Trade : US attempts to use wrecking ball against WTO (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The United States on Tuesday (31 October) indicated as to how it is going to put the Doha Round of trade negotiations to bed, after circulating a proposal on mandatory transparency provisions and notification requirements in all the World Trade Organization agreements that would amount to altering the rights and obligations of members, trade envoys told SUNS.

Development : Why are people compelled to leave their homes? (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome)
Facts are facts, and one of them is that while everybody talks about the growing forced movement of people - be they migrants or refugees - decision-makers haven't seriously acted on the root causes of why millions of humans are compelled to leave their homes.

Brazil : Slave labour, another setback for the government (PRIV)
(IPS, Rio de Janeiro)
The wave of conservatism is testing its limits in Brazil, as reflected by a Labour Ministry decree that seeks to block the fight against slavery-like working conditions, which has been provisionally revoked by the justice system.

United Nations : Impending drought? There's an app for that - or should be (PRIV)
(IPS, Nairobi)
Fostering and harnessing innovative technologies could significantly reduce the negative impacts from climate change, including drought, water scarcity and food insecurity in African countries.

Opinion : A new global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration (PRIV)
(IPS, Colombo)
At this crucial juncture of international migration, where numerous push and pull factors have engendered unprecedented migration flows across the globe, the ongoing discussions at the United Nations must lead to a meaningful and practical outcome.