Trade : South nations raise stakes on IP-Public Interest imbalance (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Major developing countries - India, South Africa, China, Brazil, and Fiji - raised the stakes on the growing "imbalance between intellectual property and the public interest" at the World Trade Organization.

United Nations : Modest recovery in FDI flows projected for this year (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows are projected to increase by about 5 per cent to reach almost $1.8 trillion in 2017, with this moderate rise expected to continue in 2018 to reach $1.85 trillion, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said.

Environment : Relentless march of drought - that "horseman of the apocalypse" (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome)
By 2025 - that's in less than 8 years from today - 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and two thirds of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions.

Environment : Charting a course to a Blue Commonwealth (PRIV)
(IPS, London)
The United Nations Ocean Conference offers an historic opportunity to safeguard the ocean environment and support small island and vulnerable developing coastal states, who depend on the seas for national economic growth and sustainable development.