Today, around 21,000 children died around the world. This daily tragedy, from poverty and other preventable causes, rarely makes headline news.

Latest world news

World

  1. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi: Preserving the Cultural Heritage

    - Inter Press Service

  2. How Blue Carbon Ecosystems are Saving the Philippines’ Sinking Islands

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov 06 (IPS) - Imagine living with water up to your knees for half of the year, where homes are flooded, and people constantly fear that the sea might one day engulf the town and everyone in it.

  3. World Inequality Still Rising Despite Some Convergence

    - Inter Press Service

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov 06 (IPS) - Despite earlier income convergence among nations, many low-income countries (LICs) and people are falling further behind. Worse, the number of poor and hungry has been increasing again after declining for decades.

  4. As Forests Felled Wood Shortage Hits Villagers in Zimbabwe

    - Inter Press Service

    CHIMANIMANI, Zimbabwe, Nov 6 2024 (IPS) - Linet Makwera (28) has a baby strapped on her back as she totters barefoot, picking tiny pieces of wood on both sides of a dusty and narrow road, peering fearfully at people passing by along the road in Chimanimani’s Mutambara area in Gonzoma village located in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province, east of the country.

  5. Middle East crisis: Live updates as General Assembly meets on UNRWA and more

    - UN News

    A story from UN News

    The UN General Assembly is holding an informal meeting on UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees that faces new Israeli laws banning it from operating in Occupied Palestinian Territory, as bombings escalated in Gaza and Lebanon. Stay tuned for updates from UN Headquarters in New York and across the region. UN News app users can follow here.

  6. Lebanon conflict at ‘critical point’ with more than 3,000 confirmed dead

    - UN News

    A story from UN News

    The war in Lebanon has now killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah missile hits in Israel, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

  7. Rise in Afghan opium cultivation reflects economic hardship, despite Taliban ban

    - UN News

    Opium cultivation in Afghanistan spiked by 19 per cent in 2024, covering an estimated 12,800 hectares despite a ban imposed by the Taliban, a report released on Wednesday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed.

  8. Brazil Promotes a Freer Global Biofuels Market

    - Inter Press Service

    RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 05 (IPS) - Holding this year's presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) large industrial and emerging economies is allowing Brazil to push forward the dream of creating a global biofuels market without the current trade barriers.

  9. Israel’s Moves to Ban UNRWA—Signals Uncertainty for Affected Palestinians

    - Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, Nov 05 (IPS) - The decision of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to adopt two laws that would severely limit or outright ban UNRWA has the potential to set a dangerous precedent, where countries can simply implement their own justification to ban the activity of the United Nations, even if it violates their obligations under international humanitarian law. Even with the rest of the world condemning this course of action, for Israel, this has been a long time coming and they are unlikely to back down.

  10. Mexican Cooperative Promotes Energy Transition on Indigenous Lands

    - Inter Press Service

    MEXICO CITY, Nov 05 (IPS) - What started as a broad attempt to allow women to live a more dignified life, an indigenous women's organization, Masehual Siuamej Mosenyolchicauani, now aims to solve environmental and climate problems that others have created.What began as a search for fair prices for indigenous handicrafts in 1985 has evolved into a women's organisation in Mexico that promotes climate justice while advocating for land and environmental rights.

  11. More stories…

Climate

  1. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi: Preserving the Cultural Heritage

    - Inter Press Service

  2. How Blue Carbon Ecosystems are Saving the Philippines’ Sinking Islands

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov 06 (IPS) - Imagine living with water up to your knees for half of the year, where homes are flooded, and people constantly fear that the sea might one day engulf the town and everyone in it.

  3. As Forests Felled Wood Shortage Hits Villagers in Zimbabwe

    - Inter Press Service

    CHIMANIMANI, Zimbabwe, Nov 6 2024 (IPS) - Linet Makwera (28) has a baby strapped on her back as she totters barefoot, picking tiny pieces of wood on both sides of a dusty and narrow road, peering fearfully at people passing by along the road in Chimanimani’s Mutambara area in Gonzoma village located in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province, east of the country.

  4. Voices from the Margins: Small-Scale Fishers Demand Rights, Recognition at COP16

    - Inter Press Service

    CALI, Columbia & DELHI, Nov 05 (IPS) - Small-scale fishers play a fundamental role in feeding people—they use sustainable methods of catching and processing fish products and are a significant force in the employment and livelihoods of millions of people internationally—yet, until now, they have been excluded from climate and biodiversity conferences.

