Trade : North blocks India's request for virtual ministerial on TRIPS waiver (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
In the face of the exploding COVID-19 cases due to the new Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and a groundswell of international support for the TRIPS waiver, the European Union and the United States along with other developed countries have blocked India's request for convening an urgent virtual ministerial conference at the WTO on the issue of the TRIPS waiver, said people familiar with the development.

Africa : Clean water, decent toilets, a hygiene challenge (PRIV)
(IPS, Blantyre)
The toilets in the maternity wing of Namatapa Health Centre in the populous Bangwe Township in Blantyre, Malawi's commercial city, fell into disrepair a few years ago.

UN : Severe water stress, absolute scarcity for 2 to 4 billion humans (PRIV)
(IPS, Madrid)
Now it comes to the scary water crises, as it is estimated that, globally, over two billion people live in countries that experience high water stress.