The Wall Street Journal-20080128-Politics - Economics- In Brief
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Politics & Economics: In Brief
Full Text (279 words)Merkel's Party Hurt
In Regional Election
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party suffered damaging losses in a key regional election that could weaken the chancellor's ability to push through further economic overhauls. State Premier Roland Koch, a powerful figure in Ms. Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, lost his majority in the western German state of Hesse in yesterday's ballot, finishing with the same number of seats as the center-left Social Democrats. The bruising campaign in Hesse, home to the financial capital of Frankfurt, deepened divisions within Ms. Merkel's governing coalition at the national level.
WTO Approves Ukraine as Member
A World Trade Organization accession committee approved Ukraine's membership bid, clearing the way for the former Soviet republic to join the body, trade officials said. Entry to the WTO will give Ukraine access to export markets on more favorable terms, as well as the right to help shape world-trade rules. It may also give it an edge over Russia, which is still negotiating its entry into the WTO. European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said he hoped Russia would join the WTO this year.
-- Reuters
Indonesian Court
Rules on Poisoning
Indonesia's Supreme Court sentenced a former airline pilot to 20 years in jail for the poisoning death of a leading human-rights activist in 2004, reversing a controversial murder-acquittal decision. The case had become a test of whether efforts to overhaul Indonesia's judiciary -- which critics have long alleged is politically biased and often corrupt -- are bearing fruit. The activist, Munir Thalib, age 38 years old when he died, was a leading critic of the Indonesian military's brutal crushing of revolts in East Timor and Aceh during former President Suharto's rule.
