US, EU, Brazil, and India Work to Restart Global Trade Talks [ March 7, 2006 ]
The Doha Development Round of Trade Talks is gaining momentum with the increased efforts of key players to revive it. In fact, the United States, the European Union, Brazil, and India launched another round of bilateral negotiations on Friday last week in order to push for the conclusion of the global trade talks.

Lamy Sees Increased Momentum in Global Trade Negotiations [ March 6, 2006 ]
World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy said that he saw "good signs" for launching a ministerial conference in order to conclude the global trade talks. But he said that the members of the WTO were not still at that stage since they needed to reach a compromise in the global trade negotiations. The WTO chief made these comments to some agencies during his recent visit to Indonesia.

Emirates-Airbus International Trade Deal Faces Delay [ August 19, 2006 ]
Airline Emirates warned Airbus last week regarding the further prorogation of their international trade deal. According to Emirates, it might reduce the number of its aircraft order if further delays took place during the project. It must be noted that Emirates agreed to purchase 45 A380 superjumbo planes, thus, becoming Airbus's biggest client. The airline company though, faces a 10-month delay in the first shipment of its planes. This is the second time Airbus has announced a delay in the project because of wiring problems.

Kenya to Boost Tea Exports and Seek New Importers [ August 18, 2006 ]
Kenya's Agriculture Minister Kipruto Kirwa said last week that the government would create a special body, which would take charge in promoting the nation's tea exports. According to him, the taskforce would also be responsible in maintaining Kenya's relationship with its current tea buyers, and in looking for potential importers and markets in other regions. Mr. Kirwa said that through the special committee, his office would entertain ideas and suggestions on how to improve Kenya's position in key tea markets and to seek new importers.

Qatari Officials Mum About Dispute Between Cattle Importers and Animal Rights Advocates [ October 16, 2006 ]
Qatari officials had been silent regarding their decision whether to continue importing livestock from Australia. During the past weeks, the officials had found themselves in the middle of a debate between cattle importers and animal rights advocate. Qatar's Ministry of Municipal Affairs was due to release its decision concerning the matter after talking with the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), which showed proofs to the ministry that sheep imports suffered from abuses during and after their shipment from Australia to Qatar. After meeting with Qatar officials, PETA stated that the ministry was considering to halt livestock imports and stop importers from getting supplies from Australia.

OECD Attempts to Revive Global Trade Talks [ October 15, 2006 ]
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said that the global trade talks could still be revived and that a deal could be made if all involved nations cooperate. The OECD made these comments during a conference, which took place in Buenos Aires. Both the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO) also joined the meeting. The WTO nations were supposed to reach a consensus and come up with an outline of a global free trade agreement last July. But the global trade negotiations collapsed due to the failure of the members, particularly the key players, to resolve their differences.

Oil Prices Rise as Exporters Consider Output Cuts [ October 14, 2006 ]
The prices of petroleum rebounded after they had plunged to their lowest point this year due to the OPEC proposal to reduce its production. But the rise was further supported by a US government report regarding the decline of heating fuel inventories and the decision of Norway to shut its operations at 2 offshore oil blocks thus disrupting supplies from the third biggest oil producer and exporter in the world. Crude oil, then, settled at $58.19 per barrel in the US after it had previously dropped to $57.22, which was its lowest point since December 2005.

Ethiopia and EU Discuss Global Trade Policies and EPA [ October 12, 2006 ]
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi met with EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on Tuesday last week in order to tackle the position of the African nation in terms of global enterprise policies. Moreover, the two officials held the meeting in order to discuss the concerns of Ethiopia concerning the ongoing EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement) negotiations, which is held by the European Union with the African, Pacific, and Caribbean nations. According to reports, the European group, which was headed by European Commission President Manuel Barroso, came last September 30 to Addis Ababa for a conference with their counterparts from African Union. The African group, which was headed by Au chief Alpha Omar Konare, also included Elisabeth Tankeu, the current AU commissioner for Trade and Industry.

NEDA Introduces Export Scheme to Boost Central Luzon's Position in International Trade [ October 11, 2006 ]
The regional branch of NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) in Central Luzon recently launched a five-year export scheme in order to boost the region's position in the international trade. In an official statement, NEDA stated that the Regional Council-Executive Committee (RDC-EXCOM) decided to implement the Central Luzon Export Development Plan (CLEDP 2006-2010) by means of the Resolution 03-23-2006 during a conference, which took place in Malolos City (Bulacan). According to NEDA, the plan would be Central Luzon's framework in the development and growth of its export business. The scheme included an outline of the programs and strategies that would help the region achieve its targets in the international trade in the coming years.

American Grain Exporters Accredit WTO For GMO Decision [ October 05, 2006 ]
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has made US exporters of rice and other grains glad after coming up with a decision that European Union's (EU) moratorium scheme on the enhancement of farm goods using biotechnology has the capability of providing long-term benefits to global trading countries. The said decision affirmed that the legal permission used by the EU could support other developing states because it possesses majority of science reaffirmation, and policies that are derived from global trading programs, according to the leading exporters and organizations of grains today.

Farm Exporters Maintain Protection for Small Farmers [ October 04, 2006 ]
Major farm exporters particularly Indonesia and the Philippines justified their move to maintain a certain trade protection for their small farmers who were most likely to be affected by commerce liberalization. More than a week ago, World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Pascal Lamy urged the two Southeast Asian nations, including the United States, the European Union, and India, to do more in improving their agricultural policies in order to help fuel the stalled global trade negotiations.

US and China Launch Economic Talks to Resolve Disputes in Global Trade
[ October 03, 2006 ]
Both the United States and the European Union agreed to launch an economic summit, which would be held twice a year, in an effort to resolve the growing tension between them in terms of global trade. According to reports, the move was personally supported by President George W. Bush and his Chinese counterpart President Hu Jintao. The initiative was announced by US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi after the former had opened a three-day meeting, which focused on their global trade ties, in Beijing.