Trade : WTO's MC13 Outcome Document far from closure (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
With less than one month left for the Wor ld Trade Organization's 13th ministerial conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, the crucial "Outcome Document" that includes all the major decisions, declarati ons, and work programs in different areas, seems to be mired in divergent views on a range of issues and is far from closure, said people familiar with the disc ussions.

Trade : Outcome on WTO dispute settlement reform unlikely at MC13 (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The World Trade Organization is likely t o fail to accomplish an outcome in the ongoing informal discussions on reform of t he WTO's dispute settlement system (DSS) at its 13th ministerial conference (M C13) beginning in Abu Dhabi on 26 February, said people familiar with the development.

Opinion : PPPs' private gain at public expense (PRIV)
(IPS, Kuala Lumpur)
At high cost and with dubious efficiency, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have increa sed private profits at the public expense. PPPs have proved costly in financing public projects.