Trade : Brazil's measures on taxation and charges held WTO-illegal (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
A dispute panel at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled that several programmes covering the ICT and automobile sectors put in place by Brazil that are claimed to include amongst others tax breaks and local-content requirements are inconsistent with Brazil's obligations under the WTO.

Finance : UN role in reforming international finance for development (PRIV)
(Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Kuala Lumpur)
Growing global interdependence poses greater challenges to policymakers on a wide range of issues and for countries at all levels of development.

Africa : Protecting drylands key to the continent's future (PRIV)
(IPS, Nairobi)
Africa's population continues to grow, putting intense pressure on available land for agricultural purposes and life-supporting ecosystem services even as the scenario is compounded by the adverse impacts of climate change.