News headlines for “Free Trade and Globalization”, page 228
Toward a More Resilient Europe
- Inter Press Service
Jul 13 (IPS) - Europe, like the rest of the world, faces an extended crisis. An element of social distancing—mandatory or voluntary—will be with us for as long as this pandemic persists. This, coupled with continued supply chain disruptions and other problems, is prolonging an already difficult situation.
Based on updated IMF projections released last month, we now expect real GDP in the EU to contract by 9.3 percent in 2020 and then grow by 5.7 percent in 2021, returning to its 2019 level only in 2022.
If an effective treatment or vaccine for COVID 19 is found, the recovery could be faster—but the opposite would hold true if there are large new waves of infection.
Lebanese Financial Crisis Validates Importance of Abolishing ‘Kafala’
- Inter Press Service
KESERWAN, Lebanon, Jul 10 (IPS) - They were promised the world but ended up in a Lebanese household. This is the story of many domestic workers in Lebanon. With a 70-year-old sponsor system still in place, domestic workers are tied to their employers with little or no basic rights. The ‘Kafala' system is the major problem behind what we have been seeing in Beirut in the last months.
Teleworking Is Not Working for the Poor, the Young and the Women
- Inter Press Service
Jul 09 (IPS) - The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating labor markets across the world. Tens of millions of workers lost their jobs, millions more out of the labor force altogether, and many occupations face an uncertain future. Social distancing measures threaten jobs requiring physical presence at the workplace or face-to-face interactions.
Those unable to work remotely, unless deemed essential, face a significantly higher risk of reductions in hours or pay, temporary furloughs, or permanent layoffs. What types of jobs and workers are most at risk? Not surprisingly, the costs have fallen most heavily on those who are least able to bear them: the poor and the young in the lowest-paid jobs.
Financialization: Tackling the Other Virus
- Inter Press Service
KUALA LUMPUR and PENANG, Jul 09 (IPS) - The 1971 Bretton Woods (BW) system collapse opened the way for financial globalization and transnational financialization. Before the 1980s, most economies had similar shares of trade and financial openness, but cross-border financial transactions have been increasingly unrelated to trade since then.
The Quiet Survivors of a Global Pandemic
- Inter Press Service
DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jul 08 (IPS) - The issue of women's rights, feminism and gender is complex and ongoing in most countries including Bangladesh. When I was asked to write about impact of COVID-19 on women and girls, I found myself drawn towards writing about women's situation in general as that automatically impacts COVID-19 response as well. Since I am a woman who has been a part of many different cultures, yet a Bangali at heart, I am not only a survivor within its ranks but also responsible for being a part of the solution to the problems we face.
Building Back Greener in Africa
- Inter Press Service
ISTANBUL, Jul 07 (IPS) - African leaders highlight the opportunity for a triple dividend: reduced risk, increased resilience and strengthened recovery.COVID-19 continues to race across the African continent. People are dying, and even more are being pushed into hunger and poverty, in many cases risking to overturn years of development gains.
Innovative Financial Approaches Key to Unleash SIDS Economic Potential
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Jul 07 (IPS) - Our world is transfixed by the great human toll and economic impact of the worst global pandemic in a century. For the 65 million inhabitants of small island developing states (SIDS), the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is reminiscent of the worst forms of extreme weather events that SIDS contend with annually.
Donald Trump, Working Class Hero?
- Inter Press Service
SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 07 (IPS) - In his early February annual State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump typically hailed his own policies for increasing wages and jobs to achieve record low US unemployment. Directly appealing to labour for a second term, Trump claimed exclusive credit for the US "blue-collar boom".
Impact of COVID-19 on Women and Children in South Asia
- Inter Press Service
CANBERRA, Australia, Jul 06 (IPS) - The onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 set off a series of health and economic crises that feed upon each other. The health crisis exacerbates the economic crisis by disrupting supply chains, throwing large number of people (particularly those working in the informal sector) out of work and closing down large numbers of enterprises – particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).
The Missing SDG: Ensure the Digital Age Supports People, Planet, Prosperity & Peace
- Inter Press Service
MONTREAL, Canada, Jul 06 (IPS) - As the nations of the world prepare to gather virtually to assess progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), society is just beginning to imagine what a post-COVID world might be like.
Powered by
