News headlines for “Free Trade and Globalization”, page 66
US Flails in GM Corn Dispute with Mexico
- Inter Press Service
CAMBRIDGE, MA., Aug 19 (IPS) - Closing arguments are in in the U.S. trade complaint against Mexico's restrictions on genetically modified (GM) corn, with the three-arbitrator tribunal set to rule on the matter in November. The legitimacy of the trade agreement itself hangs in the balance.
How Extreme Heat Intensifies Health Problems and Hunger
- Inter Press Service
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug 19 (IPS) - In May, temperatures soared above 52° Celsius (125.6° Fahrenheit) in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh. To cope, Samina Kanwal, a community health worker with Action Against Hunger, began work at 7:00 am — the earliest time possible given neighborhood security protocols — to travel door-to-door helping vulnerable with the health consequences of extreme heat including heatstroke, difficulties with brain function, and even hunger.
Micro-Dams, a Solution to Water Shortages in Rural Brazil
- Inter Press Service
SETE LAGOAS, Brazil, Aug 18 (IPS) - Water shortage is over, springs have emerged or become perennial, small ponds with fish have formed and pastures have become greener and more permanent, all thanks to the ‘barraginhas', the Portuguese name given in Brazil to micro-dams that retain rainwater and infiltrate it into the soil.
Origins of the Gaza Catastrophe - Part 1
- Inter Press Service
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug 16 (IPS) - During the first half of the 20th century, antisemitism was endemic in Europe and eventually burst out in full force when Nazi-Germany and its collaborators between 1941 and 1945 systematically (and well-documented) murdered six million Jews across German-occupied Europe.
In an environment mined by hostile public opinion, the Zionist Nahum Sokolow popularized the Hebrew term Hasbara. The word has no real equivalent in English, but might be translated as "explaining", indicating a strategy seeking to explain actions, regardless whether or not they are justified.
As a skilled diplomat, Sokolow based his widely publicized opinions on in-depth research of actual events, though he presented his findings in a manner that favoured his cause.
Dealing with Bangladesh’s Odious Debt
- Inter Press Service
SYDNEY, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON DC, Aug 16 (IPS) - Bangladesh has become increasingly indebted since 2009. The country's external debt stock increased from US$23.3 billion in 2008 to US$100.6 billion in December 2023 (see figure below). Thanks to the country's mega-projects led so-called development with borrowed money under the now deposed authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina.
How the Private Sector Can Create Jobs and Drive Development in Western & Central Africa
- Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON DC, Aug 16 (IPS) - Every year in Western and Central Africa, 6 million young people enter the labor force, while only about half a million new jobs are created. This enormous jobs deficit means that most entrants into the workforce work in the informal sector, with insecure income, low quality employment, and very little hope of escaping poverty.
Yemen Crisis Brings Small Reprieve for Entrepreneurial Women
- Inter Press Service
TORONTO, Aug 16 (IPS) - Once upon a time, the Sheba (Seba'a) Kingdom (today's Yemen) had a prominent queen. Women, in the presence of men, were held in a higher position, literally.
Handling Financial Crises in the South
- Inter Press Service
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug 14 (IPS) - When history repeats itself, the first time is a tragedy; the next is a farce. If we fail to learn from past financial crises, we risk making avoidable errors, often with irreversible, even tragic consequences.
Hydrogen from Renewables or Fossil Fuels? The Panamanian Question
- Inter Press Service
PANAMA, Aug 09 (IPS) - In 2021, the Panama Canal welcomed a French experimental ship on a world tour, the Energy Observer, the first electric vessel powered by a combination of renewable energies and a hydrogen production system based on seawater.
Small Farmers Feeling Climate Change Heat Find Little Support From the State
- Inter Press Service
KARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 09 (IPS) - The over 20 million residents of Pakistan's port city of Karachi, in Sindh province in particular, have been experiencing brutal heat since May. But they are not the only ones bearing the brunt of high temperatures and humidity.
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