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PRAGUE -- In a day of protests that were more colorful than violent, 9,000 demonstrators surrounded Prague's Congress Center where the World Bank and IMF are holding their annual meeting.

A tribunal formed by more than 25 farmers groups in India called Monday for a 10-year national moratorium on the commercial use of genetic engineering in agriculture.

International debt relief campaigners took to the streets of Prague on Sunday angrily demanding that the world's creditors finally make good on promises to write off large swathes of poor countries' debts.

A new report today reveals that protests and riots against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its policies, are taking place in poor countries around the world. Since the Seattle protests ten months ago there have been at least 50 separate episodes of civil unrest in 13 poor countries, all directed at the IMF.

The City of Oakland, California; the communications Workers of America; the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE); Citizens Funds; and the Sisters of Loretto have all committed -- through resolution or statement of policy -- not to purchase bonds issued by the World Bank.

Czech President Vaclav Havel brought leaders of the IMF and the World Bank together with their critics on Saturday in the hope dialogue would replace demonstrations as the keynote of this week's gatherings.

Non-governmental organisations and academics are alarmed over the Global Gateway, a portal website project which the Bank says will be the ''the premier web entry point for information about poverty and sustainable development'' but which the NGOs say is flawed and non-participatory.

While officials from corporations like Monsanto mingle with Indian government officials and agribusiness CEO's, India's farmers will be joined by farmers from around the world, environmentalists and opponents of the genetic engineering of food at a series of events called: Global People's Seed 2000 (GPS 2000).

Allegations that the oil multinational Shell aided and abetted the torture and murder of Nigerian activists including the executed writer Ken Saro-Wiwa will be tested by a full jury trial in New York, after the oil company's attempts to have the case thrown out were rejected.

My perspective on the Games gradually shifted. I began to see that my sacrifices were going to be used by the Olympic Games and their sponsors for ends that conflicted with my fundamental values. My competitive performance would not just be a part of a world community gathering to compete in the spirit of fair play, good will and global unity, but rather it would be sold to the highest corporate bidder for their own commercial gain.