Trade : Poorest nations held hostage by North on TRIPS compliance    (PRIV)
(Chee Yoke Ling, Beijing)
For the past one week, the poorest members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have been locked in a battle against the united might of the richest countries to exercise their right to be exempt from the WTO intellectual property rules.

Trade : Bad faith negotiation tactics in LDC extension request    (PRIV)
(Brook K. Baker, Boston)
Least developed country Members of the WTO have offered a properly motivated request for an unconditional extension of the transition period within which they must become fully compliant with the TRIPS Agreement. Their request is elegantly simple and straightforward and is entirely consistent with the requirements of Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement.

WHO : Draft text on neglected tropical diseases favours industry    (PRIV)
(K. M. Gopakumar, Geneva)
Concerns have surfaced that the draft resolution on neglected tropical diseases at the ongoing World Health Assembly (WHA) session promotes the interests of pharmaceutical multinational corporations.

Development : World Bank seeks to eradicate poverty... by lowering the bar    (PRIV)
(Roberto Bissio, Montevideo)
In a highly publicised speech, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim (a Korean-born American health specialist) announced in April that the new "highly ambitious" target of his institution will be "ending extreme poverty in the world by 2030."

Chile : Development still tied to copper mining    (PRIV)
(IPS, Santiago)
Chile's position as the world's top producer of copper is not under threat, but the country faces the challenge of transforming its copper mining industry into social capital for the long term, and addressing high energy costs, which have grown seven-fold over the last decade, experts told IPS.