Trade : WTO NAMA Group holds first meeting since MC8 (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
The Negotiating Group on Market Access for Non-agricultural Products (NAMA) on 24 January held its first meeting of the year, just more than one month following the conclusion of the eighth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC8).

WHO : Work on non-communicable diseases moves forward (PRIV)
(K. M. Gopakumar, Geneva)
The Executive Board of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which met on 12-23 January 2012, adopted a resolution to work further on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

United Nations : War crimes immunity for ousted leaders under fire (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
As ousted political and military leaders in the Middle East continue to seek immunity from war crimes prosecutions, the United Nations and international human rights groups are taking an increasingly tough stance against such legislation in Yemen, Egypt, and possibly in a post-conflict Syria.

Spain : Trials of judge Garzon called scandalous by rights groups (PRIV)
(IPS, Madrid)
Another trial opened Tuesday with Spain's best-known judge, Baltasar Garzon, in the dock for attempting to investigate crimes against humanity committed during the 36-year dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Environment : Shale gas a bridge to more global warming (PRIV)
(IPS, Uxbridge)
Hundreds of thousands of shale gas wells are being "fracked" in the United States and Canada, allowing large amounts of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, to escape into the atmosphere, new studies have shown.

Argentina : In Famatina, water is worth far more than gold (PRIV)
(IPS, Buenos Aires)
Thousands of people in the northwest Argentine province of La Rioja are mobilising to stop an open-cast gold mining project in the Nevados de Famatina, a snowy peak that is the semi-arid area's sole source of drinking water.