Globalisation

CULTURE: The Home of English Football’s Most Ardent Fans? Uganda

By Evelyn Kiapi
It's a cold, wet Sunday evening outside the Little Highbury pub. Inside, patrons are glued to a huge television screen showing an eagerly awaited football match between two English Premier League teams: Arsenal and Chelsea.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Going, Going, Gone

By IPS Correspondents
Since gaining independence in 1963, Kenya has held four elections. But, perhaps the most decisive ballot of all has been cast by citizens who voted with their feet - leaving Kenya for countries that seemed more promising.

EDUCATION-SOUTH AFRICA: From Blackboard to SMARTboard

By IPS Correspondents
The electronic board in front of the class flickers, and a periodic table is projected onto the screen. "Do you all know what this is?" booms a voice from the loud speaker. "Yes!" the students chorus, as any typical class would.

ECONOMY-MAURITIUS: A Duty Free Island in the Making

By IPS Correspondents
The island of Mauritius in the south-west Indian Ocean wants to become a duty free shopping paradise in a bid to attract tourists. But there are concerns that this development strategy might come at a heavy price.

DEVELOPMENT: MDGs Concerns Raised in Helsinki

By IPS Correspondents
Ahead of the United Nations summit on the Millennium Development Goals in New York next week, participants in the international Helsinki Conference voiced their concerns here Friday about the slow progress being made on the MDGs.
A Stoned Cherrie design takes to the catwalk. (Photo: Nadine Hutton) Credit: PictureNET Africa

ECONOMY-SOUTH AFRICA: In Search of Afro-Gucci

By IPS Correspondents
The names alone are evocative - Stoned Cherrie, Black Coffee, Sun Goddess - and the clothes they're stitched into even more so.

DEVELOPMENT: NGOs Talk, Governments Listen

By Sanjay Suri
Several governments are preparing to take international policy decisions on the back of a conference of non-governmental organisations beginning here in Finland's capital Wednesday.

UNITED NATIONS: Civil Society in Chile Sceptical about Reforms

By IPS Correspondents
While governments loudly proclaim the importance of civil society in the international community, non-governmental organisations and independent observers are following the United Nations reform process with scepticism.

YEMEN: World Bank Policy, As Seen by the Deprived

By IPS Correspondents
That overnight hike in fuel price was more than any poor person could have taken in this impoverished country.

ECONOMY: China Planning Currency Moves

By IPS Correspondents
Despite repeated calls by the United States and other western powers for an upward revaluation of the Chinese currency, the yuan, Beijing has refused to budge on its stance that the currency is a matter of national sovereignty - meaning that increased pressure from abroad is likely to provoke greater resistance to change.

PAKISTAN: Unions Roused to Reject Privatisation of Phone Firm

By IPS Correspondents
Pakistan's sell-off of its state telecommunications company has lit a fire under the country's languishing labour movement and sparked the creation of an anti-privatisation group of other civil society actors.

TRADE: Inching Towards a Conclusion of the Doha Round – Maybe

By IPS Correspondents
Officials who attended two days of trade talks in Kenya have given a mixed verdict on the outcome of the discussions. While some described the meeting as productive, others said little progress had been made in resolving problems that have dogged the latest round of international trade negotiations since it got underway in 2001 in Doha, Qatar.

ECONOMY: The Dawn of the Chinese Century?

By Emad Mekay
China is quickly overtaking the United States as the world's biggest consumer of global resources, energised by a dynamic economy that is growing at a record pace, says a Washington research group.
Endangered species? A textile worker in Johannesburg. (Photo: William Matlala) Credit: PictureNET Africa

TRADE-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Textile Industries in Turmoil

By Moyiga Nduru
A few years ago, the tiny kingdom of Lesotho appeared to have a lot on offer for investors: cheap labour, generous tax incentives and proximity to the regional powerhouse, South Africa.

FINANCE: Windfall for Emerging Markets May Prove Illusory

By Emad Mekay
Private capital flows to developing nations doubled in the last two years as investors fled the weakening dollar for greener pastures in China and Russia, says a global association of financial firms.

DEVELOPMENT: World Bank Race Highlights "Democracy Deficit"

By Emad Mekay
Ever since the incumbent president of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, announced earlier this month that he will not seek another term, a debate has raged over who will succeed him, with potential new candidates popping up almost on a daily basis.

TRADE: WTO Panel Frowns on Side Deals by Member Nations

By Emad Mekay
A review commissioned by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after its first 10 years of operation came out heavily in favour of expanding global trade and urged governments to take a more aggressive role in promoting multilateral deals, rather than bilateral or regional agreements.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: In the U.S., Polls and Bullets Blot Out Upcoming Summit

By IPS Correspondents
Activists from the United States are heading to Brazil for the upcoming World Social Forum, determined to refute the widespread belief that their country has "gone Republican". They’re also in search of fresh inspiration for the fight against the exploitation of people, and natural resources.

ECONOMY-MAURITIUS: Officials Try to Sweeten a Sugar Price Reduction

By IPS Correspondents
Mauritius is bracing itself for upheaval in the national sugar industry, this as a 37 percent drop in the price of sugar exports looms. The price decrease, expected at the beginning of next year, will result from reduced trade preferences under the Sugar Protocol that was signed with the European Union (EU) in 1974.

APEC: Globalisation with Solidarity – the Other Face of the Summit

By IPS Correspondents
The other face of this weekend's summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in the capital of this South American country will be the Chilean Social Forum, which is calling for "globalisation with solidarity" as an alternative to a global economic order based on the predominance of the free-market "neo-liberal" model.

ECONOMY-TOGO: The High Cost of Cheap Chic

By Noël Kokou Tadégnon
Prized by women in West and Central Africa, "Real Dutch Wax" cloth – with its distinctive colours and patterns – has for three decades been a staple in the wardrobes of those wealthy enough to afford it. The name refers to the process of using wax to dye material.
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