Global IssuesNews headlines for “Consumption and Consumerism”
U.S. Wins Controversial Ruling in GM Corn Dispute with Mexico
- Inter Press Service
CAMBRIDGE, MA., Dec 23 (IPS) - A tribunal of trade arbitrators has ruled in favor of the United States in its complaint that Mexico’s restrictions on genetically modified corn violate the terms of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA). The long-awaited ruling in the 16-month trade dispute is unlikely to settle the questions raised by Mexico about the safety of consuming GM corn and its associated herbicide.
Maya Train: Still Waiting to Become Promised Engine of Development - VIDEO
- Inter Press Service
MERIDA, Mexico, Dec 23 (IPS) - When he promoted the Maya Train (TM) in 2019, then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who ruled Mexico between 2018 and October this year, stated that the railway line would be an engine of development for the southeastern Yucatan peninsula.
Trapped on a Runaway Train: Looking Back on 2024
- Inter Press Service
TORONTO, Canada, Dec 23 (IPS) - Do you sometimes feel like a hamster on its wheel, or perhaps stuck on a runaway train hurtling towards the abyss? Whatever metaphor one might choose for our world looking back on 2024, rainbows don’t easily spring to mind.
Water Deprivation Looms in Gaza
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 23 (IPS) - As talks of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine intensify, bombardments in Gaza continue, raising the number of civilian casualties and internal displacements. A December 19 report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned Israeli authorities for committing acts of genocide upon the people in the Gaza Strip, including the deprivation of water and the destruction of critical water sanitation infrastructures.
Food Crises Intensify in Winter Ravaged War Zones
- Inter Press Service
BUCHAREST, Romania, Dec 23 (IPS) - The days are short with bitterly cold rain in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the largest Balkan country located south of the Ukraine. Over the border, temperatures in Kyiv will plummet to a daily average of zero in December as the Ukraine war grinds on.
Japanese Bank Criticized for Financing Mozambique LNG Project Blamed for Displacement
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Dec 23 (IPS) - Climate and environmental activists from Japan have criticized the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for financing the controversial Mozambique Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project to the tune of USD 3 billion in a loan signed in July.
Targeting Transformative Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia-Pacific Subregions
- Inter Press Service
BANGKOK, Thailand, Dec 23 (IPS) - In December 2024, Vanuatu experienced yet another harrowing reminder of its vulnerability to disasters—a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific nation’s capital, Port Vila, leaving 14 dead, over 200 injured, and thousands more affected.
South Korea’s Democracy Defended
- Inter Press Service
LONDON, Dec 20 (IPS) - Democracy is alive and well in South Korea. When President Yoon Suk Yeol tried to impose martial law, the public and parliamentarians united to defend it. Now Yoon must face justice for his power grab.
2024 Is The Hottest Year Ever Recorded
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 20 (IPS) - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that 2024 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history, surpassing 2023. This can be attributed to heightened reliance on fossil fuels and the reluctance of industries worldwide to pivot to green energy practices. The rapid acceleration of global temperatures has alarmed scientists, with many expressing concern over the environmental, economic, and social implications of the worsening climate crisis.
A Billion Lives Off the Record: The Urgent Need for Legal Identity
- Inter Press Service
MADRID, Dec 20 (IPS) - Perhaps demographers would consider designing a new classification system to separate from their estimates of the world’s total population—eight billion plus—the billion humans who live without legal identity and, thus, are deprived from the most basic rights.
Powered by 
and 