/INT’L WOMEN’S DAY/RIGHTS: Women Withstand Wars

Women are "incredibly courageous and resilient" and find ways to cope with the daily realities of war, debunking the stereotype of women as passive and vulnerable, says the International Committee of the Red Cross.

ECONOMY: Threat of War Fuels Global Uncertainty

The short-term outlook for global economic growth is uncertain, and depends on whether or not a war against Iraq is launched, according to the annual report of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which was released Tuesday.

COMMUNICATIONS: Civil Society Wins a Place at WSIS Table

The World Summit on the Information Society this year will be the first multilateral negotiations in which non-governmental organisations will participate on equal footing with governments and business.

HEALTH: US Groups Ask Washington to Quit Int’l Tobacco Talks

Some of the top medical associations of the United States are demanding that their own government abandon the negotiations for an international treaty on tobacco control, saying its presence is undermining the efforts of the majority of other nations to produce the strong legal tool needed to halt tobacco-related deaths.

COMMUNICATION: Information Technology Industry Strong Despite Crisis

Information and communication technologies (ICT) remain a powerful engine of growth, despite the crisis that has led to the collapse of a number of companies in the industry in recent years, according to a new World Economic Forum (WEF) report released Wednesday.

TECHNOLOGY: Summit Prep Meet Caught between Two Visions

In the preparatory discussions for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to take place in December, a rift has emerged between the visions aiming to put new technology at the service of business, or of citizens.

HEALTH: Big Tobacco, Powerful Nations Derailing Treaty – Activists

Representatives from Germany, Japan and the United States are trying to block progress in the drafting of an international treaty on tobacco control, say health and consumer rights groups.

TRADE: WTO Blocs Displeased with Draft Plan for Farm Talks

The draft of proposals for the prickly negotiations on agriculture at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has brought contrary reactions, although nearly all parties admit that the document could put the talks back on track.

TRADE: US Dumping Farm Commodities, Says Think-Tank

The practice of dumping in international agricultural trade is hurting the livelihood of 70 percent of the world's poorest people, says a new study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a U.S.-based think-tank.

TRADE: Brazil Takes Aim at EU on Sugar Subsidies

The efforts of the Asia, Caribbean and Pacific group (ACP) in Brasilia proved useless Friday, as the former European colonies failed to dissuade Brazil from following through on its complaint at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against European sugar export subsidies

TRADE: Brazil Takes Aim at EU on Sugar Subsidies

The efforts of the Asia, Caribbean and Pacific group (ACP) in Brasilia proved useless Friday, as the former European colonies failed to dissuade Brazil from following through on its complaint at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against European sugar export subsidies.

HEALTH: Int’l Offensive against Persistent Polio in India

The government of India and the international health community are joining forces for a massive vaccination campaign aimed at wiping out poliomyelitis in one of its last strongholds: the minority Muslim population of the northern Indian state of Uttah Pradesh.

RIGHTS: World Powers ‘Boycott’ UN Afro-Descendants Group

The United States and the European Union scorn the work of a group of intellectuals who are studying - at the behest of the United Nations - the problem of race discrimination suffered by people of African descent, say rights activists.

DEVELOPMENT: Commodities Exporters Need State Support – Experts

Government support is needed to diversify exports in the developing world, which is highly dependent on commodities trade, say experts convened by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: War on Iraq would Affect WTO Trade Talks

The outbreak of a war against Iraq could weaken the bargaining position of developing countries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) multilateral trade talks with a view to the ministerial meeting in September in Mexico, warned activists at the World Social Forum taking place in this southern Brazilian city.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: War on Iraq would Affect WTO Trade Talks

The outbreak of a war against Iraq could weaken the bargaining position of developing countries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) multilateral trade talks with a view to the ministerial meeting in September in Mexico, warned activists at the World Social Forum taking place in this southern Brazilian city.

2002-2003/TRADE: Civil Society Opposes Farm Subsidies

The fate of the subsidies that the industrialised North shells out to its farmers not only depends on the negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), but also on the strength of campaigns launched by farmers' associations and other civil society groups in the developing world.

2002-2003/TRADE: Civil Society Opposes Farm Subsidies

The fate of the subsidies that the industrialised North shells out to its farmers not only depends on the negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), but also on the strength of campaigns launched by farmers' associations and other civil society groups in the developing world.

ENVIRONMENT: 2002 the Planet’s Second Warmest Year

This year, which saw an increase in the Earth's average surface temperature, is the second warmest in the 160 years since instrumental measurements of temperatures have been recorded, reports the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

ENVIRONMENT: 2002 the Planet’s Second Warmest Year

This year, which saw an increase in the Earth's average surface temperature, is the second warmest in the 160 years since instrumental measurements of temperatures have been recorded, reports the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

TECHNOLOGY: Intellectual Property to Help Bridge Digital Gap – WIPO

The international intellectual property system could be utilised to reduce the digital divide that continues to exist between industrialised and developing countries, says the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).