ECONOMY: Arcelor Takeover Bid Tests EU Protectionism

Unusually fierce resistance to the bid of India-born steel tycoon, Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, to buy out Europe's largest steel company, Arcelor, has brought on charges of protectionism of the type heard every time somebody from the third world runs into difficulties in acquiring Western interests.

TRADE-GHANA: The Chilling Effect of Frozen Poultry Imports

It is only mid-morning in Ghana's capital, Accra, but the day is already hot - and business brisk at the Beyeeman Freezing Company Limited, which imports frozen poultry products.

TRADE: EU Urged to Consider New Agreements

As the European Union continues its controversial trade negotiations with developing countries, a leading development think-tank says there is a "clear alternative" to regional agreements.

TRADE: EU Digs its Heels over Shoe Imports

The European Union is on the brink of a shoe war with Asia as it considers imposing restrictions on imports of shoes from China and Vietnam.

UAE: Boycotting Goods Not Islamic Say Arab Dons

While Islamist clerics and regional trade groups have called for a boycott of European goods in reprisal for the caricaturing of Prophet Muhammad, leading Arab academics and intellectuals say this could only boomerang on the religion and its followers.

POLITICS: Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline in Trouble

Along with the possibility of international sanctions hanging over Iran, the future of a 2,600 km pipeline to transport natural gas from Iran to India through Pakistan, that is actively opposed by Washington, has fallen into jeopardy.

TRADE-US: Record Deficit Reflects Failed Policies, Critics Say

The U.S. trade deficit with the world has reached an all-time high, setting new record levels with China, Japan, Europe and oil-exporting nations, the U.S. the Commerce Department's said Friday, even as some U.S. senators slammed China as the biggest contributor to the deficit.

TRADE: WTO Biotech Ruling Reveals Special Interests, Say Critics

A World Trade Organisation decision that called European safety bans on genetically modified food illegal under its global trade rules could usher in a new phase of potentially hazardous "Frankenfoods" worldwide and further erosion of local protections, say environmental and advocacy groups.

ASIA: Thailand Uneasy Over China Free Trade Deal

A free trade agreement (FTA) that Thailand signed with China, a little over two years ago, has begun to worry politicians and academics who say it has proved disastrous for this country’s farmers.

THAILAND: Free Trade With US Will Hurt Health Care

Will the hands that save the lives of Thailand's sick be tied once a free trade deal between this country and the United States is signed, later this year?

INDONESIA: Palm Sugar Can Sweeten Economy and Environment

When Indonesia gets the world's first palm sugar factory up and running in June, it will reverse a trend which turned this country from being the world's second biggest exporter of sugar to the second largest importer of a sensitive commodity.

VIETNAM: No Easy Answer to Wildcat Strikes

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's intervention, this week, to find solutions to strikes raging through Vietnam's foreign-owned companies was a sign that the unrest was turning critical and beginning to infect local enterprises.

LABOUR-VIETNAM: Wildcat Strikes Pay Off

More than a dozen strikes by more than 40,000 workers in Ho Chi Minh City's export processing zones have forced the Vietnamese government to raise the country's minimum wage by nearly 40 percent .

SOUTH ASIA: Burying Quarrels for Regional Free Trade

Will economics overtake politics in South Asia? Will the seven countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) be able to sink some of their deep differences over political issues to enhance trade relations?

ECONOMY: Thai Farmers Fear Free Trade Deal With US

When United States negotiators fly into Thailand to thrash out a bilateral free trade deal, next week, they will be greeted with jeers rather than this country's famed smile of welcome.

TRADE-RUSSIA: Cold Peace Descends on WTO Talks

Russia hopes to sign necessary agreements to join the WTO this year despite significant differences with the United States.

EGYPT: Another Regional Step Past WTO

Egypt signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with Turkey this week after several rounds of bilateral negotiations. The regional agreement marked a success after the disappointment through the negotiations at the trade ministers meeting in Hong Kong.

CHALLENGES 2005-2006: Back to Work in the WTO, With Empty Hands

Without breaking stride to mull over the disappointment of Hong Kong, the developing countries will be back at work in early January striving to recover the ground lost at the 6th World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial conference held mid-December in that Asian city.

SPAIN: Farmers Feel Pinch of Drought in Their Pockets

Farmers in Spain will continue to suffer drought next year in the countryside and in their bank accounts, because of the absence of rainfall, a drop in production, and a reduction in economic aid from the European Union.

ECONOMY: China’s Growth Bypassing Workers

China's government kept a low profile at last week's WTO meetings although they were held in its own backyard, the "special administrative region" of Hong Kong. Its negotiators held no media briefings during or after negotiations and of the 1,100 NGOs and business groups accredited for the event, only five were from China.

WTO-SPECIAL: The TRIPs Traps for Health and Knowledge

The hidden story behind the final draft of the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference's declaration lies in TRIPs, or trade-related intellectual property rights.