Finance : Swings in investor risk appetite play less of a role in driving valuations (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
Asset returns have become less correlated across classes, regions and sectors, suggesting that during the period under review, central bank decisions and the associated swings in investor risk appetite were less of a driver of overall valuations, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has said.

United Nations : Global harvests robust, yet 37 countries need food aid (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome)
Global food supply conditions are robust, but access to food has been dramatically reduced in areas suffering from civil conflicts, while drought conditions are worsening food security across swathes of East Africa, according to the United Nations.

United Nations : Women and girls, one third of world's drug users (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome/Vienna)
Women and girls comprise one-third of global drug users yet are only one-fifth of those receiving treatment, a UN-backed independent expert body warned.

Health : Unhealthy environment causes 1 in 4 child deaths (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
Unhealthy environments - both inside and outside the home - cause the deaths of more than 1.7 million children under the age of five every year, according to two new reports released by the World Health Organization (WHO) Monday.

Zimbabwe : 16-hour days for women (PRIV)
(IPS, Harare)
As the cock crows, Tambudzai Zimbudzana, 32, is suddenly awakened from sleep. She quickly folds her blankets and strides outside her three-room, sheet iron-roofed house in rural Masvingo.

Kenya : Women in the changing world of work (PRIV)
(IPS, Nairobi)
This year as the world commemorates International Women's Day it is a time for all of us to celebrate and reflect on the progress made on women's rights globally.