Ministers from more than 70 nations meeting at Punta Del Este have agreed to launch a new round of global trade negotiations that will cover goods and services in separate parts, according to a declaration proposed to be adopted by them. To carry out multilateral trade negotiations, the draft declaration announced the establishment of a trade negotiations committee. which shall hold its first meeting “not later than” October 31. The document drew a distinction between negotiations on trade in goods — to be conducted by the contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade — and those on trade in services — to be conducted by “ministers”.

Jyoti Basu warns PM

West Bengal Chief Minister, Jyoti Basu, said that a proper lesson should be learnt from the Punjab situation and the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, should be careful in his statements on the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) movement. Basu said the PM’s statement that the GNLF movement was not anti-national but related to question of citizenship had been greeted in Darjeeling by the bursting of crackers and torch processions by GNLF supporters.

UK to deport JKLF leader

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Britain announced it is deporting Amanullah Khan, a Kashmir separatist (JKLF) leader living in Britain. The Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, ruled that his expulsion was “conducive to the public good” but did not elaborate. Khan, a 50-year-old Pakistani living in Luton, 55 km north of London, was arrested a year ago with five other Kashmiris in a police crackdown on Kashmiri militants living in Britain.

Two die after drinking ‘sura’

Two men died in the Capital because they consumed too much of a “tonic”. A third fell seriously ill and is in hospital. The two, both autorickshaw drivers, are Narender Kumar (26) and Ramesh Kumar (25), neighbours in Nai Basti at Kishanganj.