Global Issues News Headlines for “Free Trade and Globalization”

Remittances Buoy Up Myanmar’s Economy:

2013-05-23T05:14:39-07:00

BANGKOK, May 23 (IPS) - Nangnyi Foung reaches into the dryer, pulls out another pair of pants and places it on the ironing board. "I still have several more loads to go," she says as the clock strikes nine p.m., marking the start of her 14^th hour on the shift.

U.S. Congress Moves Toward Full Trade Embargo on Iran:

2013-05-23T00:40:13-07:00

WASHINGTON, May 23 (IPS) - The U.S. Congress moved closer here Wednesday to imposing a full trade embargo against Iran and pledged its support to Israel if it felt compelled to attack Tehran's nuclear programme in self-defence.

Insects, from Delicacy to Tool against Hunger:

2013-05-22T22:09:48-07:00

MEXICO CITY, May 22 (IPS) - The Food and Agriculture Organisation's recommendation to consider using edible insects as a food source to combat hunger may have particular repercussions in Colombia and Mexico, two Latin American countries that have a tradition of eating insects and a high degree of biodiversity.

Neighbours View Sharif as Yoked to Personal, National History:

2013-05-22T21:02:29-07:00

WASHINGTON, May 22 (IPS) - Following on Nawaz Sharif's victory in the May 11 national elections in Pakistan, many analysts are indicating cautious optimism on the prospect that the new prime minister can strengthen bilateral relations with the country's neighbours, particularly India.

Cuban Agriculture Needs Young People:

2013-05-22T18:49:51-07:00

HAVANA, May 22 (IPS) - When Gabriela Blanco tells other Cubans that she works in an organic vegetable cooperative and is getting ready to study agronomy at the university, she gets surprised looks.

Fresh Water “More Precious Than Gold” in Bangladesh:

2013-05-22T18:32:13-07:00

CHAPAINAWABGANJ, Bangladesh, May 22 (IPS) - Fahima Begum rises each morning at dawn and walks two kilometres to a small pond, the nearest source of fresh water. On her way she passes the rusty old hand-pumped tube well that used to supply water to her village in Bangladesh's arid Barind region until the water table here dropped out of reach.

Chilean Development Still Tied to Copper Mining:

2013-05-22T15:20:39-07:00

SANTIAGO, May 22 (IPS) - Chile's position as the world's top producer of copper is not under threat, but the country faces the challenge of transforming its copper mining industry into social capital for the long term, and addressing high energy costs, which have grown seven-fold over the last decade, experts told IPS.

Water Flows Again in the Valley:

2013-05-22T13:27:31-07:00

KARACHI, May 22 (IPS) - Staring out at his golden wheat field with satisfaction, 50-year old Alamgir Akbar says with a sigh of relief: "We've had a good crop this season."

Can South Africa Help Nigeria to Industrialise?:

2013-05-22T07:21:37-07:00

JOHANNESBURG, May 22 (IPS) - The lack of economic diversification throughout sub-Saharan Africa means that despite South Africa's pledges to help Nigeria make the automotive sector the West African nation's flagship industrial target, it may be difficult to do so, experts say.

Organic Cooperative Proves that Agriculture Can Prosper in Cuba:

2013-05-21T20:28:44-07:00

HAVANA, May 21 (IPS) - "The people are the only thing that matters," says agronomist Miguel Ángel Salcines, who then goes on to list a series of other "secondary" factors that have turned Vivero Alamar, an urban farm on the outskirts of the Cuban capital, into a rare success story in the country's depressed agricultural sector.