Trade : Misplaced claims of deadline sanctity for TFA    (PRIV)
(Chakravarthi Raghavan, Geneva)
The impasse at the WTO General Council over the adoption of a Protocol of Amendment to incorporate the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) into Annex 1A of the Marrakesh agreement, and much of the discussions thereon at the WTO have focused on the importance of meeting the deadline of July 31, 2014 included in the Bali Decision on the TFA (WT/MIN(13)/36, WT/L/911, 7 December 2013), and the WTO losing all credibility.

Trade : Azevedo meets group coordinators, positions unchanged on TF protocol    (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Roberto Azevedo on Tuesday met with the coordinators of some fifteen groupings at the WTO, where he briefed them on the state of play since the General Council meeting was suspended last Friday.

Mideast : Ticking diplomatic clock a cover for Israeli assaults on Gaza    (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
As the death toll in Gaza keeps climbing - and charges of alleged war crimes against Israel keep mounting - the most powerful political body at the United Nations remains ineffective, impotent and in a state of near paralysis.

United Nations : In turbulent Iraq, children bear the brunt of war    (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
As the ambulance stopped in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, people rushed in to help. They unloaded six children, from several months to 11 years old, all injured allegedly by an air attack in the neighbouring town of Tuz Khurmatu.

Latin America : Human development - less than halfway there    (PRIV)
(IPS, Mexico City)
Construction worker Leobardo Gomez has been out of work for nine months since he slipped and fell to the street on a construction site in the Mexican capital in October.

Note to Readers : Holiday Notice    (PRIV)
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Due to the Swiss National Day holiday, the next issue SUNS #7856 will appear on 4 August.