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Minister hints at FTA with Japan
2-May-2014
Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan on Wednesday said that negotiations on signing of a free trade agreement with Japan were progressing.
Agrarian uprising against free trade and ’government lies’ sweeps Colombia
1-May-2014 Common Dreams
Agrarian strikes, protests, and road blockades are sweeping Colombia this week as peasants voice outrage at the "free trade" policies, backed by the Colombian government, that they say are exacerbating the country’s crisis of rural poverty.
FTA btw China, Switzerland to enter into force in July
30-Apr-2014
The free trade agreement (FTA) between China and Switzerland will enter into force on July 1 with internal approval procedures completed, the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) said on Wednesday.
China pressing for vast Asia-Pacific FTA as rival US-led deal runs into snags
30-Apr-2014
China is pressing for a vast Asia-Pacific free trade agreement, a senior official said Wednesday, as a rival U.S.-led deal that excludes the Asian giant runs into snags.
Vilsack says sanitary issues delaying TTIP
30-Apr-2014 Agri-Pulse
Disagreements over sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) are delaying US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
African leaders join Nigeria to reject European economic agreement
30-Apr-2014 This Day
African Ministers of Trade meeting at the African Union in Addis have aligned with Nigeria’s position on the trade liberalisation deal with the European Union under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), saying it will have a long-term negative impact on the continent’s efforts towards industrialisation and job creation.
Abe calls for swift progress in talks with EU on free-trade pact
30-Apr-2014 AFP
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on a visit to Germany on Wednesday, called for swift progress in talks with the European Union to nail a free-trade pact.
Colombia cracks down on rural reform protests
30-Apr-2014 Inserbia Info
While Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos criticizes Nicolás Maduro of neighboring Venezuela for repressive tactics, he himself has now ordered armed troops, armored vehicles and gendarmerie agents onto the streets of the Colombian capital to disperse demonstrators.
Ottawa mulls Keystone XL challenge under NAFTA after US dodges decision again
30-Apr-2014 Financial Post
While US President Barack Obama hoped to kick Keystone XL out of the way by delaying a decision ahead of mid-term elections, Ottawa is considering launching a challenge under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Must we link trade to social and environmental standards?
29-Apr-2014 Srfood.org
The inclusion of "sustainable development" chapters in bilateral trade agreements has generally met with resistance from the EU’s trading partners.
’EU’s ban on Indian mangoes, vegetables could hit free trade talks’
29-Apr-2014
The European Union’s decision to ban the import of Alphonso mangoes and four vegetables from India could derail EU-India free trade negotiations and weaken New Delhi’s relations with Brussels, according to the Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC).
Implementing Canada-EU free-trade deal could take another two years
29-Apr-2014
Six months after Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled to Brussels to announce Canada’s largest-ever free-trade pact with Europe, Canada and the European Union are still negotiating key aspects of the deal, with implementation possibly as much as two years away.
Nontariff barriers and FTAs
29-Apr-2014
Frozen orange juice concentrate has been a thorny issue for almost a year. Washington has complained that the Korean Customs Service has been imposing unreasonable “country-of-origin” verification requirements on citrus growers from Florida. These are based on unsubstantiated suspicions that some orange juice concentrates from Florida may in fact originate from Brazil.
FTAs with China, Malaysia damaging poultry industry
28-Apr-2014
Free Trade Agreements signed with Malaysia as well as China, without taking the real stakeholders onboard, are damaging the local poultry industry, as the imports of processed chicken products under FTA with Malaysia are subject to zero percent import duty and from China at 16% import duty.
Qatar’s Al Jazeera files $150 million damages claim with Egypt
28-Apr-2014 Reuters
The Qatar-based satellite network Al Jazeera served Egypt with a $150 million compensation claim on Monday for what it said was damage to its business inflicted by Cairo’s military rulers, a step likely to worsen Qatari-Egyptian relations.
Al Jazeera sues Egypt for $150m after crackdown on journalists
28-Apr-2014 FT
Al Jazeera has lodged a $150m claim for compensation against Egypt, turning to an international investor arbitration tribunal in its latest bid to fight a crackdown by the government in Cairo.
NHS could be ’carved open’ by US healthcare profiteers, warns Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham
28-Apr-2014 The Independent
The NHS could be "carved open" for profiteering US private healthcare companies by the end of this year Labour has warned, as concerns grow over the implications of a landmark trade treaty between the US and the EU that critics say would give US healthcare giants, "irreversible" powers to bid for any NHS contract.
EFSA says use of peroxyacetic acid would not cause toxicity concerns
28-Apr-2014 Global Meat News
In response to a US request, the European Food Safety Authority has given a thumbs up to peracetic acid washes for chicken carcasses, an area of concern for consumers in the TTIP talks.
Chicken plant workers say chemicals sprayed on carcasses making them sick
28-Apr-2014 WBSTV
The US poultry industry maintains that chemical solutions to prevent food poisoning, a major concern in the EU-EU FTA talk, are safe while the workers are getting sick.
Costa Rican legislature ratifies free trade agreement with Colombia
27-Apr-2014
The Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica ratified a free trade agreement with Colombia on Thursday night that covers approximately 70 percent of exports from both countries, according to an official source on Friday.