THERE is about a 60-40 chance of a world trade deal being agreed next year, a top European Union official has predicted.

FEARS of the consequences of saying no to the Lisbon treaty may be overdone — even for our agriculture sector, which more than any other depends on EU decision making in Brussels.

A joint US-European Union proposal to liberalise trade in green goods and services such as solar panels would boost the availability of technology to battle global warming, a top US trade official said today.