WTO : Is GC chair's "way forward to MC13" top-down & prescriptive? (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The chair of the World Trade Organization 's General Council (GC) on 17 November announced the ground rules for the "Way Forward to MC13", in which a seemingly top-down and prescriptive approach i s being suggested for what is being branded as a "reform ministerial", said p eople familiar with the development.

Mideast : US has supplied Israel with $130 billion in military aid & arms (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
Since its founding in 1948, the United Stat es has channelled over $130 billion in bilateral assistance to Israel, helping to transform its Defence Forces into "one of the world's most capable [and] ef fective militaries", according to a Fact Sheet put out by the US State Department.

Rights : Delivering psychosocial support for crisis-impacted children (PRIV)
(IPS, Nairobi)
As the global community marks World Children's Day, every child should be guaranteed their rights, including th ose in the Gaza Strip, where heavy bombardment and military operations by Israel h ave killed more than 11,000 people, 40 percent of them children.