Full Coverage: Trade

02.11.2009 An advert for Malaysian palm oil has been banned in the UK, dealing a major blow to the credibility of Malaysia’s palm oil industry.

30.10.2009 The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme should immediately suspend Zimbabwe for continuing human rights abuses and widespread smuggling in the Marange diamond fields, says a leading interenational rights group.

28.10.2009 Primark opens its new London store next month amid claims that Britain's leading cheap fashion retailer is expanding by exploiting overseas garment workers.

27.10.2009 A handful of companies are showing progress in their commitments to buy and use sustainable palm oil, yet the majority - contrary to their commitments - are failing to buy the product in spite of its availability, according to a Palm Oil Buyers’ scorecard.

12.10.2009 In what appears to be a victory for campaigners, the European Commission has conceded that its notorious EPA trade agreements should not be imposed on developing countries. IPS News

16.09.2009 A reminder that most foreign aid is disbursed in western currencies and reaches beneficiaries only through the mechanics of conversion into local currency. Owen Abroad

16.09.2009 Visual depiction of Africa's exclusion from the global economy in maps of trade patterns and internet connectivity. Aid Watch

17.08.2009 Plans are afoot to extract greater value from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which grants concessions to African countries for US trade. IRIN News

20.07.2009 Can the International Maritime Organization be taken seriously by climate change negotiators when its ships choose to sail from Europe around the Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Suez Canal?

07.04.2009 The US has flipped the switch on its new declaration system for plant product imports, a groundbreaking initiative established to collect information on what wood products are coming into the country and from where they are harvested.
+ Honey project 'symbolises commitment to sustainable use of forest resources'

18.12.2008 Despite driving poor communities off their land and patently failing to deliver carbon emissions reductions, lobbyists for big industries and institutions such as the World Bank were active in Poznan climate negotiations pushing for further deregulation and expansion of the market-based Clean Development Mechanism.

03.05.2008 UNITED NATIONS, May 2 (OneWorld) - The global food crisis is likely to persist if speculative investment by the corporate world is not reined in soon, warned a top expert responsible for reporting to the United Nations on human rights violations.

28.04.2008 WASHINGTON, Apr 28 (OneWorld) - Far away and close to home the growing world food crisis is taking a toll. While Americans are increasingly shocked at their rising grocery bills, hunger threatens lives and stability in several developing countries.

23.04.2008 Whatever happens to the Chinese arms shipment destined for Zimbabwe, the case highlights the urgent need for the UN to work towards an Arms Trade Treaty at a meeting in New York later this month, says a leading development group.

19.04.2008 NEW YORK, Apr 19 (OneWorld) - The current food crisis causing hunger and starvation for millions of people across the world is not going to end as long as those who dominate the international grain markets remain unwilling to change their behavior, according to experts specializing in international trade and environmental economics.

14.04.2008 SAN FRANCISCO, Apr 14 (OneWorld) - Long-time critics of corporate-friendly free trade agreements are applauding House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for effectively putting the brakes on a deal with the South American nation of Colombia.

03.04.2008 Assuming normal weather conditions, the Food and Agriculture Organization predicts a 1.8 percent increase in world rice production, including India and Bangladesh, which may ease the current tight supply in key rice producing countries. On the other side, international rice trade is expected to fall due to restrictions in exports.

29.03.2008 Professor John Anthony Allan from King’s College, London has been awarded the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize for his pioneering concepts of measuring, understanding and communicating water issues. ‘Virtual water’ import via food has had major impacts on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce regions.

27.03.2008 NEW YORK, Mar 27 (OneWorld) - There will likely be fewer wildfires and more trees for future generations if loggers abide by a set of international rules on forest management, says a new study by independent environmentalists.

10.03.2008 WINDHOEK, Mar 10 (IPS) - The Namibian government plans to stay the course with an economic incentive program for corporations -- known as export processing zones (EPZ) -- despite one of the largest of the foreign investors deciding last week to close down its operations -- a move that will destroy 3,000 jobs.