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Criticism Grows as 'Buy American' Rules Written into Law
‘Buy American’ provisions in the US$ 787 billion stimulus bill that was signed into law yesterday by US President Barack Obama have sparked sharp rebukes and threats of legal challenges from US trading partners. But Washington maintains that the domestic-sourcing requirements are in line with its international trade commitments and that the measures will create…
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EU, Andean Nations Struggle Forward in Trade Talks
Intellectual property, a potential regional customs union, human rights, and bananas triggered heated debate last week in Bogota during the first round of negotiations toward a free trade agreement between the European Union and Andean nations Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The meeting was hailed as a success by leaders of government and business, who noted that…
- In Brief
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G-7 Finance Ministers Vow to Co-operate, Resist Protectionism
Finance ministers and central bankers from the group of seven world economic powers meeting in Rome this week declared their joint commitment to keeping trade lines and avoiding protectionism amidst the ongoing international economic crisis. The agenda of the two-day gathering focussed on measures that the countries could take to improve transparency and market functioning in…
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GlaxoSmithKline Promises Cheaper Medicines in the Developing World
GlaxoSmithKline has launched an initiative to reduce the prices of pharmaceutical drugs by 75 percent in the world’s 50 poorest countries, the company’s CEO, Andrew Witty, announced in a recent speech at Harvard University. The British pharmaceutical company, which ranks second in global sales, also vowed to make its patented products and processes available for…
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Gregg Refuses Obama’s Offer to Lead Commerce Department, Citing Policy Split
Republican Senator Judd Gregg has turned down US President Barack Obama’s offer to serve as Secretary of Commerce, saying that his views on certain policy questions differ too greatly from those of the administration. “I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the census, there are irresolvable conflicts for me,” Gregg said…
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EU Trade Commissioner Pushes for Economic Integration with African Nations
EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton visited several nations in Southern Africa last week, where she held talks with key governmental leaders. Although the general purpose of the trip was to promote bilateral and regional trade relations, Ashton also hoped to make progress on a potential Economic Partnership Agreement, or EPA, between members of the South…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO Farm Talks Restart As Members Await New US Trade Rep
The chair of the WTO agriculture negotiations has announced he plans to continue his recent series of consultations with negotiating groups, in a bid to restart the faltering Doha farm trade talks. But Members remain cautious about how much progress can be achieved in the absence of a new US Trade Representative, whose nomination has…
- Events
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Events
22-26 February, Dhaka, Bandladesh. THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY BASED ADAPTATION. The primary focus of this meeting, which is organised jointly by the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and RING Alliance of Policy Research Organisations, is to share new developments on community-based adaptation programmes, priorities…
- Resources
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Resources
ONLINE UPDATE OF THE WORLD TRADE INDICATORS (WTI) 2008 DATABASE AND COUNTRY TABLES (TAAGS). 2009 February, the World Bank Institute. The World Bank Institute is pleased to announce the online update of the World Trade Indicators (WTI) 2008 database and country tables (TAAGs). The updated database now contains 305 trade-related indicators. It includes various tariff…