  5. Diverse Diets Are Essential for Nourishing a Healthy Planet as Well as Healthy People

    - Inter Press Service

    CALI, Colombia, Nov 05 (IPS) - It's often said that we are what we eat. However, our diets are also a reflection on the health of our food systems, the environment and agricultural biodiversity.

  6. Armed Violence and Floods Aggravate Humanitarian Crisis in Chad

    - Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, Nov 05 (IPS) - Chad is currently in the midst of a dire humanitarian crisis due to persisting armed conflict, mass displacement, widespread hunger, natural disasters, and an overall lack of essential services. Due to security challenges from the Boko Haram militant group, millions of Chadians have faced decreased mobility as well as human rights violations including imprisonment, beatings, kidnappings, and killings.

  7. Early warning systems critical as world marks Tsunami Awareness Day

    - UN News

    As the world marked World Tsunami Awareness Day on Wednesday, UN Secretary General António Guterres emphasised the critical importance of early warning systems, particularly as recent disasters like the devasting floods in Spain demonstrate the increasing impact of extreme weather.

  8. Over 2 billion in cities will be exposed to 0.5ºC rise by 2040

    - UN News

    More than two billion people currently living in cities could be exposed to an additional temperature increase of at least 0.5 degrees Celsius by 2040, a new UN report published on Tuesday finds.

  9. Azerbaijan’s Climate Conference Brings a Mild Autumn for Armenians

    - Inter Press Service

    ROME, Nov 04 (IPS) - On December 12, 2022, a group of Azerbaijani environmentalists blocked the only road connecting Armenia with the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. The news went largely unnoticed by mainstream media, perhaps because it was difficult to understand.

  10. Navigating the Waves: Strengthening Tsunami Preparedness in a Changing Climate

    - Inter Press Service

    BANGKOK, Thailand, Nov 04 (IPS) - This year's World Tsunami Awareness Day presents a moment of reflection 20 years on from the catastrophic Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. The tsunami resulted in 225,000 fatalities across 14 countries and emphasized the urgent need for effective tsunami preparedness, especially in the face of growing climate change challenges.

  11. More stories…

Health

  1. Diverse Diets Are Essential for Nourishing a Healthy Planet as Well as Healthy People

    - Inter Press Service

    CALI, Colombia, Nov 05 (IPS) - It's often said that we are what we eat. However, our diets are also a reflection on the health of our food systems, the environment and agricultural biodiversity.

  2. Sudan launches first malaria vaccine in landmark child health initiative

    - UN News

    In a historic health milestone, Sudan has launched its first malaria vaccination campaign amid 18 months of civil conflict, aiming to protect thousands of children from the deadly disease.

  3. WHO identifies 17 pathogens as top priorities for new vaccine development

    - UN News

    A new study by the World Health Organization (WHO) lists 17 bacteria, viruses and parasites that regularly cause disease as top priorities for new vaccine development.

  4. Gaza: Polio campaign reaches 94,000 children in besieged north

    - UN News

    The UN-supported polio vaccine campaign concluded in besieged northern Gaza on Monday, with agencies inoculating 94,000 children, but thousands still remain out of reach.

  5. Gaza: Final phase of polio vaccine campaign reaches ravaged north

    - UN News

    The long-awaited final phase of a UN-supported polio vaccine campaign began early Saturday morning in bombarded and besieged northern Gaza, with the goal of inoculating more than 100,000 children against the paralysing virus, according to UN agencies on the ground.

  6. Death Toll in Lebanon Rising From Israeli Bombardment

    - Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, Nov 01 (IPS) - The eastern region of Baalbek, Lebanon was believed to be a "safe zone" for residents, and refugees who had been displaced by the increased hostilities across the country. That changed on October 29, when an Israeli airstrike on the region resulted in over sixty casualties, including two children.

  7. Israel's Ban on UNRWA Threatens the Stability of Palestine

    - Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, Oct 31 (IPS) - On October 28, the Israeli parliament voted to ban activity from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Israel. Two bills were passed by the Knesset, Israel's house of representatives, one that barred all UNRWA efforts, and another that prevents interactions between Israeli authorities and UNRWA personnel. The implications of this amendment are expected to exacerbate dire conditions for millions of Palestinians who were already in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis.

