A little girl in bright red clothes stands by the side of the road. A family sits together in their lounge, posing for the camera. Images such as these form the bulk of the Defined by Four Letters exhibition at the National Arts Festival in Grahmstown South Africa. The exhibition was an expression of the lives and identities of hiv-infected people of Grahamstown. The photographs, together

DOHA MINISTERIAL: DAY 2
D Ravi Kanth / Geneva July 23, 2008, 0:29 IST

As the negotiating chips are slowly unveiled in the make-or-mar Doha trade negotiations, the United States announced today that it will reduce its overall trade-distorting domestic support (OTDS) to $15 billion as compared to a range between $13 billion and $16.4 billion.

With OTDS being central issue trade negotiators said the latest move by the US was too little compared to its last year spending level of about $7 billion.

Backed by over 100 developing countries, India, Brazil and South Africa will take on the rich nations to get a fair trade deal at the WTO meeting of key trade ministers' beginning here on Monday. Against a backdrop of high crude oil prices and global food crisis, the World Trade Organisation has convened a five-day mini Ministerial Meeting with a hope that closing the Doha Round can reinvigorate the world economy which is in the grip of a slowdown.

The Aditya Birla Group is keen on acquiring coal mines to feed its cement business and is scouting for the mines in South Africa and Indonesia.

"We are looking for mines.... We have just started thinking on that," UltraTech Cement President and CFO K C Birla told reporters after the company's annual general meeting here today.

UltraTech is an Aditya Birla Group company engaged in the cement business.

Birla, however, said it was too premature to provide any further details now and declined to make further comments on possible acquisitions.

standard-regulating bodies of four countries