News headlines for “Consumption and Consumerism”, page 55
Panama’s Elections: Has Impunity Prevailed?
- Inter Press Service
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, May 21 (IPS) - Regional experts called it Panama’s most important election since the 1989 US invasion that deposed de facto president General Manuel Noriega. Panamanians went to the polls amid high inflation and unemployment, with a stagnating economy. Endemic corruption was also high on their long list of concerns, along with access to water, education and a collapsing social security system.
INTERVIEW: Developing countries risk missing out on net-zero benefits, but fairer future is possible
- UN News
Inflation fears are subsiding, the “net-zero transition” to a clean economy could spell good news with the right policies in place, and we are still dealing with a “COVID hangover”, according to the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
Biodiversity Meet Suggests New Guidelines on Synthetic Biology Amid Persisting Questions
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, May 20 (IPS) - After a week-long discussion by delegates from 196 countries, the 26th meeting of the Subsidiary Body of Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advisors (SBSTTA) of UN Biodiversity has concluded with a set of recommendations on several issues, including living modified organisms (LMOs) and synthetic biology. All nations must consider the recommendations, discuss them, and possibly adopt them at the Biodiversity COP in October. However, many questions remain unanswered and unclear.
Erik Solheim on Politics, Climate Change, UN Reform and Trump
- Inter Press Service
OSLO, May 20 (IPS) - Erik Solheim, a senior internationally renowned politician and diplomat, has long been an advocate for combining development assistance with private investment and better taxation systems in recipient countries.
Rising Temperatures Drive Human-Wildlife Conflict in Zimbabwe
- Inter Press Service
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, May 17 (IPS) - Rising temperatures are being blamed for an increase in human-wildlife conflicts in Zimbabwe as animals such as snakes leave their natural habitat earlier than usual.
Women Organize to Fight Coastal Erosion in Southeastern Brazil
- Inter Press Service
ATAFONA, Brazil, May 17 (IPS) - Sonia Ferreira watched as the sea toppled buildings all around her for years. Finally, the impact of the rise in sea levels wrecked her home in 2019. Fishermen find their access to a fishing port limited, affecting their livelihoods. The residents of the coastal town of Atafona in southeastern Brazil count their losses to rising sea levels and climate change.
More Diversified Trade Can Make Middle East & Central Asia More Resilient
- Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON DC, May 17 (IPS) - Dislocations from the pandemic, geoeconomic fragmentation, and Russia’s war in Ukraine have shifted world trade dynamics. While this has created challenges, the redirection of trade has also generated new opportunities, particularly for the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Afghan Women Struggle with Soaring Mental Health Issues
- Inter Press Service
May 16 (IPS) - Afghanistan is grappling with a growing crisis of mental illness, particularly among its women, as highlighted in a United Nations report. Officials from the mental health department at Herat regional hospital have observed a concerning uptick in the number of women afflicted by psychological disorders in the province.
Solomon Islands: A Change More in Style than Substance
- Inter Press Service
LONDON, May 16 (IPS) - There’s change at the top in Solomon Islands – but civil society will be watching closely to see whether that means a government that’s grown hostile will start doing things differently.
Jeremiah Manele is the new prime minister, emerging from negotiations that followed April’s general election. He’s part of OUR Party, led by outgoing four-time prime minister Manasseh Sogavare. The party came first, winning 15 of 50 constituencies, but several incumbents who stood for it lost their parliamentary seats, and Sogavare only narrowly held his. Weakened, Sogavare stood aside to allow Manele to prevail as the consensus candidate of the post-election coalition his party stitched together.
UN forum in Bahrain closes with calls to support women entrepreneurs in conflict areas
- UN News
The bi-annual UN forum on entrepreneurship and innovation wrapped up its work in Bahrain on Thursday focusing on women entrepreneurs from conflict zones, who stressed the importance of investing in their activities as a means of building peace, security, and stability in their communities.