WTO: Mounting budget pressures amid concerns over travel, other issues (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The World Trade Organization's 2026 budget appears to be facing a severe crunch, with one major industrialized country apparently yet to pay its annual contribution, amid concerns over the WTO Secretariat's seemingly extravagant travel expenditure, according to people familiar with the development.

UN: Digital divide persists despite record 6.3 billion Internet users (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
While an estimated 6.3 billion people, representing 76 per cent of the world's population, are using the Internet in 2026, significant digital divides persist, with around 2 billion people still remaining offline, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

UN: Refugees in Burundi at risk of losing food aid as funding dries up (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that nearly 125,000 refugees in Burundi could lose access to life-saving food assistance from January 2027 due to a severe funding shortfall.