Bank strike in India

NEW DELHI: An estimated half million Indian bank workers staged a one-day nationwide strike to protest against privatisation of government-owned assets and outsourcing of clearing operations, unions said on Friday. “Most of the private and state-run banks have joined the strike. Fifty-three commercial banks are taking part,” said R.J. Sridharan, general secretary of the All India Bank Officers’ Association.—AFP

Global oil prices dip

LONDON: World oil prices eased slightly but remain supported by supply concerns in Nigeria and US as well as tensions in the Middle East amid strong demand, analysts said. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in September, fell 10 cents to 74.44 dollars per barrel in electronic deals before the official opening of the US market.—AFP

S’pore IMF-WB meet

SINGAPORE: Outdoor protests will not be allowed when thousands of delegates gather in Singapore for the annual World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in September, police said on Friday. They said demonstrations would be disruptive for local residents and could be exploited by “terrorists.” “Singapore is a compact and small city-state and the concern (is) that any outdoor demonstration will cause disruption,” Senior Assistant Commissioner Soh Wai Wah told reporters.—AFP

Lamy’s ‘sin of pride’

PARIS: French agriculture minister Dominique Bussereau launched a stinging attack on the director general of the WTO, Pascal Lamy accusing the trade chief of “the sin of pride”. Bussereau also told radio station Europe 1 that Lamy had thought “that he could walk on water” to get a global trade deal in just a few days. France prefers “no deal to a bad deal”, Bussereau added.—AFP