Trade : Existential challenges to multilateralism dominate G20 summit meet (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Hamburg)
As the G20 leaders began their stormy meeting amid violent protests on the streets of Hamburg, serious existential challenges continued to dominate the meeting, particularly on the uninterrupted multilateral trade liberalization under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, according to participants present at the meeting.

Trade : EU's CV duties on PET from Pakistan held WTO-illegal (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
A dispute panel at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has largely ruled that provisional and definitive countervailing duties (CVD) imposed by the European Union on imports of certain polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from Pakistan were inconsistent with the EU's obligations under the WTO.

Finance : 1997 Asian crisis lessons lost (PRIV)
(Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Kuala Lumpur)
After months of withstanding speculative attacks on its national currency, the Thai central bank let it "float" on 2 July 1997, allowing its exchange rate to drop suddenly.

United Nations : Needs a 21st century development system (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
Allow me first of all to express my deep gratitude to all the colleagues that have worked hard - in the Secretariat, in the Agencies, Funds and Programmes - to allow for this report to be ready on time.