"Biological control is the way out"
Dr. R D Gautam, principal scientist and in-charge of the Plant Health Clinic, speaks to Down To Earth
Ignore US bullying on IPRs
Countries should not be stampeded into changing laws by the USTR's arbitrary Special 301 report
Affordable medicines row
The US pharmaceutical industry -- which has so far prevented its government from endorsing a prescription for change -- is now directly engaging …
Looking for the right bait
Developing countries like India need to be prepared for multilateral negotiations. This is certainly true of the fishing economy
Invasive Alien Species
Think of an invasion, and the picture that comes to mind is usually that of planes and tanks, machines and men, shells and gunshots. But animal …
The NATCO CL fallout
The compulsory licence granted to Natco may not be a trendsetter but it will shake up the pharmaceuticals market
Cancun impact felt in Dubai
The tone and tenor of the failed Fifth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Cancun found an echo in the annual meetings of …
Fighting a flawed WTO regime
India and G-33 are pushing for reform of the agriculture subsidy system but the US and EU have a different agenda for the upcoming Bali meet
The fine line for judges
Judges have recused themselves in a number of cases but there are no clear guidelines on what constitutes conflict of interest
No respite for Ridleys
Turtle excluder devices can reduce turtle deaths. But a web of politics and government laxity prevents their use
Toxicitea tangle
Safeguards have been erected to weed out the supplies of tea laden with high pesticide residue levels. But when governments use these benchmarks …
Pushing limits of drug access
Relying solely on gross national income to determine priorities in global health is not working any more
WTO trade facilitation pact: farmers' organisations ask Modi government to protect India's food security interests
Appeal comes a day before WTO general council meet takes up agreement that ostensibly would streamline cross-border trade
NCD battle starts now
The UN agreement on non-communicable diseases will get snagged on the issue of intellectual property rights for drugs
Coming out of coma
A decline in its funds and erosion in its mandate have made the United Nations Environment Programme virtually ineffective. Bharat H Desai looks …
US plays dirty on tar sands
The EU appears to have backed off on important climate change policy because of pressure from US-backed Big Oil
The natco-pfizer test
Natco’s demand for a voluntary licence from Pfizer will establish how well the compulsory licence process works in India
US to approach WTO against India’s solar mission policy, again
India’s commerce ministry investigating US policies that could have unfairly promoted US solar companies
Any cheers for Doha pact?
The Doha Declaration on protecting public health is a decade old, but developing countries have not been able to make use of TRIPs flexibilities
Dangers ahead at WTO
The trade facilitation agreement paves the way for fresh pressures on developing countries such as tariff cuts on industrial products
A lethal secrecy in trade deals
Why do democratic governments hide trade negotiations that have dire consequences for public services?
Pursuing a nationalist IPR policy
India has enough laws to protect its intellectual property rights. It is the implementation that is wanting
For India, the fight at WTO will be about food security
India needs to find a permanent solution to the problem of public stock holding, as it is a matter of survival for hundreds of millions of people
Civil society asks WTO members to raise concerns about ‘lop-sided’ Nairobi agreement
Organisations write letter calling on developing member nations to raise issue at General Council meet on Wednesday
Why the US is such a bully
US attempts to kill of global democracy are getting more commonplace than ever. In such a political climate, it is impossible to talk about …