■ WTO
Informal meet planned
Ministers from 25 nations will gather here next month to discuss progress in the latest round of WTO talks and prepare for a full ministerial meeting in Mexico later in the year, the foreign ministry said yesterday. The Japanese government will host the informal ministerial meeting of the WTO from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16, with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi chairing the gathering. It will bring together ministers from Australia, China and other parts of Asia as well as from Europe, the US and Latin America. WTO director general Supachai Panitchpakdi will attend the meeting. Participants will discuss progress in the WTO's so-called Doha Round of trade negotiations, which began in November 2001 and are due to end in 2005, the ministry said. They will discuss measures to promote negotiations in farm products, services, anti-dumping rules and other issues in preparation for a full ministerial meeting of the 144-member WTO to be held in Cancun, Mexico, in September.
■ Internet
Yahoo settles lawsuit
Yahoo Inc, which runs a group of Internet sites used by 213 million people a month, said it settled a lawsuit with Sony Music Entertainment Inc over its Internet radio service. Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, California, said it will pay a onetime fee to Sony for prior use of the company's recordings on its Launchcast service and entered into a license agreement. Financial terms of the settlement with Sony weren't disclosed. Music companies have said they must protect their US$40 billion industry and want Internet companies to pay royalties for playing their music online.
Agencies
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