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1st batch of JPEPA nurses off to Japan this week
5-May-2009    
The first batch of nurses and caregivers who have been hired under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) are ready to be deployed to Japan this weekend, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said Tuesday.
The EU-ASEAN free trade agreement: Region-to-region versus the bilateral approach
5-May-2009     TNI
"ASEAN should build a different kind of regionalism and not sign bilateral Free Trade Agreements with the EU", says Malaysian MP Mr. Charles Santiago in Brussels in a debate with Mr. Bercero, chief negotiator for the EU in the EU-Korea FTA and Mr. Helmut Markov, chair of the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament.
Panama's president-elect to push US trade deal
5-May-2009     Reuters
Finalizing a free-trade deal with the United States is a major goal for Panamanian President-elect Ricardo Martinelli, but the supermarket tycoon rejects US accusations that the country is a tax haven.
COSATU calls for rejection of EU-SADC Partnership Agreement
4-May-2009     Times of Swaziland
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is celebrating the rejection of European Union-SADC Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (IEPA) negotiations by the governments of South Africa and Angola and is mobilising for a political intervention in the whole agreement negotiations.
Peru: Amazonian indigenous people rise up
3-May-2009     GLW
“Since April 9, an uprising has been occurring in the Peruvian countryside involving the Amazonian indigenous peoples from 1350 communities and a diversity of ethnicities”, said legendary peasant leader, Hugo Blanco in an important message. A translation of Blanco's appeal for solidarity with this so-far mostly unreported struggle is printed below.
Canada-Colombia free trade agreement could be a lose-lose deal
2-May-2009     COHA
Canada gambled on a losing strategy: that free trade will inherently bring democracy to what some would consider a lawless society. Ottawa should only have looked to its neighbor in Washington to see the futility of this approach.
Japan and China should start free trade discussion, Aso says
2-May-2009     Bloomberg
Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso called for talks on free trade with China, the first time a Japanese leader has raised the prospect of an agreement with its biggest trading partner.
New report: Panama FTA would undermine US efforts to stop offshore tax-haven abuse and regulate risky financial conduct
2-May-2009     Public Citizen
The trade deal would leave tax shelters for AIG and narcotraffickers intact while removing existing US tools to combat tax evasion and other financial crimes
Do bilateral investment treaties lead to more foreign investment?
1-May-2009     ITN
The global network of over 2800 bilateral investment treaties has been built on the basis of promoting foreign direct investment, and yet, after a decade of research, whether in fact BITs lead to an increase in FDI flows is a matter of debate. ITN has posed a few questions to three academics for their views on the relationship between BITs, FDI flows and sustainable development.
SKorea closer to trade pact with ASEAN
1-May-2009     AFP
South Korea will move closer to a full free trade deal with Southeast Asian nations when an agreement on opening up the services sector comes into force on 1 May.