Trade : MC8 gets underway (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
The World Trade Organisation's (WTO) eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8) got under way here Thursday afternoon, with the Chair of the conference expressing hope that by the end of the conference, "we will have demonstrated to the world not only that the WTO is alive but that it is also fully capable of delivering results that matter to people everywhere."

Climate : Uncertainties over Kyoto Protocol "second commitment period" (PRIV)
(Chee Yoke Ling, Beijing)
The Kyoto Protocol was given a political boost in a decision on the "Outcome of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol at its sixteenth session" adopted on 11 December.

Trade : EU-India deal could spell disaster (PRIV)
(IPS, Geneva)
As the Eighth Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) kicked off in Geneva this week, a group of NGOs exposed the devastating potential of a free trade agreement currently being negotiated between the European Union and India. If passed, they say the deal would make a mockery of all WTO rules and regulations.

United States : Iraq intervention ends with scarcely a whimper (PRIV)
(IPS, Washington)
When the United States formally ended its eight-and-a-half year military adventure in Iraq on Thursday with a flag-lowering ceremony presided over by Defence Secretary Leon Panetta in Baghdad, hardly anyone here seemed to notice, let alone mark the occasion in a special manner.