MANILA -- The Philippines is prodding the World Trade Organization to let it retaliate against Thailand over a decadelong tobacco customs dispute, as simmering trade tensions between the two nations start to boil over.
Citing an appeal lodged at the WTO's currently nonfunctional Appellate Body, Bangkok blocked Manila's bid to put retaliation on the agenda of the WTO Dispute Settlement Board for its Feb. 28 meeting in Geneva.
