Global Issues News Headlines for “Consumption and Consumerism”

Wages Stuck In Slow Lane On Chile's Growth Speedway:

2012-02-10T15:24:00-08:00

Despite much government fanfare, the drop in Chile's unemployment rate is not enough to satisfy experts or workers, who point to the deeper problems of sporadic work, underemployment and low wages that are aggravating the country's endemic inequality.

Anti-Drug Vaccines Hold Promise - But Little Profit:

2012-02-10T12:05:00-08:00

Vaccines against drug addiction appear to be a better strategy than the repressive worldwide 'war on drugs', but first they must overcome resistance from pharmaceutical laboratories and secure financial backing, scientists say.

Economic And Climate Vulnerabilities Converge In The Caribbean:

2012-02-10T09:06:00-08:00

Caribbean islands are doubly exposed by the convergence of weak economies heavily dependent on foreign imports and greater vulnerability to climate change, according to ECLAC Executive Director Alicia Bárcena.

Q&A: U.S. Women's Commissions Under the Budget Axe

2012-02-10T08:34:00-08:00

State and local Commissions on the Status of Women (CSW) are facing shrinking budgets and even total elimination at a time when women are some of the hardest hit by the financial crisis, says Susan Rose, vice chair of Human Rights Watch's Santa Barbara Committee.

Mauritania: Ravaged by Drought - the Number of Malnourished Children Rises

2012-02-10T07:27:00-08:00

Mariem Mint Ahmedou sits cross-legged on a worn-out carpet in a basic tent built with mud bricks and layers of sewn-together fabric. Her eight-month-old twins, Hussein and Hassan, lie weakly against her body. Both of them have been malnourished since birth, because Beydar, undernourished herself, cannot produce enough breast milk to feed them.

Mali: Fifty Thousand Flee as Political Parties Call for Dialogue

2012-02-10T05:43:00-08:00

Mali's political parties have jointly called on the government to hold a forum for peace and reconciliation as a way to end a Tuareg rebellion launched several weeks ago. The uprising has forced around 55,000 people out of their homes, the majority fleeing the fighting in the north of the country, but others are seeking shelter from ethnic tension and violent demonstrations in cities in the south.

India: Community Radio Saves Lives and Livelihoods

2012-02-09T23:21:00-08:00

Fisher Wanka Masani, 25, has been inseparable from his two-dollar transistor ever since a community radio (CR) station started up in this coastal town. The square black box blares popular songs while Masani waits for his brothers to land the daily catch.

Caribbean Divided On Malvinas/falkland Blockade:

2012-02-09T12:34:00-08:00

Thirty years after England and Argentina went to war over ownership of the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, tensions have again been rising. Unlike the 1982 conflict, however, this time the main bone of contention is oil, local legislators claim.

Russian, Chinese Arms Fuel Conflict In Sudan, Says Amnesty:

2012-02-09T11:56:00-08:00

Russia and China, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council described as key arms suppliers to the embattled regime in Syria, are now accused of supplying weapons and fuelling an ongoing conflict in another military hotspot: Sudan.

Books: In the Shadow World, Only Blood, Gold and Gunpowder

2012-02-09T07:13:00-08:00

They called themselves the 'cut hands commandos' because they lopped off their victims' hands with machetes; the 'burn house unit', for the thousands of families who were locked into their homes and roasted alive; the 'born naked squad', in reference to the hapless hundreds who were stripped naked and raped before being bludgeoned or burned to death.