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Protesters swarmed WTO director- general Pascal Lamy's car outside Hong Kong University Sunday in what could be a sign of things to come between anti-globalization protesters and free-trade proponents.

Pascal Lamy, director general of the World Trade Organization, warned in two separate speeches in Hong Kong Sunday that the meeting in the city in mid-December would be the critical make-or-break few days for the future of world trade.

Pascal Lamy, the WTO director-general, yesterday fielded questions from anti-globalisation activists who contended that free trade does not benefit the poor.

This memo clarifies the U.S. law and policy regarding visas for foreign workers to perform work in the United States. The purpose of this memo is to overcome confusion about how the U.S. H-1B system operates and which U.S. officials have the legal ability to make enforceable commitments regarding new rights for foreign worker to enter the United States to provide services.

The US proposals on agriculture unveiled on Monday 10 October in Zurich by US Trade Representative Robert Portman has come under criticism from several developing countries and NGOs for not doing enough to cut its domestic support

In the negotiations of the past week starting 10 October, the EU has made clear its demand that developing countries have to pay a heavy price in widely opening up its markets in industrial products and services, in exchange for the concessions the EU is proposing in agriculture.

The Group of 20 developing countries held a press conference on 12 October in Geneva to give a response to the proposals of the US and EU and comments on the series of meetings in Zurich and Geneva earlier in the week.

The WTO's Trade Negotiations Committee met on 13 October to take stock of the state of the Doha negotiations, with members giving views on recent developments and some members presenting a few new proposals.

Trade activists numbering over 3,000 massed up in front of the WTO headquarters here this afternoon to open the weeklong activities centered around the upcoming WTO General Council Meeting.

DG Pascal Lamy and Sec. John Tsang will be keynote speakers of a roundtable forum on 16 October 2005 at the Hong Kong University.