WTO : US launches "maximalist" assault, calls for reforms on its own terms (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Ahead of the crucial World Trade Organization General Council meeting on 16 December, the United States on 15 December unveiled a seemingly "maximalist" agenda for reforming the WTO on its own terms.

WTO : Defying consensus, US pushes to make E-com moratorium permanent (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The United States, along with Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Paraguay, on 12 December floated a draft ministerial decision at the World Trade Organization on extending indefinitely the current moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, effectively making the moratorium permanent, according to people familiar with the draft decision.

Afghanistan : A young woman works in disguise to feed her family (PRIV)
(IPS, Kabul)
Shabnam, a 26-year-old law graduate, manages her life and work by disguising herself as a boy.