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Issue No. 254 (October 2011)
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COVER:
Financialisation of commodity markets
Latest
victims of financialisation - food and commodities
Speculators
operating from financial and commodity markets are adding to the woes
of food- and commodity-producing Third World countries.
By Lim Mah-Hui
Taming
financial speculation, stabilising food prices
Strong
regulation is urgently needed to restore agricultural commodity derivative
markets to their normal functioning and to help prevent repeated global
food crises.
Shifting
havens for capital
The monetary
policies adopted by the developed countries provide fertile ground for
the turn to the speculative acquisition of commodity stocks.
By CP
Chandrasekhar
High,
volatile food prices exacerbate world hunger, says new report
A new
report has warned that an enduring period of high and volatile food
prices can have serious economic, social and political impacts.
By Amanda
Wilson
Economists
tell the G20: Regulate speculation on food prices
Over
450 prominent economists, representing institutions in over 40 countries,
called in vain on the G20 finance ministers to take urgent action to
rein in financial speculation in commodity markets, which they say is
driving up food prices and fuelling hunger.
World
Bank deaf on food speculation, vocal on financial instruments
The World
Bank, true to its core deregulation agenda, consistently denies the
role of financial speculation in driving price volatility in food markets,
say its critics.
Weak
position limits cannot tackle speculation in commodities
The US
Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weak position limits will not
be enough to completely reduce the massive price volatility seen in
recent years.
By Kavaljit
Singh
HEALTH & SAFETY
Reduce
inequalities to boost health, WHO says
A world
health conference has concluded that economic status, education, access
to clean water and sanitation, nutrition and the environment determine
the level of health of persons, communities or countries.
By Fabiola
Ortiz
ECONOMICS
China's
shadow banking system poses grave risks
While
the recent rapid growth of unofficial financial agencies ('shadow banking
system') is a challenge to its economic stability, China's financial
regulators appear to be confident that they can contain the threat.
By Zhang
Monan
ILO
says world heading for a new and deeper jobs recession, warns of more
social unrest
The International
Labour Organisation says that the world economy is on the verge of a
new and deeper jobs recession that will further delay the global economic
recovery and may ignite more social unrest in scores of countries.
By Raymond
Torres
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WORLD
AFFAIRS
Understanding
Tunisia's elections results
Tunisia
distinguished itself once more by being the first Arab country to hold
free and fair elections after its revolution.
By Esam Al-Amin
Afghanistan:
Ten years of tragedy and misguided policy
The invasion
and destruction of Afghanistan was a morally repugnant and self-contradictory
response to terrorism.
By Ramzy
Baroud
Afghanistan's
energy war
The US
is pursuing a little-noticed energy agenda in Afghanistan which will
not only deny much-needed economic benefits to its people but may well
undermine its security and independence.
By
Shukria Dellawar and Antonia
Juhasz
Bolivia's
controversial highway cancelled, but deeper conflicts remain
Some
festering problems regarding the direction of the country's development
have still to be addressed.
By Emily Achtenberg
HUMAN RIGHTS
Argentine
navy captain 'Angel Face' Astiz sentenced to life imprisonment
Previously,
military dictatorships that committed unspeakable atrocities against
their people could not be brought to justice with the return of civilian
rule because of amnesty laws. Many Latin American governments have moved
to lift such immunity and bring the culprits to book.
WOMEN
Women
reject normalisation of gender violence
Human
rights abuses and violence against women are widespread in Mexico, perpetrated
by all actors in society, including the military and police.
By Melanie Haider
VIEWPOINT
A
lot of people? Yes. Apocalypse? No.
Though
resource challenges remain, a child born today has a better chance of
survival than decades ago, when food production per person was far inferior.
By David Lam
For subscription and enquiries:
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Malaysia.
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Email: twnet@po.jaring.my
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