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Sempra Energy awarded $172 million in Argentine arbitration
3-Oct-2007     CNN
The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington DC has awarded Sempra Energy approximately $172 million, including interest, to settle a 2002 dispute involving the company's 43-percent ownership in two Argentine natural gas holding companies, Sodigas Pampeana and Sodigas Sur.
Philippine Senators 'could reject' Japan free trade deal
3-Oct-2007     AFP
Philippine lawmakers are unlikely to ratify a free trade agreement with Japan in the deal's present form, the president of the Southeast Asian nation's Senate said Tuesday.
520 items to get tariff shield under India-EU trade pact
3-Oct-2007     Times of India
India's commerce department is on a drive to identify 520 items that would be shielded from tariff cuts planned under the proposed India-EU bilateral trade and investment agreement. Tariffs on all other items will have to be reduced to zero in 10 years from the date of implementation of the agreement.
Senator says US needs "new vision" for trade
3-Oct-2007     Reuters
Washington needs to "think bigger" than it has in the past few years and look at possible trade deals with countries such as Taiwan, Indonesia, India and Japan, US Senate Democrat Max Baucus said.
Middle class incomes further behind since trade deal
3-Oct-2007     NDP
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the negotiations of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement, NDP International Trade Critic Peter Julian presented his analysis of the new figures from Statistics Canada that show a drastic increase in income inequality for most Canadian families since 1989.
Japan FTA all set for November
3-Oct-2007     Bangkok Post
The Thai and Japanese governments yesterday ironed out the last details before the free trade agreement takes effect on November 1. FTA Watch member Jacquechai Chomthongdi said the activist group would bring the case to the Constitutional Court as the new Thai constitution requires transparent consideration of all international treaties, including the trade deal signed with Japan.
Caribbean grapples with loss of EU sugar deal
3-Oct-2007     IPS
Last week, the EU unilaterally renounced a 32-year sugar protocol that had guaranteed fixed quotas and prices for ACP countries, with no clear indications of how exactly sugar will be treated in the new EPAs.
Myanmar should be excluded from ASEAN-EU free trade deal - EU parliamentarians
2-Oct-2007     Sharewatch
Myanmar should not be included in the free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU following the Yangon military regime's crackdown on mass protests last week, according to members of the European Parliament visiting Singapore.
World Trade Organization accession agreements: intellectual property issues
1-Oct-2007    
This paper addresses intellectual property issues that arise in the context of the WTO accession process
An analysis of the EC non-paper on the objectives and possible elements of an IP section in the EC-Pacific EPA
1-Oct-2007     ICTSD
The combination of the time-factor, the TRIPS-plus implications of many of the elements suggested by the EC, the challenges that would face non-WTO Pacific countries to even adhere to TRIPS and the general level of development in these countries, it is strongly recommended that Pacific countries do not agree to the inclusion of an IP section in the EC-Pacific EPA.