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Nation & States
European
Union, US agree
to cut farm subsidies
What is
India News Service, August 2, 2004, 1700 hrs IST
Developing countries, led by India and Brazil, have
gained
a marginal victory at the WTO when the EU, the US and other developed countries agreed to sign the deal leading to slashing of billions of dollars in farm subsidies even though a date has yet to be fixed.
The accord, which restores the World Trade Organisation\92s (WTO) credibility by putting its troubled Doha Round back on track, was hailed as \93historic\94 by exhausted negotiators.
But commentators and analysts said the deal only a small first step and that many of the toughest decisions on lowering barriers to international commerce were still to be taken.
After five days of wrangling, the WTO\92s 147-member states gavelled a framework laying down the guidelines for the round, which has been in trouble since the collapse of talks almost a year ago in Cancun, Mexico, when no deal on subsidies was found.
\93This is a historic moment for this organisation,\94 WTO chief Supachai Panitchpakdi told a news conference after the adopting of the pact at a late-night session at the WTO\92s headquarters.
Atal says NDA unity must:
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee has said the need of the hour is to keep the Opposition alliance intact. Till date no formal Press briefing has taken place but party sources said Vajpayee told a brainstoming session at the Chintan Baithak that no effort should be spared to keep the NDA united and expressed concern over the way the Congress-led UPA Government was showing signs of cracks under Left pressure.
Hostages released? Not confirmed:
The fate of the seven hostages in Iraq is still not clear. Neither the Government nor conflicting western news agency reports from Nairobi and Baghdad could confirm what exactly is happening to the hostages although newsflashes in the evening said that they had been freed.
States
SC
angry over MBBS admission delay: Expressing displeasure over non-adherence to the time schedule for completing admissions to the MBBS course in government medical colleges, the Supreme Court has asked eight states, including Punjab, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, to state reasons for the lapse.
A three-judge Bench headed by Mr Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, hearing petitions filed by aspiring doctors on the issue, asked the Chief Secretaries and the Health Secretaries of the states concerned to supply information in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing tomorrow.
Counsels for the petitioners had requested the court to direct the Director-General of Health Services (DGHS) to postpone the second round of counselling for the all-India quota admissions in view of the delay in admission process of state medical colleges.
Punjab, Haryana oppose concessions to hill states:
Many states, including Punjab and Haryana have disagreed with the Central Government on certain issues involving services tax.
Man
washed away: Hundreds of vehicles and army trucks remained stranded near the tiny village of Kothi, 13 km
north of Manali on the Manali-Leh Highway last night. Flash floods
destroyed the bridge and one person was washed away.
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View from
abroad
U.S. raises threat level at key financial sites: Security at financial sites in New York City, northern New Jersey and Washington, D.C., increased significantly Sunday after the Department of Homeland Security raised
its terror alert.
Kerry reports for duty: John Kerry produced no surprises in accepting his nomination as the Democratic candidate for the presidency, but gave a solid speech outlining the ways in which he differs from George Bush.
American
economic anxieties: Americans have fallen prey to a variety of economic anxieties in the past year\97some real, some imagined. First, they fretted that growth was not translating into jobs, then that growth might spill over into inflation.
Japan hails special treatment for sensitive products:
Japan welcomes a framework global trade agreement adopted by the World Trade Organization partly because it includes Tokyo's demand for special treatment of politically sensitive products such as rice.
Heat takes record toll in Tokyo:
A record 628 people suffering heat exhaustion and heatstroke were taken to Tokyo hospitals by ambulance in July.
Islamic States Discuss Muslim Force for Iraq:
Proposals for a Muslim force for Iraq moved forward today with the news that Pakistan had talked to Saudi officials and Yemen and Bahrain had offered some military help.
Burundi poll timetable on track, says SA:
South Africa's deputy president said on Saturday he was confident the peace process in Burundi, ravaged by a decade of civil war, could deliver presidential elections as
U.N. Officials Move on Bird Flu Vaccines:
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization on moved toward loosening its stand on vaccinating fowl against the bird flu virus, which ravaged Asia's poultry industry
earli..
Suburbanites: Keep it down!:
Many communities across the USA are cracking down on loud noise.
Christians targeted by car bombs in new Iraq twist:
The worst fears of Iraq's beleaguered Christian minority were realised yesterday when an apparently coordinated wave of car bombs targeted worshippers at Sunday evening prayers in churches in Baghdad.
Overall:
EU,
US gave in at WTO: They agreed to cut subsidies for their
farmers, but no date has been fixed yet.
SC was angry with states: The apex court is upset with many
states that did not follow its directive on MBBS seats.
US put out a new alert: It is worried its financial sites may
be attacked.
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