  8. Hurricane Oscar Threatens Humanitarian Crisis in Cuba

    - Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, Oct 30 (IPS) - Although classified as a compact tropical cyclone and considered one of the smallest in the North Atlantic, Hurricane Oscar has caused considerable damage in eastern Cuba since it made landfall on October 20, 2024. Cuban authorities have confirmed that the death toll has risen to seven, in additional to the damage in infrastructure. Communications and relief efforts were greatly impeded by a nationwide power grid blackout, which continues on in much of Cuba at the time of publication.

  9. The Impact of Media Literacy for Meat Production

    - Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, Oct 25 (IPS) - With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and social media, the dissemination of public information moves at a faster speed than ever before. Social media platforms have become an integral tool for users of younger generations to access the news. Although this shift has led to public news being more accessible to younger users, it has also led to an overall decline in media literacy.

  10. Raid on North Gaza hospital ‘deeply disturbing’: WHO chief

    - UN News

    Reports of Israeli troops storming one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza are deeply concerning, while ongoing hostilities are hampering polio vaccination in the area, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

  11. More stories…

Economy

  1. World Inequality Still Rising Despite Some Convergence

    - Inter Press Service

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov 06 (IPS) - Despite earlier income convergence among nations, many low-income countries (LICs) and people are falling further behind. Worse, the number of poor and hungry has been increasing again after declining for decades.

  2. Brazil Promotes a Freer Global Biofuels Market

    - Inter Press Service

    RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 05 (IPS) - Holding this year's presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) large industrial and emerging economies is allowing Brazil to push forward the dream of creating a global biofuels market without the current trade barriers.

  3. Mexican Cooperative Promotes Energy Transition on Indigenous Lands

    - Inter Press Service

    MEXICO CITY, Nov 05 (IPS) - What started as a broad attempt to allow women to live a more dignified life, an indigenous women's organization, Masehual Siuamej Mosenyolchicauani, now aims to solve environmental and climate problems that others have created.What began as a search for fair prices for indigenous handicrafts in 1985 has evolved into a women's organisation in Mexico that promotes climate justice while advocating for land and environmental rights.

  4. ‘Tons of Ideas!’: World Urban Forum in Cairo hears calls for youth-led solutions to urban challenges

    - UN News

    Young people gathered in Cairo for the World Urban Forum led calls on Tuesday for action to ease the housing crisis impacting billions globally, and to boost local action – especially youth-led urban development movements – to secure resilient and environmentally just cities.

  5. ‘It all starts at home’: global UN forum opens in Cairo to rethink urban development

    - UN News

    On Monday, thousands of delegates joined United Nations representatives gathered in Cairo to kick off the twelfth edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF12), which will bring together voices from all over Africa and beyond to define the future of sustainable urban development.

  6. Carbon markets could boost climate action in least developed countries

    - UN News

    While carbon markets have played a limited role in boosting sustainable development for the world’s least developed economies, a new report from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows that stronger domestic laws, regulations, and monitoring could pay big dividends.

  7. Is India Phasing Out Fossil Fuels Fast Enough To Achieve Its Emission Targets?

    - Inter Press Service

    NEW DELHI, Nov 04 (IPS) - While India continues to rely heavily on coal, the south Asian economic giant is also aggressively pushing renewable energy production, especially after the costs of renewable energy production have fallen drastically in recent years around the world.

  8. Solar Energy Saves Dairy Cooperative in Brazil's Semi-Arid Region

    - Inter Press Service

    MONTEIRO, Brazil, Nov 01 (IPS) - "Ixe! If it wasn't for solar energy, we would have closed down, you can be sure. We had to stop due to the pandemic on 15 March 2020, but the energy costs were fixed," said Erika Cazuza, administrative and financial manager of the Brazilian Cooperative of Rural Producers of Monteiro (Capribom).

  9. Transforming Africa with the Power of Education

    - Inter Press Service

    NEW YORK, Nov 01 (IPS) - Africa has the youngest population in the world today. Around 40% of the population is 15 or younger. They have a non-negotiable right to an inclusive and continued quality education, just like young people everywhere across the globe.

  10. Death Toll in Lebanon Rising From Israeli Bombardment

    - Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, Nov 01 (IPS) - The eastern region of Baalbek, Lebanon was believed to be a "safe zone" for residents, and refugees who had been displaced by the increased hostilities across the country. That changed on October 29, when an Israeli airstrike on the region resulted in over sixty casualties, including two children.

