Trade : WTO dispute settlement reform text proposes questionable changes (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The confidential draft "Appeal/Review tabl es" prepared by the co-convenors of the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system reform process seek to alter rather stealthily the existi ng parameters of "scope of review" and "standard of review" by the dispute pan els and the Appellate Body without revealing the names of the countries that suggested these changes, said people familiar with the development.

UN : Human rights situation seriously deteriorating in Nicaragua, warns repo rt (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The human rights situation in Nicaragua has continued to seriously deteriorate since last year, with the persecution of opponents of the Government or those perceived as dissenting voices in the country having progressively been extended and intensified by the Governmen t, according to a report by the UN Human Rights Office.

Yemen : Needs grow amid catastrophic flooding, prolonged crisis - UNHCR (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has warned that millions of displaced people in Yemen face worsening conditions as the country's prolonged crisis deepens.