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28-Jul-2008
Access to the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) will ease after opening of a trade centre in Kampala. Comesatradehub, an international export promotion company, will enable companies market and sell their products internationally.
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28-Jul-2008
When Canada concluded free trade talks with Colombia in June, the announcement came in the form of a release on a Saturday. But burying news of the deal on a weekend hasn’t stopped a storm of protest. In Ottawa, the opposition blasted the government for reaching an FTA (whose ratification will likely take months) without waiting for an assessment report from the Commons trade committee, whose members recently travelled to Colombia - a country that has been plagued by drug trafficking, paramilitary death squads and other forms of strife.
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28-Jul-2008
A British water company thrown out of Tanzania over a bungled privatisation deal has failed in its bid to win up to £10m in damages.
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28-Jul-2008
It would have almost happened. President Rajapaksa and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were slated to sign the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries sometime during the SAARC summit at the beginning of next month. Fortunately wiser counsel prevailed, if one might employ a rather weathered phrase.
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28-Jul-2008
European Union on Monday hinted at continuation of bilateral negotiations on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India even if the ongoing WTO negotiations at Geneva fails.
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28-Jul-2008
TWN
The special safeguard mechanism currently being proposed for agriculture at the WTO mini-ministerial requires large increases in imports before it can be used, does not allow tariffs to be raised sufficiently and cannot be used to protect developing country farmers from import surges due to free trade agreements.
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28-Jul-2008
Via Campesina
La Via Campesina supports the peaceful fight of the Korean Peasant League, Korean Women Peasants Association and the movements of the Korean people for their right to have access to safe food and to produce locally. FTAs undermine the freedom of choice and the access to safe food, which are basic elements of food sovereignty.
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28-Jul-2008
Live Mint
An India-Sri Lanka trade and investment agreement billed as a landmark is being delayed, ostensibly because the island nation’s President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, an avowed Sinhala nationalist, doesn’t want to be seen as authoring such a close partnership with New Delhi, diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
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27-Jul-2008
Japan Focus
The Japanese side is strongly selling the concept of capacity-building in Indonesia in key areas such as the auto parts industry. Despite such promises, it is difficult to envision how such nascent industries will compete with the now cheaper Japanese imports.
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25-Jul-2008
Scoop
Many New Zealanders believe that a New Zealand-US free trade agreement would put all of Aotearoa up for sale to US corporations by “removing barriers” to US corporate control and by allowing US corporations to sue the New Zealand government for threatening their profits.
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25-Jul-2008
TVNZ
A free trade agreement between New Zealand and the US is expected to be on the agenda when the Prime Minister meets with the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
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25-Jul-2008
Bernama
The European Free Trade Association and Hong Kong are keen to establish a free trade agreement with Malaysia.
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25-Jul-2008
Colombia Reports
Colombia’s Constitutional Court has ruled the trade pact the Colombian and US governments signed is in accordance with Colombia’s constitution.
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25-Jul-2008
RNZI
This may include setting up a regional office to focus on issues of traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights.
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25-Jul-2008
FarmOnline
Japan has moved to exclude key agricultural products from the next round of free-trade negotiations with Australia, due to be held in Tokyo next week.
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24-Jul-2008
WW4 Report
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos share a joint op-ed in the New York Times shamelessly trading off the apparent hostage rescue operation to shill for the pending US-Colombia free trade agreement.
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24-Jul-2008
Bernama
The Malaysia-US Free Trade Agreement talks are set to advance into the ninth round in November, International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said. Government procurement, competition policy, environment, labour, financial services and other sensitive areas could only be discussed but stay non-negotiable and non-binding, he added.
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24-Jul-2008
Scoop
Trade Minister Phil Goff says the passing in Parliament today of the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Bill will bring the FTA into force on 1 October and represents an historic advance in New Zealand’s trading relationships.
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24-Jul-2008
Zee News
India and Singapore are set to sign an agreement on services shortly under a comprehensive economic treaty between the two, enabling architects, nurses, dentists and chartered accountants to practice in each other’s country. This will be the first services agreement that India signs with any country.
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23-Jul-2008
FTA Watch
A review of the potential direction and impacts of an EU-ASEAN FTA, particularly on Thailand, commissioned by FTA Watch
