Posts by Alastair Tempest
News From Africa
News from the AfCFTA The Protocol calling on member states to promote women and the youth has been adopted, which is unsurprising as it was not controversial, but we understand…
Read MoreThe Digital Divide Remains of Concern
New statistics from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) suggest that while internet connectivity and usage is on the rise, it is barely making a dent in the digital divide as…
Read MoreBig Tech News
The opening salvo in the ongoing crusade against Big Tech—the Justice Department’s (DoJ) landmark antitrust case against Google (like United States v. Microsoft before it)—will be remembered as a defining…
Read MoreThe World Trade Organisation’s Moratorium on Customs Duties Applied to Electronic Transmissions
Readers will recall that this issue has appeared on a regular basis in this Newsletter. The agreement must be confirmed every 2 years and comes up for renewal at WTO’s 13th…
Read MoreMiscellaneous
The EU Proposes Regulation to Keep Artificial Intelligence Within Control Last month we reported on the bilateral Bletchley Park meeting on AI. We noted that the EU wanted to introduce…
Read MoreReform to Give the WTO More Powers to Prevent Unfair Subsidies
The German Economic Institute (IW) has called on the EU to join forces with African countries to reform the World Trade Organization’s subsidy rules as a way to counter Chinese…
Read MoreCOP-28 Finishes on 12 December
The global climate summit went into overtime on the last days with no deal on the meeting’s final agreement, and countries remained bitterly divided over whether to call time on…
Read More2024 is nearly upon us!
Wishing all our readers a restful Festive Season and Successful 2024! EFSA and EFA are closing their doors until the first week of 2024. Looking back 2023 has been a…
Read MoreOpportunities, Events and Publications
RetailX’s Sustainability 2023 Report This provides an analysis of the current state and future direction of sustainability among the world’s leading retailers and brands. This year’s research highlights the extent…
Read MoreThe Forum on the USA’s African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), Johannesburg 2-4 November
Under the AGOA agreement, the USA should engage with its African partners by means of regular summits. Therefore, on 2-4 November a meeting was convened in Johannesburg between the African…
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