Trade : Brazil joins hands with EU, strikes death blow to G20 (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Brazil has finally struck a death blow to the G20 coalition of developing countries that it had created in 2003 for reforming the global agriculture, after joining hands with its erstwhile foe - the European Union - for tabling a proposal on domestic support. The proposal leaves the two big subsidizers - the United States and the EU - in the industrialized world almost untouched, several trade envoys told SUNS.

United Nations : No let-up in extreme harm to civilians in Afghan conflict (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
The armed conflict in Afghanistan continued to cause severe harm to civilians across the country, killing and injuring civilians during the first half of this year at the same record high levels as documented in the same period last year, a new United Nations report has said.

United Nations : Don't move resources from development to security (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
Twenty years ago, when I was starting my functions as Prime Minister of Portugal, the world was surfing a wave of optimism.

United Nations : Not just numbers - migrants tell their stories (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome)
Every single day, print and online media and TV broadcasters show images and footage of migrants and refugees adrift, salvage teams rescuing their corpses - alive or dead - from fragile boats that are often deliberately sunk by human traffickers near the coasts of a given country.

United Nations : How to achieve universal goals, strategically (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
Discussion around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a list of 17 goals listed by the UN, was all the buzz in the conference rooms of UN headquarters this week.