Archive - 2005

The Hong Kong government is mustering all its propaganda skills to create a climate of fear as the meeting approaches, to justify cracking down on any dissent and keep the substantive issues off the front pages

Around 3,000 protesters waving signs reading 'Junk the WTO' and 'Life is not for sale' marched in a carnival atmosphere in the shade of skyscrapers in one of the world's main financial centres.

Thousands of anti-globalization activists--some dressed like chickens and others carrying a big spider--held Sunday their first protest march ahead of the World Trade Organization summit in Hong Kong.

Several thousand people have staged the first of a series of protests in Hong Kong over the World Trade Organization summit to be held this week.

Thousands of anti-globalization activists marched in the streets of Hong Kong Sunday as the city prepares to host the World Trade Organization's (WTO) annual summit.

Intense and rushed formal and informal consultations have been taking place since last Friday 2 December to find agreement among WTO Members on the content of an amendment to the TRIPS Agreement, which is to constitute a 'permanent solution' for facilitating the supply of medicines to countries with insufficient or no drug manufacturing capacity.

Over 100 groups across India, including social movements and trade unions, have challenged the minority government

The WTO General Council late Tuesday 6 December approved an amendment to the TRIPS Agreement making permanent a decision originally adopted in 2003 to resolve the problem of supply of generic versions of pharmaceutical products to countries with inadequate manufacturing capacity, due to limitations in the TRIPS Agreement when using compulsory license.

The latest draft is more interesting for what it omits than what it has added. The cover note that was attached to the 1 December draft has been removed.

If you only had one choice, what would you choose: Water? Food? Life-saving medicine?