Monday 4th August 2008 MEDIA HEADLINES IN ENGLISH

You’re listening to NEWS REPORT, a summary of today’s media, prepared by UNMIK ON AIR

Shuttle diplomacy continues in September,
Nuclear leak in Austria, and
Stampede in India

KOSOVO
The second round shuttle diplomacy for the discussions about “practical issues” between Pristina and Belgrade are expected to start next month. According to diplomatic sources the main discussion topics will be the six points proposed by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

For the present there is no plan to return the customs points in the north of Kosovo, said UNMIK’s chief. “The customs issue is the main issue to be discussed from the “political” point of view,” Lamberto Zannier said, adding that this issue can be discussed in a status neutral way.

Meanwhile, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister has rejected the UNMIK’s head idea for creation of an ethnic police and customs system. Hajredin Kuçi said the proposal is in opposition to the Constitution of Kosovo, adding that Government of Kosovo has a plan for integrating minority communities.

Disagreement between permanent members of the UN Security Council on Kosovo has left the organization’s Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, without an exit strategy and without a possibility of clear decision-making, media report. In response, Ban appointed a provisional deputy SRSG for Kosovo, Nicholas Haysom, coming from a country that opposes the independence of Kosovo.

The UNMIK police and KFOR applied unnecessary force on 17 March in Mitrovica, concludes a UN internal report. The international forces did not have to apply force during the takeover of the court building. However, the report added that the evidence showed that the Police and the Troops acted within their mandate.

Some Serb employees of Kosovo's Government are also on Belgrade’s parallel social service list of unemployed. Stojan Jovanovic, the director of Serbia’s employment service in Gracanica, said that the service he represents gives a variety of different and attractive assistance to the unemployed, which include “a large number of Kosovo Serbs who already work for the institutions of Kosovo.”

The Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina has said that citizens equipped with new Kosovo passports will not be able to get visas. Sven Alkalaj said only the presidency of the country can decide whether to recognize new passports issued by Kosovo authorities.

REGION
Serbian President Boris Tadic has said Belgrade will fulfil its international obligations to arrest remaining war crime suspects wanted by a UN tribunal. He vowed to track down Mr Karadzic's military commander, Ratko Mladic, and ex-Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic.

There has been a plutonium leak at a site run by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Austria. The leak, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, automatically set off an alarm, and was completely contained by the lab's filters, meaning no-one was in danger.

A 31-year-old Greek beheaded his girlfriend and carried her head round the popular tourist island of Santorini before he was arrested, police said on Sunday. The man, who police said had psychological problems, injured a police officer and two women while trying to escape arrest after killing the 25-year-old teacher.

INTERNATIONAL
At least 145 people, mostly women and children, were crushed to death under the feet of thousands of pilgrims in a stampede at a temple in northern India on Sunday. Police said the pilgrims might have panicked after heavy rains caused large stones from a retaining wall along the trail to fall.

A police station in China's restive Xinjiang region was attacked on Monday morning, four days before the Olympics begin, killing 16 officers and wounding 12. China says it has foiled terror plots and detained 82 people in Xinjiang for plotting to sabotage the Games.

The United States said on Sunday that Iran has left the U.N. Security Council no choice but to increase sanctions on Iran for ignoring demands that it halt sensitive nuclear activities. But Irani President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that Iran would not back down in its nuclear dispute.

WEATHER
It will be sunny today, reaching 28C; with overnight lows of 16C. Tomorrow will also be sunny, reaching 31C.

And that’s all for today, thank you for listening.