Trade : India, South Africa get green light for workshops on e-com moratorium (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
India and South Africa have secured the green light for holding workshops, along with dedicated WTO General Council meetings, to reassess the scope and definition of the existing moratorium that prohibits countries from imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions.

Trade : Japan initiates dispute over Korean support to shipbuilding industry (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
Japan has initiated a dispute at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over a range of measures implemented by Korea alleged to be providing financial support to its shipbuilders.

Opinion : Intellectual property raises costs of living (PRIV)
(IPS, Kuala Lumpur)
Many medicines and medical tests are unaffordable to most of humanity owing to the ability of typically transnational pharmaceutical giants to abuse their monopoly powers, enforced by intellectual property laws, to set prices to maximize profits over the long- term.

United Nations : Female genital mutilation costs $1.4 billion annually (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) poses serious risks to the health and well-being of women and girls, but it also exacts a crippling economic toll, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).