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EU states split over world trade plan
Bosnian Serbs pray for Karadzic, say charges unjust
Obama’s shine wearing off: Poll
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War on terror is Pak’s own concern: Gilani
Ministers discuss oust-Brown possibility
Kidnapped Indian freed in Sudan
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EU states split over world trade plan
Geneva, July 26 “We have a couple of issues and one, of course, is agriculture. And we don’t see the balance in NAMA (trade in industrial goods), and we haven’t seen services at all as of yet,” said Mary Coughlan, Ireland’s deputy Prime Minister. But Swedish Foreign Trade Minister Ewa Bjorling told Reuters: “We can accept this package as it is on the table.” In order to avoid a split, the WTO has extended the ministerial meeting till next week to allow negotiators more time to narrow differences and reach a deal for opening the world trade. The ministerial Meeting of 30 trade ministers from member countries that began on July 21 was to end today. While the countries stuck to their hard stance bringing talks to the brink of collapse, hopes of a revival sprung up on the back of “some interesting ideas” yesterday. “The talks have not collapsed. All ministers have agreed to be here,” commerce secretary Gopal Pillai said. Pillai said while broad issues in agriculture and non-agriculture market access have been discussed, areas like cotton, preference erosion and tariff simplification have not yet not been touched. “We have only finished part of the issues” he said. The meeting may continue till middle of next week. With not much headway in the agriculture and NAMA talks, the services conference was postponed a couple of times.
— Reuters/PTI
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Bosnian Serbs pray for Karadzic, say charges unjust
Pale, Bosnia, July 26 The leader of the Bosnian Serbs in the 1992-95 Bosnia war was indicted for genocide by the United Nations tribunal in The Hague. He was arrested in Serbia last week after 11 years on the run and now awaits extradition, likely in the coming week. The mostly elderly supporters filed quietly into churches, lit candles and prayed silently for Karadzic to have strength in his trial. Others held his picture and banners reading: “We are with you”. “We are here to support him, and show how much bitterness we feel at this arrest,” said Miladin Ilic, 69, an ethnic Serb former resident of Sarajevo, who now lives in Pale, one of the main cities in the autonomous Serb Republic. — Reuters
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Obama’s shine wearing off: Poll
Washington, July 26 Some 200,000 persons in Berlin greeted the Illinois Democratic senator like a rock star, as he continued his week-long foreign tour visiting crucial hotspots and important allies, demonstrating his foreign policy credentials in the race to be the next US President. But voter polls inside the United States showed McCain chipping away at Obama’s lead in the race, which remains between one and six points. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll published on Wednesday showed 55 per cent of US voters considered Obama the riskiest choice for the US President, while just 35 per cent said the same of McCain. The same poll found that 58 per cent of voters identified more closely with McCain’s values and background, against 47 per cent who said the same of Obama. A separate study published on Thursday by Quinnipiac University showed McCain had gained ground in several key battleground states, and had overtaken Obama in Colorado. The survey showed McCain close on Obama’s heels in Michigan and Minnesota, and other polls had put McCain ahead in some key states usually considered the Democratic bastions, such as New Hampshire. “Well, I do understand it,” Obama said in an interview with NBC news, about the number of people viewing him as a risky choice. — AFP
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War on terror is Pak’s own concern: Gilani
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Saturday vowed to fight terrorism and extremism emphasising it is in Pakisan’s interest to fight Al-Qaida and the Taliban. “Extremism and terrorism are our own problems. This is our own fight. This is our own cause,” Gilani told mediapersons at Chaklala airbase as he embarked on a 3-day official trip to the US. He will meet President Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney and other administration and congressional leaders where discussion would focus on military operations against the pro-Taliban tribal militants along border with Afghanistan. “My priority number one is to maintain law and order in the country,”said Gilani. He said his talks with Bush and other US leaders would aim at strengthening multi-faceted bilateral cooperation in defence, education, health, science and technology, trade and investment. Gilani’s trip comes against the backdrop of the increasing US pressure to do more to curb militancy, extremism and infiltration of the Taiibans into Afghanistan from the tribal areas. The US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, speaking in Australia on Friday, set the tone for the visit by stressing Pakistan had to do more to curb the flow of militants fuelling the Afghan insurgency.
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Ministers discuss oust-Brown possibility
London, July 26 Nearly every British newspaper had a frontpage story quoting unnamed ministers as saying that talks were being held at the Cabinet level, and that senior ministers were coming under pressure from parliamentarians to urge Brown to quit his post. Brown took over as the Prime Minister from Tony Blair in June last year, and his popularity has slumped since then because of the weakening economy, rising inflation and a series of political blunders that have alienated many voters. An opinion poll for the Independent newspaper today showed the opposition Conservatives were backed by 46 per cent of voters, way ahead of the Labour on 24 per cent. The Daily Telegraph quoted one unnamed Cabinet minister as saying: “There is only one thing that can be done and it’s a change of leader.” The calls follow the Labour’s third by-election defeat in as many months yesterday in the traditional Labour stronghold of Glasgow East, Scotland.
— Reuters
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Kidnapped Indian freed in Sudan
Dubai, July 26 The organisation had taken the initiative to accelerate the release of Abhilash, who was a former employee of Galfar Al Misnad Engineering and Contracting in Qatar.
“Except for pain in the leg, I am healthy and sound,” Abhilash said in his first telephone call after being released on Thursday night. He was sent to the security department of Sudan by the kidnappers from where the Petro energy contracting services officials took him to their location.
— UNI
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Minor suspected of 7 bank robberies Explosion kill Hamas
commander The Beatles tape to
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Pale, Bosnia, July 26
