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To: John Vosilla who wrote (51254)	1/25/2006 12:20:48 AM
From: shades	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

DJ Intl Activist Group Says Corp Lobbying Sways Trade Talks CARACAS (AP)--A new report from an international activist group claims that global trade talks are being dominated by corporate lobbyists at the expense of the world's poor. The ActionAid International report, timed to coincide with the beginning of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said there has been "a worldwide explosion of corporate lobbying contributing to unfair trade rules" in recent years. Activists with ActionAid, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, were in Venezuela to present their findings at this week's World Social Forum, held in protest against the concurrent market-friendly World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The agency's report estimates that companies spend as much as $1.2 billion annually to fund more than 10,000 lobbyists in the European Union. Lobbyists outnumber congressional lawmakers 30 to 1 in Washington, D.C., the report said. The result is that "corporations are hijacking such important negotiations as trade negotiations," Adriano Campolina, ActionAid's Latin America director, said Tuesday. Campolina said lobbyists representing powerful food companies have pushed terms that allow heavily subsidized U.S. and European food products to enter developing countries at the expense of small food producers. "Globalization is excluding people around the world," Campolina said.

To: John Vosilla who wrote (51254)	1/25/2006 12:26:29 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Uh oh! DJ UN Report: Global Economic Growth Around 3% This Year UNITED NATIONS (AP)--The United Nations is projecting global economic growth of just over 3% this year and is calling for economic cooperation to battle risks and fight "investment anemia." The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006 report released Tuesday said the slowdown reflects "a maturing of the recent global economic recovery," and also noted that terrorist attacks and natural disasters are taking a toll. Another threat, the report noted, was in figuring out how to boost investment. "A major issue for the world economy now is how to increase investment rates," said Jose Antonio Ocampo, the U.N.'s undersecretary general for economic and social affairs, who spearheaded the report. Last month the International Monetary Fund forecast global economic growth of 4.3% for 2006. Many economists believe that growth will slow slightly this year, mostly because of steep oil costs. Ocampo also pointed to the outbreak of the avian flu into a human pandemic or a crash in housing prices as other key threats to the economy. But he said the biggest threat lies in countries not working together to battle growing global financial imbalances, namely the "ballooning deficit in the current account deficit in the United States and surpluses in others." The U.S. budget deficit for 2005 declined to $319 billion, still the third largest on record. In 2004, the deficit hit a record in dollar terms, at $413 billion. Rather than working to bail out distressed economies, Ocampo noted that the IMF has seen two years in which most countries have repaid debts on time. As a result, he said, the agency should turn its attention to helping large economies work in tandem to ensure global growth. The Washington-based IMF, comprised of 184 countries, aims to secure financial stability and promote trade and economic growth. Growth for the 50 "least developed countries" was forecast at 6.6% this year, while other developing nations should grow by just over 5.5%, mostly on strong commodity prices. But that very benefit is proving to be a longer-term detriment, Ocampo said, as developing economies aren't investing enough in industrial development. A long-standing weakness for developing nations' has been their dependance on commodities - an unstable base for economies, the report noted.

To: John Vosilla who wrote (51254)	1/25/2006 12:31:13 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Thats gratitude for ya! unreel.co.uk DJ 2ND UPDATE: S Korea Warns US On Seeking N Korea Collapse . (Updates with details of meeting between South Korean and U.S. Treasury officials.) SEOUL (AP)--South Korea's president Wednesday warned the U.S. not to try to force the collapse of North Korea's totalitarian regime, while the North kept up its demands that Washington lift financial sanctions. The North reiterated its vow to stay away from international nuclear disarmament talks until the U.S. lifts sanctions it recently imposed over allegations of Pyongyang's involvement in counterfeiting of U.S. currency and other illegal activities. Appearing at his annual New Year's news conference, President Roh Moo-hyun avoided directly answering whether his government believes the North is engaged in counterfeiting, money laundering and drug trafficking, as Washington alleges. He said the matter required review and consideration of how measures are "related to efforts to resolve the nuclear issue and if that involves any intention to pressure North Korea's regime." But Roh said coercive steps weren't the way to resolve the latest dispute over the North's nuclear ambitions, which erupted in late 2002 after U.S. officials accused Pyongyang of running a secret uranium enrichment program. "I don't agree (with) some opinions inside the U.S. that appear to be wanting to take issue with North Korea's regime, apply pressure and sometimes wishing for its collapse," he said. "If the U.S. government tries to resolve the problem that way, there will be friction and disagreement between South Korea and the U.S." He added that there's no such friction yet because the opinions don't reflect current U.S. policy. Despite that, tensions between the South and Washington were laid bare when South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that it hadn't been asked by a visiting U.S. Treasury Department delegation to take action to prevent illegal financial activity by the North - as claimed by the U.S. Embassy. The U.S. officials were on a trip through the region to present evidence of their claims against Pyongyang, and a statement from the U.S. Embassy Tuesday said they had "urged" the South to strengthen financial controls to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. But the ministry said the U.S. treasury delegation talked of general cooperation but "didn't urge our government to take specific actions, either officially or unofficially" and claimed the U.S. statement "does not correctly reflect" what was discussed. But U.S. Embassy spokesman Robert Ogburn said "we still stand by our press release," declining to give details of what exact measures were discussed. Washington has rebuffed Pyongyang's demands for lifting the sanctions to resume six-nation nuclear talks, saying the measures are unrelated to the weapons issue. On Wednesday, the North repeated its demand. "If the U.S. truly wants the resumption of the six-party talks and their progress, it had better opt for lifting its financial sanctions against (North Korea) and coexisting with it," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a commentary. The nuclear talks have failed to make any progress since September on implementing an agreement in which the North pledged to abandon its atomic programs in exchange for security guarantees and aid. Roh also said Wednesday that he hoped a formal peace agreement could finally be signed to end the cease-fire that has remained in effect on the divided peninsula since the Korean War ended in 1953. The sides at the nuclear talks have mentioned a peace agreement as a possible outcome if the weapons dispute is resolved. "I will make sincere preparations for talks with concerned countries on establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula," Roh said. About 32,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against threats from the North, and the commander of the American forces is authorized to take control of all troops - including South Korea's - in the event of a renewed war. South Korea has recently sought to maintain wartime control of its soldiers, and Roh also said Wednesday he would aim for an agreement on the issue this year.