Articles

WHO Working Group on IPRs and Health holds first meeting

6 December, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Dec06/05)
The World Health Organization's Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG) began its first session on Monday where procedural issues dominated much of the discussions.

Korea-US FTA Talks Hit Snag

6 December, 2006
By Christopher Carpenter, The Korea Times
Free trade negotiations with the United States broke down on Wednesday after South Korean negotiators walked out of three committee meetings.

Working Group discusses elements of global strategy, plan of action

6 December, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Dec06/05)
The World Health Organization's Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG), at its meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, held discussions on the elements of a global strategy and plan of action in relation to intellectual property, health R&D and public health.

NAMA Talks to Resume, despite the lack of movement

4 December, 2006
By Goh Chien Yen, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
The Negotiating Group on Non- Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) met on 1 December, for the first time

[KoA Newsletter#4] The "Mass People's Resistance against KorUS FTA" Continued

3 December, 2006
Korean Alliance against KorUS FTA
Police attack and repression on workers and farmers are intensified after the first 'Mass People's Resistance against KorUS FTA' on 22nd of November.

Make changes in Seed Bill, urge farmers?

3 December, 2006
Ashok B Sharma, Financial Express
NEW DELHI, DEC 3:

“Tadeco engaged in pesticide poisoning cover-up!”-KMP

2 December, 2006
KMP/APC
“The Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc.or Tadeco is definitely trying to hide something and seems to be doing earnest efforts to cover up the pesticide poisoning incident which downed at least 79 people,”

Problems in providing universal access to services highlighted at UNCTAD meeting

30 November, 2006
By Riaz K Tayob, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
Developing countries face challenges and problems in providing universal access to services to their people, and these were brought up in an expert meeting on "Universal Access to Services" organised by UNCTAD last week.

Developing countries voice opposition to ?necessity test? in GATS

30 November, 2006
By Riaz K Tayob, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
At an UNCTAD expert meeting on universal access to services held last week, the diplomats of several developing countries voiced opposition to the inclusion of the 'necessity test' principle in disciplines being negotiated for domestic regulation in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of the WTO.

“Davao pesticide poisoning to expand and increase with JPEPA!”-KMP and APC

30 November, 2006
KMP, APC
The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) lambasted the Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (Tadeco) in Mindano, Philippines for causing the pesticide poisoning of at least 79 people, mostly school children at that, from Tanglaw Elementary school in Braulio Dujali town in Davao del Norte.

Anti-FTA protesters defy police ban

29 November, 2006
By Shin Hae-in, The Korea Herald
Thousands of farmers and workers yesterday clashed with riot police across the country in the second massive demonstration in a week against a free trade deal with the United States.

A Services Fire-Side Chat

27 November, 2006
Washington Trade Daily
A fire-side chat yesterday with a score of Doha Development Agenda services negotiators failed to bring convergence on setting new time-lines for submitting revised offers as key members remain divided over how different elements within the services mandate ought to proceed at this juncture

KCTU General Strike Newsletter # 3

27 November, 2006
KCTU
More than 200,000 KCTU Members Participated in the full-fledged General Strike on November 22 Over 170,000 people in 13 cities gathered to protest against the KOR-US FTA on the same day

Attacking China on Services

27 November, 2006
Washington Trade Daily
Industrialized countries - led by the United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan - yesterday attacked China in the World Trade Organization for not complying with its accession commitments in the areas of financial services

Warnings raised over GE rice imports

27 November, 2006
www.inq7.net
A VARIETY of genetically engineered (GE) rice yet to be approved for human consumption throughout the world except in the United States has found its way into the Philippine market, the activist environment group Greenpeace said Tuesday.

Furor Over JPEPA: Will Davao’s Banana Workers Benefit From It?

24 November, 2006
Davaotoday
On paper, it

Prosecution warns of crackdown on violent anti-FTA protests

22 November, 2006
Yonhap
South Korea

Americans Protest U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement in Seoul

21 November, 2006
International Action Center
An American delegation of peace, labor and social justice activists led by Cindy Sheehan is in Seoul to join the nationwide mobilization against the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement currently being negotiated.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Launches a General Strike

20 November, 2006
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Full-pledged General Strike Being Launched from November 22 in Korea.

Sacu-US to pursue scaled-back trade talks after FTA process ceases

20 November, 2006
Engineering News
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.