Trade : India, South Africa reject attempts to launch talks on e-com, IF (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
India and South Africa on Friday last wee k (25 January) rejected attempts to launch plurilateral negotiations on e-commerc e and investment facilitation (IF).

Trade : What are trade rules on e-commerce supposed to do? (PRIV)
(Chakravarthi Raghavan, Geneva)
The attempts of the major industrialized countries and their supporters in the developing world to ne gotiate "trade-related e-commerce rules" at the World Trade Organisation has not on ly aroused opposition among the majority of its Members, but has also aroused doubts even among avowed free traders on what it would achieve and whether it would help revive the authority and function of the WTO.

UN : Is UN being undermined by a demagogic Trump administration? (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
The United Nations, which embodies th e core principles of multilateralism since its creation more than 74 years ag o, is being steadily and systematically undermined by a reactionary and demagogic Trump administration recklessly flaunting American imperialism at its worst .

Italy : Has "greenest agriculture" in Europe, but it's not sustainable (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome)
While Italian agriculture is in a leading po sition in terms of organic farming, sustainable agriculture and being at the foref ront of biodiversity conservation, water scarcity, illegal workers and the role of women and combined ageing of its workforce remain pressing concerns.

Opinion : Pragmatic shift needed, to deliver potential of blue economy (PRIV)
(IPS, Nairobi)
It's estimated that 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by water.