Finance : Risky assets strengthen further, but downside risks remain, says BIS (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
Risky assets strengthened further during the period from 1 December 2020 to 22 February 2021, against a backdrop of continued monetary accommodation, expectations of greater fiscal support and cautious optimism over recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).

United Nations : Are high-ranking jobs the political birthright of big powers? (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
The United Nations has continued to pursue a notoriously longstanding tradition of doling out some of the highest-ranking jobs either to the five big powers, who are permanent members of the Security Council - namely the US, UK, China, France and Russia - or to Western industrialized nations such as Spain, Italy, Canada, Sweden, Germany, plus Japan.

COVID-19 : SDGs can guide Asia-Pacific to build back better (PRIV)
(IPS, Bangkok)
The COVID-19 crisis poses an unprecedented threat to development in the Asia-Pacific region that could reverse much of the hard-earned progress made in recent years.