Trade : China's tit-for-tat response to US planned $50 billion tariffs (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
China, in a tit-for-tat response to the un ilateral crowbar trade measures being imposed by Washington on Chinese goods, signalled on Wednesday that it would slap tariffs on more than 100 American products in 14 categories, including some big-ticket items like soybeans, automobiles, and chemical products from the United States.

Opinion : What's different about Trump's tariffs? (PRIV)
(IPS, Kuala Lumpur)
At Davos in January, US President Donald Trump warned that the US "will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair economic practices" of others, interpreted by many as d eclaring world trade war.

UN : Highest policy-making body to break male domination - momentarily (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
The 193-member General Assembly - one of the highest policy-making bodies at the United Nations - will get a much-needed break, come September, when a woman will preside over its 73rd session, only the fourth in the history of the world body.

Development : Solving Japan's fertility crisis (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
While much of the global discussion for decades has been focused on over-population and its conseque nces, less can be said of the risks of low fertility and an ageing population - r isks that are currently threatening the future of Japan.