  11. More stories…

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Issues in depth

Latest

Action on climate change is cheaper than inaction

Many are afraid that tackling climate change is going to be too costly. But increasingly, studies are showing action will not just be cheaper than inaction, but could actually result in economic, environmental and even health benefits, while improving sustainability.

Read “Action on climate change is cheaper than inaction” to learn more.

Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction

The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing.

Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.

This section looks at what causes climate change, what the impacts are and where scientific consensus currently is.

Read “Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction” to learn more.

COP20—Lima Climate Conference

An overview of the Climate Change Conference (also known as COP 20), held in Lima, Peru in December 2014.

While it seemed like it was a successful meeting, because developing nations were committed to drawing up their own plans for emissions reductions for the first time, a number of important issues were left undecided such as how financing would work.

This page is an overview of the Lima Climate conference.

Read “COP20—Lima Climate Conference” to learn more.

Ebola Outbreak in West Africa

An overview of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa that has been described by the World Health Organization as the largest, most severe and most complex outbreak in the history of the disease.

The epidemic began at the end of 2013, in Guinea. From there it spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. Many of the affected countries face enormous challenges in stopping its spread and providing care for all patients.

Thousands of people have died and many are at risk as the fatality rate from this virus is very high. As the crisis worsens, as well as the enormous health challenges involved, the social and economic consequences may set these countries back, reversing some gains a number of these countries have made in recent years.

Read “Ebola Outbreak in West Africa” to learn more.

Foreign Aid for Development Assistance

In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually.

Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.

For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.

Net ODA in dollars and percent of GNI

Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:

  • Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
  • Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
  • Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
  • Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.

This article explores who has benefited most from this aid, the recipients or the donors.

Read “Foreign Aid for Development Assistance” to learn more.

Nature and Animal Conservation

Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves.

Yet, the pressures to destroy habitat for logging, illegal hunting, and other challenges are making conservation a struggle.

Read “Nature and Animal Conservation” to learn more.

More updates

Most Popular

Poverty Facts and Stats

Most of humanity lives on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nations in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality.

80% of the world population lived on less than $10 a day in 2005

The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty.

By contrast, the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from economic or political policies. The amount the world spends on military, financial bailouts and other areas that benefit the wealthy, compared to the amount spent to address the daily crisis of poverty and related problems are often staggering.

Some facts and figures on poverty presented in this page are eye-openers, to say the least.

Read “Poverty Facts and Stats” to learn more.

Global Financial Crisis

Following a period of economic boom, a financial bubble — global in scope — burst, even causing some of the world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed. With the resulting recession, many governments of the wealthiest nations in the world have resorted to extensive bail-out and rescue packages for the remaining large banks and financial institutions while imposing harsh austerity measures on themselves.

Some of the bail-outs have also led to charges of hypocrisy due to the apparent socializing of the costs while privatizing the profits. Furthermore, the institutions being rescued are typically the ones got the world into this trouble in the first place. For smaller businesses and poorer people, such options for bail out and rescue are rarely available when they find themselves in crisis.

Plummeting stock markets at one point wiped out 33% of the value of companies, $14.5 trillion. Taxpayers bailed out their banks and financial institutions with large amounts of money. US taxpayers alone have spent some $9.7 trillion in bailout packages and plans. The UK and other European countries have also spent some $2 trillion on rescues and bailout packages. More is expected. Much more.

Such numbers, made quickly available, are enough to wipe many individual’s mortgages, or clear out third world debt many times over. Even the high military spending figures are dwarfed by the bailout plans to date.

Taxpayers are paying for some of the largests costs in history

This problem could have been averted (in theory) as people had been pointing to these issues for decades. However, during boom, very few want to hear such pessimism. Does this crisis spell an end to the careless forms of banking and finance and will it herald a better economic age, or are we just doomed to keep forgetting history and repeat these mistakes in the future? Signs are not encouraging as rich nations are resisting meaningful reform…

Read “Global Financial Crisis” to learn more.

Causes of Poverty

Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.

Read “Causes of Poverty” to learn more.

Climate Change and Global Warming

The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.

This section explores some of the effects of climate change. It also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed.

Read “Climate Change and Global Warming” to learn more.

