Trade : Qatar initiates disputes against Gulf States over trade restrictions (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
Qatar has initiated three separate disputes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia over measures adopted by each of them in the context of what it said were "coercive attempts at economic isolation" imposed by these three countries against Qatar.

United Nations : Carla Del Ponte resigns from UN panel on Syria (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
Ms Carla Del Ponte, a member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, has resigned, according to a statement issued by the Commission on 6 August.

Caribbean : Climate scientists use forecasting tools to protect ways of life (PRIV)
(IPS, Kingston)
Since 2013, Jamaica's Met Office has been using its Climate Predictability Tool (CPT) to forecast "below average" rainfall or drought across the island.

Opinion : The end of UN Habitat? (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
At the beginning of August, the High Level Independent Panel to Assess and Enhance Effectiveness of UN-Habitat came out with its report.