Trade : South faces serious economic implications from JSI digital trade rules (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The proposed informal plurilateral Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) for framing digital trade rules at the WTO will have serious economic implications for developing countries and undermine their policy and regulatory space in developing their digital industries, a senior official at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said.

Myanmar : As army takes over, fear and uncertainty grip citizens (PRIV)
(IPS, Hyderabad)
Yangon resident Ni Ni Aye walked to her office yesterday morning. A couple of hours before, the army had staged a coup by seizing power and declaring a state of emergency in Myanmar.

Mideast : A grey cloud over Lebanon - mental health burdens (PRIV)
(IPS, Beirut)
Humankind is no stranger to the destabilizing events of 2020. The state of the global economy and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the headlines.

UN : Humanitarian staff in Geneva experience anxiety, job insecurity (PRIV)
(IPS, Geneva)
For the staff of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2021 is likely to be even more difficult than 2020, with job cuts, forced departures, transfers to Istanbul or The Hague, restructuring and too many rumours.