Articles

Feds Win Right To War Protesters' Records

6 February, 2004
RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press
'The best approach is not to speculate and see what we learn on Tuesday' when the four testify, said Ben Stone, executive director of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, which is representing one of the protesters.

S. Korea-Chile FTA Likely To Be Ratified

2 February, 2004
Yoo Dong-ho
Staff ReporterNational Assembly Speaker Park Kwan-yong on Tuesday agreed with party leaders to seek quick approval for several long-delayed bills, including those on the South Korea-Chile free trade agreement (FTA) and the dispatch of troops to Iraq.

US Farm Group Rejects Trade Deal

14 January, 2004
Edward Alden in Washington
Only 31 per cent of Americans favour subsidies for big farmers, though 77 per cent support subsidies for smaller farms, according to a PIPA / Knowledge Networks poll at the University of Maryland.

Groups Say Why WTO Should Stay Out Of Food And Agriculture

14 December, 2003
Geneva
The social movements state that current liberalisation policies focus on increasing exports that satisfy the needs of corporations and threaten the livelihoods of the poorest.

WTO General Council Convenes, With Little Progress And Wide Gaps

14 December, 2003
TWN Report by Martin Khor, Geneva
'We have witnessed little real negotiation, gaps remain wide and there does not seem to be a sense of urgency,' the chairman, Carlos Perez del Castillo, told the meeting.

Trade And Competition Policy In The WTO

13 September, 2003
Cecilia Oh, TWN Briefings 5, www.twnside.org.sg
In Cancun, one of the most important decisions for Ministers will be whether or not to launch negotiations on new WTO agreements on investment, competition, transparency in government procurement, trade facilitation.

Summary of USTR Daily briefing

11 September, 2003
Fiona M. Wright
Hosted by deputy USTR Chris Padilla (sp?); speakers inlcuded deputy USTR Chris Mendenhall on Service/ Investment and Kathy Novelli, deputy USTR for Europe/ Mediterranean.

Keep Investment Pacts Off Cancun's Agenda

6 July, 2003
Kavaljit Singh, Financial Times
Since the 1980s, developing countries have signed numerous bilateral investment agreements, yet they receive less than one-third of the world's total foreign direct investment flows.

Agriculture Talks At The WTO Empty On Development

3 July, 2003
Geneva
Last week, the Agriculture Committee met in the WTO to see if the current deadlock on all aspects of the agreement on agriculture (AoA) can be bridged.

Members Stick To Their Positions In WTO Agriculture Special Session

2 July, 2003
Martin Khor, Geneva
The European Union agriculture ministers last week agreed on measures for reform of their common agriculture policy.

MEPs Move Towards Lifting of GMO Moratorium

30 June, 2003
Tobias Buck and Edward Alden News and Updates
The laws set out stringent requirements for labelling GM products, reflecting the view held by the European Commission that the GM issue is one of consumer choice and not of food safety.

Northern Agriculture Subsidies Attacked At Ecosoc High Lebvel Session

29 June, 2003
Third World Network
The 'evil' generated by this misdirected welfare policy affects poor-country farmers who are financing the social welfare doled out to rich-country farmers, according to Ricupero.

3rd World Activists Debate Biotech Industry& US Gov't In Sacramento

23 June, 2003
Mike Lee, Sacramento Bee
An eclectic crowd of nearly 1,000 filled the Crest Theater Monday night for the only public debate in conjunction with this week's international agriculture conference at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Free Trade Myths Behind Push For WTO Investment Agreement Exposed

22 June, 2003
{http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/free_trade_myths_behind_pu.html}
The European Union has been the driving force behind calls for an investment agreement through the WTO, with the European Commission claiming this will bring development benefits to recipient countries.

Activists Say U.S. Manipulating Meet to Promote GM Food

22 June, 2003
Katrin Dauenhauer
'It is a myth that science and technology play a critical role in reducing hunger in developing countries. The claim that we must accept genetically engineered foods if we are to feed the poor in the Third World is simply 'poorwashing',' -Anuradha Mittal

Enron-Style Corporate Crime And Privatization: A Look At The U.S. Coalition Of Service Industries

18 June, 2003
Polaris Institute
With prime access to elite government and corporate circles, its various corporate members gain handsomely from international trade agreements, from IMF or World Bank handouts, and from privatization programs.

WTO Symposium Debates Investment Issue

16 June, 2003
Third World Network
Several NGO representatives analysed what they called the 'myths' surrounding the proposed investment agreement in the WTO, and called for Ministers to decide against negotiating an agreement.

Investment Working Group Meeting Illustrates Modalities Split

12 June, 2003
Inside US Trade
On modalities, members are split into two camps with developed and developing countries pushing for vastly different approaches.

Poor Countries Agree Common Demands In Trade Talks

1 June, 2003
REUTERS
Chowdhury said: 'We demand easymovement of manpower, unrestricted market access, flexibility of rules of negotiation and exemption of LDCs from anti-dumping.''

Seminar On Investment Calls On Developing Countries Not To Be Coerced Into WTO Investment Negotiations

24 May, 2003
TWN Info Service on WTO Issues (May03/3)
On 18-20 May, an international seminar was held in Delhi, India, to discuss trade, investment and development.