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First appearances are deceiving at the WTO meeting

The WTO mini-ministerial in Delhi has now concluded. On first appearances, it looks as if the meeting has given a boost to the cause of free trade and a WTO deal break through. Afterall, Shri Anand Sharma, India's commerce and industry minister issued a final statement to say, "There was a unanimous affirmation on the need to conclude the Doha Round within 2010."

Barclays bonuses could pay for 9.6bn school meals in Africa

Barclays’ £1.5 billion investment banking bonus pool could pay for school meals for two years for the 23 million primary age children who attend school hungry across Africa, according to figures from the World Development Movement.  

The anti-poverty group has slammed the bank for its involvement in speculation on food prices which is fuelling global price spikes, incentivised by bonuses which it claims reward risky and socially damaging behaviour. 

The total bonus pool for the bank’s investment arm could pay for 9.6 billion meals, the campaign group said today.  

WDM takes the Treasury to court over RBS

On Tuesday an unprecedented legal battle took place in the High Court over the Treasury's failure to stop the publicly owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) investing in what campaigners describe as 'some of the most environmentally damaging and socially irresponsible projects and companies around.'

Using the power of your pension

The start of an unusal mobilisation of pension fund members has been kicked off by the organisation FairPensions to attempt to hold BP and Shell to account for their investment in tar sands.


The idea is that individuals contact their pension funds, through an online action, to show support of environmental resolutions that have been tabled at the annual meetings of BP and Shell this spring. These call on the oil giants to report on the investment risks associated with tar sands and their plans to address them.

Landmark law passed to tackle 'vulture funds'

The UK today banned 'third world debt profiteering' by so-called vulture funds. The Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill is the world’s first law to restrict the ability of vulture funds to sue some of the world’s poorest countries for full repayment of debts that they have bought up cheaply.

Copenhagen climate summit

This December 7-18 negotiations will take place in Copenhagen in an attempt to reach an international agreement to tackle climate change.

UK’s Somalia ‘aid for oil’ plan ‘cynical’ says campaign group

 The World Development Movement has today warned that the UK’s new drive to provide aid to Somalia is looking like a ‘cynical’ attempt to grab its oil, rather than being aimed at ensuring a better future for people in one of the world’s poorest countries.

Euro MPs demand 'Robin Hood tax' on banks

Euro-MPs yesterday voted overwhelmingly in favour of an EU "Robin Hood tax" on banks to help fund low-carbon development programmes for poor countries.

Last month the campaign for a global tax on banks' financial transactions was launched as a way of raising money to fight poverty, tackle climate change and boost public services. The Robin Hood tax is a way to re-balance the books after the economic damage wreaked by financial excesses.

RBS protests underway across the UK

Protests are underway across the UK targeting the RBS AGM over its investments in toxic projects and companies.

UK ‘climate aid' threatens to reverse debt relief wins for developing countries

The UK government has come under fire for delivering 75 per cent of its climate finance for developing countries as loans, which WDM warns threatens to reverse decades of hard-fought progress on debt relief.

Green Investment Bank: good idea; here's what you can do to make it even better

The budget has been widely portrayed in the media as a ‘phoney’ budget or a ‘ballot box’ budget because of the limited amount of 'real' economic policy it contained. But Alistair Darling’s plan for a Green Investment Bank is a huge step forward in our Climate Justice and Clean Up the Banks campaigns. This move shows the government’s recognition that to achieve global climate justice the UK needs to invest urgently in renewable energy and ditch dirty power which is causing climate change that’s hitting the poorest people in the world.

Calls for Osborne to tackle speculation as food prices rise

UK consumers are paying 3.7 per cent more for food than they did a year ago, leading to calls for the Chancellor George Osborne to tackle financial speculation on food prices. The rise has added more than £100 to the average household’s annual grocery bill.

Inflation figures released today reveal that food prices rose by 1.2 per cent from January to February this year, contributing to the 3.7 per cent annual rise, which is well above the government’s 2 per cent target for overall inflation. [1]

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