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The South African Customs Unions (Sacu) has formally accepted an offer made by the US government to progress a so-called trade and investment cooperation agreement (Tica), following the breakdown of the more ambitious free-trade agreement (FTA) talks earlier in the year.

Washington and Brussels on Friday jointly reached out to a score of developing countries - including Brazil, South Africa, Thailand and Kenya, among others - to accelerate the Doha Development Agenda services negotiations, saying the time has come to enter into hard bargaining on what each can give and take in both market openings and rules.

South Korean police said Tuesday they are bracing for mass protests across the country against a proposed free trade agreement with the United States.

The European Union on Friday indicated that it would support India

Talks between South Africa and the US on a free trade agreement hit a snag as US demands for complete access to South African markets were unacceptable, trade and industry director-general Tshediso Matona said

In a carefully crafted statement - that did not mention the suspension of the Doha Development Agenda - World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy yesterday gave the "green light" to restart work in all areas of the stalled trade negotiations by allowing the respective chairs "to determine the way ahead in each area and the speed with which the work should take place"

Members of the World Trade Organization appear to be in favour of resuming the Doha negotiations, suspended by WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy (and endorsed by the Trade Negotiations Committee) in July, and subsequently "taken note of" by the General Council.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreed on Thursday to a limited resumption of stalled free trade talks, but warned that major powers had not yet shown the flexibility needed for a deal.

The promised benefits to Philippine exports of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) may not materialize because the pact is biased towards Japanese imports, according to independent think-tank IBON Foundation.

Nearly four months after suspension, World Trade Organization Chief Pascal Lamy on Friday signaled the need to restart what he called the 'process' of negotiations in all areas of the Doha Development Agenda 'single undertaking'.