Trade : Uncertainty over GC Chair's 'way forward' on Doha talks (PRIV)
(Chakravarthi Raghavan, Geneva)
The General Council of the World Trade Organization meets Monday, 15 December, with much uncertainty on the reactions of the membership to the proposals from the Chairman of the General Council on his own authority, in a statement he is to make, on the 'way forward' for reviving and reactivating the negotiations under the Doha work programme (DWP).

Trade : Broad coalition vows to fight US-Central America pact (PRIV)
(IPS, Washington)
Representatives from trade unions, human rights and civil society groups joined US legislators Tuesday in denouncing a free trade deal the United States is negotiating with five Central American nations as an official failure to address labour, environmental and public health concerns.

Trade : Farmers say food must be dropped from deal-making at WTO (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
Farmers and peasant groups around the world are pressing the concept of 'food sovereignty' as a challenge to the World Trade Organisation's agriculture policies, which they say push millions of small farmers off their land and lead to food insecurity.

United Nations : No mysteries at WSIS (PRIV)
(IPS, Geneva)
The World Summit on the Information Society is proving a rare avis of international conferences in the sense that before it began Wednesday all of the major controversies that emerged during the two years of preparations had largely been resolved.

Environment : Kyoto protocol's future depends on Russia (PRIV)
(IPS, Milan)
The future of the Kyoto Protocol has been thrown into doubt by Russia's recent wavering on whether it will ratify the treaty. The question has divided the delegates at the ninth conference on climate change and given rise to discussions of alternative mechanisms, including a new global agreement.

United States : New activist network slams abuses under Bush (PRIV)
(IPS, Washington)
Key US civil liberties and social justice groups marked International Human Rights Day Wednesday by launching a new "US Human Rights Network" dedicated to raising awareness about international human rights standards and focusing attention on the US failure to enforce them.

United Nations : Deepening inequality threatens world security (PRIV)
(IPS, Brooklyn)
Social, economic and human rights in the South are being undermined by the growing power of the global marketplace, and the eroding ability of national governments to protect citizens from market fluctuations, according to a new analysis from the United Nations University (UNU).

Argentina : Pro-President Congress makes its debut (PRIV)
(IPS, Buenos Aires)
With a president who enjoys a high approval rating and with a fragmented and diffuse opposition, Argentina debuted a renewed Congress on Wednesday, in which the ruling party holds the majority.