Trade: China proposes "middle-ground" approach to WTO reform (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Ahead of the next round of meetings on the reform of the World Trade Organization, China has put forward a comprehensive proposal outlining what it calls "a constructive approach" to exploring "ways to update the rules while upholding the WTO's fundamental principles," while pressing for a subtle change in the decision-making process so as to open the door for controversial plurilateral initiatives, said people familiar with the proposal.

UN: Rights chief urges swift action to confront unprecedented AI risks (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Volker Turk, urged governments and "frontier" artificial intelligence (AI) companies to act swiftly to ensure that meaningful global governance keeps pace with rapidly advancing AI, warning that accelerating AI development is creating unprecedented and potentially irreversible risks to human rights.

Opinion: International trade theory not developmental (PRIV)
(IPS, Kuala Lumpur)
Most free trade advocates falsely claim that comparative advantage ensures developmental gains from trade liberalisation. Mainstream trade theory does not promise that partial trade liberalisation guarantees optimal international specialisation.