In Friday's Middle East papers

Front Page

Karadzic faces law
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic appeared before a UN war crimes judge for the first time on Thursday to answer genocide charges and said he had been kidnapped and feared for his life.

Shutdown in Jammu continues for eighth day
Jammu shut down for the eighth consecutive day on Thursday over demands that land be restored to the Amarnath shrine board, as the stage was being set for the first round of talks between Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra and leaders of the agitation.

Business

US posts weaker than expected growth in Q2
A boom in exports and tax rebates to tens of millions of Americans helped bolster US economic growth to an annualised 1.9% during the second quarter, a government report showed on Thursday.

WTO talks could be revived after summer break
The widespread dismay over this week’s collapse of global trade talks could prompt the World Trade Organisation to seek a way out of the impasse soon after the summer break, a highly placed trade source said on Thursday.

KHALEEJ TIMES                                                

Front Page

UN renews Darfur peacekeeping mandate, US abstains
The UN Security Council renewed the mandate for peacekeepers in Darfur on Thursday in a resolution that Washington criticized for raising concerns about moves to indict Sudan's president for genocide.

IAEA meets to consider Indian nuclear agreement
An inspections agreement crucial to a landmark nuclear deal between India and the US comes under scrutiny Friday by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Business

Gold council set to launch ETF in Dubai
The World Gold Council is targeting a fourth-quarter launch of its Dubai-listed exchange traded fund (ETF), rounding out its suite of gold ETFs on major markets after a listing in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Etisalat, du await TRA circular to unblock web sites
The two Internet and telecom service providers in the UAE, Etisalat and du, have said they have not received any official information from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) about the more than 1,000 web sites that are ordered to be unblocked.

Front Page

‘Kuwait rated highly for religious freedom’
A prominent lawyer says that Kuwait is rated highly among its GCC peers in terms of religious freedom, as the country’s Constitution recognizes many religions. “This is reflected in the fact that we had Kuwaiti Jews. We also have many Kuwaitis, who are Christians.

Bus collision kills 11 people in central Philippines
At least 11 people were killed and more than two dozen injured when two packed buses collided head-on in the central Philippines on Tuesday, a local radio station said.

Business

KAMCO H1 profit jumps almost 23% to KD 10.5m
KIPCO Asset Management Company (KAMCO), a leading Kuwaiti asset management and financial services company, has continued its growth spurt by demonstrating strong financial half yearly results for 2008.

Saudi Telecom on the prowl for more buys in Middle East
Saudi Telecom Co (STC) is on the prowl for more acquisitions in the Middle East and North Africa, a Kuwaiti newspaper quoted its CEO as saying on Monday.

Front Page

Partial solar eclipse in parts of Kingdom today
A partial solar eclipse will be visible today in many cities and towns in the northeastern, eastern and central regions of the Kingdom.

Religious cop ‘violates Shariah’ by marrying six women
Prince Muhammad bin Nasser, governor of Jizan province, has ordered an inquiry into whether a 56-year-old member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice violated Islamic law by marrying six women.

Business

Is the world running out of black gold?
The debate is not new. It is raging ever since this civilization got addicted to the black gold. It continues to this date, and the reason is simple.

Iran suspends fuel oil exports
Iran, a regular exporter of fuel oil to Asia, will halt shipments of the heavy fuel from August as it builds domestic stocks ahead of winter, and due to a heavy fourth-quarter maintenance season, industry sources said yesterday.

TEHRAN TIMES

Front Page

If US changes attitude, Iran will respond: Ahmadinejad
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said in an interview aired on US television on Monday that if the United States adopted a genuinely new approach to his country Tehran would respond in a positive way.

Iranian scholar to review Hafez influence on Goethe
Iranian scholar Mahmud Falaki is writing a book on the effects of Hafez on Goethe.

Business

WTO talks sour as “blame game” begins
The United States, China and India exchanged hard words as WTO negotiations dragged into a second week on Monday, with Washington accusing India and China of hampering progress to a world trade pact, delegates said.

Russia raises 2008 inflation, GDP forecasts
Russia’s Economy Ministry has raised its 2008 inflation forecast to 11.8% from 10.5% and revised its outlook for economic growth, Deputy Economy Minister Andrei Klepach told Reuters on Monday.

No news update

THE DAILY STAR

Front Page

Superstition spurs 13th delay of policy statement
Information Minister Tarek Mitri said on Thursday that the ministerial committee in charge of drafting a policy statement for the new government has almost reached an agreement on the final draft of such statement.

Abbas vows to pursue peace with any Olmert successor
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that he would carry on working with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has announced that he would resign, and deal with any leader elected in his place as opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu called for early elections.

Business

Kuwaiti firm buys Monoprix, Geant Casino
Sultan Center, a Kuwait-based company, announced that it has fully acquired Lebanon's Monoprix and Geant Casino supermarkets for $108m.

Oil falls below $121, hitting lowest price since May
Oil fell more than $4/bbl to below $121 on Tuesday, touching the lowest price since May, as signs of weakening demand outweighed a disruption to Nigerian oil output.

GULF DAILY NEWS

No news update

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