US-EU trade talks begin July

A top European Union official says talks on a sweeping new free trade agreement between the EU and the US will begin next month. Jose Manuel Barroso,head of the EUs executive arm the Commission,said Monday at the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland that the deal could offer huge economic benefits for both sides of the Atlantic. Negotiations would focus on lowering tariffs and rules that hinder trade and is seen as a way of promoting new growth and jobs. AP