The multinational water company, Suez has formally initiated legal action against the Bolivian state saying that Bolivia has infringed investment accords signed between the French and Bolivian governments. Their legal action comes noticeably days before they are contractually obliged to pay $15 million dollars in guarantees as the legal entity that continues to run La Paz and El Alto's municipal water utility. The threat follows several months of negotiations in which Suez has refused to agree to a full audit of its investments.   more »

More than 160 civil society organizations from around the world sent a letter to WTO ambassadors in Geneva Thursday expressing their deep concerns regarding the current round of negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which is part of the 'single undertaking' under the July 2004 Framework.   more »