate vote to confirm Congresswoman EllenTauscher of California as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control andInternational Security.”On behalf of all Members of Congress, I congratulate our friend andcolleague, Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, on her new role as Under Secretary ofState for Arms Control and International Security. The House will certainlymiss Congresswoman Tauscher’s leadership, but the entire nation will continueto benefit from her expertise, talent, and experience.

“Congresswoman Tauscher has long been a leader on issues of national securityand a great advocate on behalf of our veterans. With her selection to serve inthe Obama Administration and her confirmation by the Senate, she has broughtgreat pride to Congress and to California. All of us in the Congress wish herwell in her new role.”SOURCEOffice of the Speaker of the HouseBrendan Daly, Nadeam Elshami or Drew Hammill, all of the Office of the Speakerof the House, +1-202-226-7616. NEW YORK–(Business Wire)–Fitch Ratings will establish credit ratings for Otter Tail Corporation (OTTR)and its subsidiary Otter Tail Power (OTP) upon a corporate reorganizationexpected to occur on July 1, 2009 in which the electric utility OTP will becomea subsidiary of a new parent holding company. Prior to the plannedreorganization, the utility is the parent company.

The Issuer Default Rating(IDR) of OTTR will be ‘BBB-’ and that of its subsidiary OTP ‘BBB’ The expectedRating Outlook for both companies is Stable A full list of the rating actionsappears below. The largest of OTTR’s subsidiaries is OTP, a regulated electric utility thatserves in the three states of Minnesota, North and South Dakota. OTTR’s businessportfolio also includes Varistar, a subsidiary that holds a diverse set ofhighly cyclical industrial businesses operating in fragmented and competitivemarkets; Varistar generally does not benefit from advantageous size and scale inthose markets. The holding company IDR of ‘BBB-’ considers the cash flowvariability of this unusual blend of businesses as well as the moderate debtleverage of the utility and low debt leverage at the parent company.