News headlines for “Consumption and Consumerism”
What the US Really Wants from MC14 in Yaoundé
- Inter Press Service
GENEVA, March 24 (IPS) - As trade ministers gather in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) on 26–29 March 2026, the preparatory process has produced a dense fog of competing reform proposals, draft ministerial statements, and work plans.
Central Bank Hedging Triggered Gold Fever
- Inter Press Service
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 24 (IPS) - In mid-1971, US President Nixon ended the dollar’s gold peg at $35 per ounce, triggering de-dollarisation. The 2025 gold and silver rush followed private speculators trying to profit from central banks hedging against perceived new risks.
“At Africa’s First Our Ocean Conference, a Test of Global Will on High Seas Protection and Deep-Sea Mining”
- Inter Press Service
VICTORIA, Seychelles, March 23 (IPS) - When the 11th Our Ocean Conference opens in Mombasa and Kilifi, Kenya, from June 16-18, 2026, it will mark the first time this influential meeting has been held on African soil. For coastal and island nations across the continent and the wider Indian Ocean – and for the Global South more broadly – the stakes could not be higher: the promises and commitments made there will help decide whether the ocean becomes a source of justice and resilience, or deepens existing inequalities.
Planet Earth’s Increasing Population of 8 Billion
- Inter Press Service
PORTLAND, USA, March 23 (IPS) - On planet Earth, world population in 2026 is 8.3 billion people, which is four times larger than it was a hundred years ago.Despite this record number of humans living on the planet, world population is expected to continue increasing throughout the 21st century, significantly impacting planetary sustainability.
‘The Political System Only Moves When Threatened Directly’
- Inter Press Service
CIVICUS discusses Nepal’s upcoming election with youth activist Anusha Khanal of the Gen Z Movement Alliance, a youth-led civil society coalition mobilising for democratic accountability and governance reform in Nepal.
World Heating Faster Than Expected, Scientists Sound Alarm in latest UN Report
- Inter Press Service
GENEVA, Switzerland & SRINAGAR, India, March 23 (IPS) - The global climate system continued its alarming trajectory in 2025, with multiple indicators reaching record or near-record extremes, underscoring the accelerating pace of climate change and its cascading impacts on ecosystems and human societies, according to the latest State of the Global Climate 2025 report released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
Dire fertiliser shortage a lurking threat due to Hormuz crisis
- UN News
Since the start of the Middle East conflict with Israeli and US strikes on Iran on 28 February, concerns have been growing over rising oil and commodity prices.
Sudanese Civil War Escalates as Drone Strikes Deepen Civilian Toll and Regional Risks
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, March 20 (IPS) - The past two weeks have marked a significantly violent escalation in the Sudanese Civil War, with drone strikes and artillery shelling between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) causing widespread destruction, casualties, and displacement. With humanitarian responses critically underfunded and the scale of needs, including the hunger crisis, continuing to grow, experts warn that millions in Sudan could be affected by famine, violence, or prolonged displacement.
TB Risk Should not Depend on Where We Are Born
- Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON DC, March 20 (IPS) - In many high-income countries, even a small number of tuberculosis (TB) diagnoses can generate headlines and prompt a rapid public health response. Recent situations in U.S. cities such as Seattle and San Francisco illustrate this, where media coverage has focused on the number of children being tested after TB disease was identified in a school.
Running on Sunshine: Pakistan’s Solar Boom to Tide Over Middle East Energy Crisis
- Inter Press Service
KARACHI, Pakistan, March 20 (IPS) - Energy expert Vaqar Zakaria believes solar power makes “excellent economic sense” – and he lives by it. For over five years, his rooftop panels have slashed his bills, sometimes to zero, even allowing him to sell surplus electricity back through net metering.
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