Archive - Dec 2005

December 11th

Thousands gather in HK for protest march before WTO summit

10 December, 2005
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.

Protesters denounce WTO at Hong Kong rallies

10 December, 2005
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.

Bulleting #1 from Hong Kong: 10 December 2005

10 December, 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

Debunking the Development?Package

10 December, 2005
The Hong Kong development package is a guise for further impoverishment of developing economies, those hardest hit by liberalization.

Protesters March in Hong Kong Against WTO Summit

10 December, 2005
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.

December 9th

WTO issues new ministerial text for Hong Kong, but without cover note

8 December, 2005
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.

WTO General Council approves 'permanent solution' to TRIPS and Health

8 December, 2005
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.

If WTO negotiations require hard choices,churches say: choose justice

8 December, 2005
If you only had one choice, what would you choose: Water? Food? Life-saving medicine?

US warning on Hong Kong trade meeting

8 December, 2005
With the Doha global trade talks stalled by US and European discord over agriculture, US lawmakers are warning that domestic political support for the round could be jeopardised if the Hong Kong ministerial meeting next week focuses exclusively on the narrow demands from a few developing countries

Free trade fails forests

8 December, 2005
The study Trading away our last ancient forests (1)concludes that liberalisation in the forestry sector must be halted immediately in order to avoid destroying the last remaining ancient forests and the indigenous communities dependent on them.