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Crunch-time at the WTO
The WTO Doha Round, launched in 2001, has reached a critical juncture. Ministers and high-level officials from three dozen countries are gathered in Geneva for talks to hammer out differences in key areas. The negotiations started on Monday, 21 July and will continue until Saturday, 26 July and most likely beyond - unless there is…
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New Fisheries Submissions on the Eve of the Ministerial Meet
Key players in the fisheries negotiations submitted papers emphasising their positions just in time for the mini-ministerial taking place in Geneva during the week of 21 July - this despite the fact that ministers will not be discussing fisheries subsidies. The most recent development in a spate of communications on fisheries subsidies, a 21 July proposal…
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Biofuel Mandates under Review
The biofuels target set by the US and EU- which spend billions of dollars each year supporting their biofuels industries - are continuing to be put into question. In the US, Texas governor Rick Perry is asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive the national biofuels mandate for a year, while in the EU a…
- In Brief
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China Receives Go-ahead for Ivory Imports
Despite strong resistance from environmental groups, China has been given the right to buy elephant ivory from the government stockpiles of four African countries. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held the 57th meeting of its 33-member Standing Committee (SC-57) from 14-18 July. The committee, which provides policy…
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Ugandan Coffee Crop and Trade Earnings Threatened by Climate Change
Climate change is a real threat to the future of Uganda’s main cash crop and source of export earnings, coffee, claims a new report. British charity Oxfam released the report, which details the effects climate change is having on agriculture, water, health and poverty in Uganda. Entitled “Turning up the Heat, Climate Change and Poverty in…
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Burkina Faso Commercialises GM Cotton
Burkina Faso recently signed a commercial agreement with Monsanto to import Bt cottonseeds, making it the first country in West Africa to test genetically modified (GM) crops. The tests, conducted jointly by the Burkina National Agricultural Research Institute (INERA) and Monsanto, began in late June. The strains of Bt cotton, developed from local varieties, have been…
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WWF: Stop European Imports of Illegal Wood Products
Environmental group WWF has flagged the massive scale of European imports of illegal logs and wood products, and is calling for an effective response. WWF published a new report, “Illegal Wood for the European Market: An Analysis of the EU Import and Export of Illegal Wood and Related Products,” based on data from 2006. According to…
- Events
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Events
VACANCY POLICY OFFICER, BRETTON WOODS PROJECT: The Bretton Woods Project works with NGOs and activists worldwide to monitor and challenge the World Bank and IMF. This position is an opportunity to research, write and do advocacy work on a number of environment and development policy issues; to facilitate network strengthening with emphasis on the UK; and…
- Resources
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Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch. THE LIMITS TO TRAVEL: HOW FAR WILL YOU GO? By David Metz (Earthscan, 2008). Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to…