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After being pressured by Thai and international activists for years, GlaxoSmithKline has withdrawn its patent application for a key anti-retroviral drug in Thailand and India.

In the wake of the collapse of the Doha talks in the World Trade Organization (WTO), negotiations for the country to enter into an Asia-Pacific free trade agreement (FTA) have become more urgent for industrialized countries. But independent think-tank IBON Foundation warns that entering into an FTA could be even more dangerous than liberalization under the WTO.

The US President, George Bush, is poised to strike a deal to save the Doha round of trade talks, says the world's pre-eminent trade economist.

500 people demonstrated yesterday in Uruguay against a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States.

India is in favour of salvaging the suspended Doha development round and was committed to a rule-based multilateral trading system. But, it made clear it would not compromise on the interests of its farmers and infant industries.

CONTENTS: Putting trade into perspective: how to deal with the disappointment; Understanding the collapse: hope for the future; The take-over of bilateral and regional trade agreements: myth or reality?; A time for reflection; The WTO goes on; Important dates to remember; Documents

Russia, Brazil, India and 10 other countries could lose preferential trade benefits under a review announced Monday by the Bush administration.

"The Doha Round of international trade negotiations collapsed mainly because of a fight for advantage in agricultural markets by large and powerful countries, corporations and lobbies," FAO said today.

EXPRESSING hope over efforts to revive the deadlocked World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “ Development dimension must get the prominence and attention — not in term of words, but in terms of solid deeds.”

Many more cases are being filed in India by groups representing HIV/AIDS patients against the granting of patents for HIV/AIDS medicines, adding to the initial two cases after a 2005 amendment to the Indian patent law.