WTO : JSIs' "hidden" goals aimed to mislead developing countries? (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The three co-conveners of the much-hyped Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) negotiations on "WTO electronic commerce" on 15 November issued a fifth revised draft text that seems to have turned the proposed deal into a digital trade facilitation agreement that is almost si milar to the JSI investment facilitation agreement with best endeavour proposals, sa id people familiar with the new text.

Finance : OTC derivatives reach $715 trillion at end-June 2023, says BIS (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The notional value of outstanding over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives reached $715 trillion at end-June 2023, up 16%, or $97 trillion, since end-December 2022, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has reported.

Health : High prevalence of undetected hypertension found in Bangladesh (PRIV)
(IPS, Dhaka)
Since her childhood, Parveen Begum, 52, h as been adding extra salt while eating her meals. However, she did not know th at this contributed to high blood pressure.