Environmental Issues

Environmental issues are also a major global issue. Humans depend on a sustainable and healthy environment, and yet we have damaged the environment in numerous ways. This section introduces other issues including biodiversity, climate change, animal and nature conservation, population, genetically modified food, sustainable development, and more.

Read “Environmental Issues” to learn more.

Racism

Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns. This article explores racism from around the world.

Read “Racism” to learn more.

More articles

Topical

Global Financial Crisis

Following a period of economic boom, a financial bubble — global in scope — burst, even causing some of the world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed. With the resulting recession, many governments of the wealthiest nations in the world have resorted to extensive bail-out and rescue packages for the remaining large banks and financial institutions while imposing harsh austerity measures on themselves.

Some of the bail-outs have also led to charges of hypocrisy due to the apparent socializing of the costs while privatizing the profits. Furthermore, the institutions being rescued are typically the ones got the world into this trouble in the first place. For smaller businesses and poorer people, such options for bail out and rescue are rarely available when they find themselves in crisis.

Plummeting stock markets at one point wiped out 33% of the value of companies, $14.5 trillion. Taxpayers bailed out their banks and financial institutions with large amounts of money. US taxpayers alone have spent some $9.7 trillion in bailout packages and plans. The UK and other European countries have also spent some $2 trillion on rescues and bailout packages. More is expected. Much more.

Such numbers, made quickly available, are enough to wipe many individual’s mortgages, or clear out third world debt many times over. Even the high military spending figures are dwarfed by the bailout plans to date.

Taxpayers are paying for some of the largests costs in history

This problem could have been averted (in theory) as people had been pointing to these issues for decades. However, during boom, very few want to hear such pessimism. Does this crisis spell an end to the careless forms of banking and finance and will it herald a better economic age, or are we just doomed to keep forgetting history and repeat these mistakes in the future? Signs are not encouraging as rich nations are resisting meaningful reform…

Read “Global Financial Crisis” to learn more.

Climate Change and Global Warming

The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.

This section explores some of the effects of climate change. It also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed.

Read “Climate Change and Global Warming” to learn more.

Food and Agriculture Issues

Food and agriculture goes to the heart of our civilizations. Religions, cultures and even modern civilization have food and agriculture at their core. For an issue that goes to the heart of humanity it also has its ugly side.

This issue explores topics ranging from the global food crisis of 2008, to issues of food aid, world hunger, food dumping and wasteful agriculture such as growing tobacco, sugar, beef, and more.

Read “Food and Agriculture Issues” to learn more.

Foreign Aid for Development Assistance

In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually.

Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.

For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.

Net ODA in dollars and percent of GNI

Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:

  • Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
  • Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
  • Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
  • Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.

This article explores who has benefited most from this aid, the recipients or the donors.

Read “Foreign Aid for Development Assistance” to learn more.

Tax Avoidance and Tax Havens; Undermining Democracy

Through tax havens, transfer pricing and many other policies — both legal and illegal — billions of dollars of tax are avoided. The much-needed money would helped developing (and developed) countries provide important social services for their populations.

Some tax avoidance, regardless of how morally objectionable it may be to some people, is perfectly legal, and the global super elite are able to hide away trillions of dollars, resulting in massive losses of tax revenues for cash-strapped governments who then burden ordinary citizens further with austerity measures during economic crisis, for example. Yet these super elite are often very influential in politics and business. In effect, they are able to undermine democracy and capitalism at the same time.

As the global financial crisis has affected many countries, tackling tax avoidance would help target those more likely to have contributed to the problem while avoid many unnecessary austerity measures that hit the poorest so hard. But despite rhetoric stating otherwise, it does not seem to high on the agenda of many governments as you might think.

Read “Tax Avoidance and Tax Havens; Undermining Democracy” to learn more.

World Military Spending

World military spending had reduced since the Cold War ended, but a few nations such as the US retain high level spending.

In recent years, global military expenditure has increased again and is now comparable to Cold War levels. Recent data shows global spending at over $1.7 trillion. 2012 saw the first dip in spending — only slightly —since 1998, in an otherwise rising trend.

After a decline following the end of the Cold War, recent years have seen military spending increase

The highest military spender is the US accounting for almost two-fifths of the world’s spending, more than the rest of the G7 (most economically advanced countries) combined, and more than all its potential enemies, combined.

Read “World Military Spending” to learn more.

More issues

“If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence.” — Bertrand Russell, Roads to Freedom