The latest from WDM

Welcome to the World Development Movement news pages. You can view our news by category in each campaign section, or get the whole lot below. For press inquiries please contact the press office.

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News

The Real George Osborne: New comedy series starring Rufus Jones launches exclusively online

22 November 2011

UK Chancellor George Osborne is being re-imagined in a brand new internet comedy series starring Rufus Jones (Holy Flying Circus) which premiers today (22 November) at www.therealgeorgeosborne.com. The Real George Osborne follows George and his long-suffering advisor, Vicki, as he tries to raise his political profile in a bid to become the next Prime Minister.

Bringing together the 'occupy' movements: part I

4 November 2011

Yesterday I went to the first international gathering of the occupy movements and 'Indignados' at the G20 alternative summit. ‘Towards convergence of the movements from the Mediterranean region’ was a space for people from different groups and countries to share their experiences and think about working towards a coordinated international movement.

UK lends ‘climate loan’ to heavily indebted Jamaica

4 November 2011

UK money will be used for a ‘climate loan’ to Jamaica, increasing its already heavy debt burden, following a decision by the World Bank this week.

Campaigners have condemned the loan, which will drive the Caribbean nation deeper into poverty. Jamaica’s foreign debt stands at $2,500 per person, and the country spends $1.2 billion a year on debt repayments. The government’s foreign-owed debts are 55 per cent of national income, making it's debt burden one of the heaviest in the world.[1]

Occupy London inspires protest against Goldman Sachs’ betting on hunger

26 October 2011

Protest and photo call: Anti-poverty campaigners and activists from Occupy London will stage a human casino outside Goldman Sachs highlighting how the bank’s betting on food prices is fuelling global hunger.

When: 12.15-12.30pm, Thursday 27 October

Where: Goldman Sachs, 133 Fleet Street, EC4A 2BB

EU financial reform plans will not curb soaring food prices

20 October 2011

Plans for EU financial reform to be announced today are expected to be insufficient to tackle soaring global food prices, say campaigners from the World Development Movement.

G20 finance ministers fail to tackle soaring food prices

17 October 2011

George Osborne and his G20 counterparts failed to commit to the controls needed to curb soaring food prices at their Paris meeting which concluded on Saturday.

The finance ministers promised better regulation of commodity markets, where banks and hedge funds bet on the price of basic foods – but campaigners say the measures are not strong enough to prevent speculators driving up prices.

450 economists call on G20 finance ministers to stop speculation fuelling hunger

11 October 2011

More than 450 economists from over 40 countries have called on the G20 finance ministers, who are meeting in Paris this week, to take urgent action to stop financial speculation in commodity markets driving up food prices and fuelling hunger.

Blogs we read

22 September 2011

Below is a list of RSS feeds to blogs and website that we read (although not necessarily agree with). If you want to recommend a blog or suggest that we read yours, please post it in in the comments.

Regulators’ rules ‘too weak’ to tackle speculation on food

15 September 2011

International financial regulators have called today for tighter controls on financial speculation in commodity markets, but anti-poverty campaigners the World Development Movement have branded the regulators’ rules as ‘too weak’, saying they will not tackle the growing hunger and poverty caused by speculation on food prices.

‘Broken’ markets driving up food prices as bread soars

13 September 2011

‘Broken’ financial markets are driving up food prices, reveals a new report released today, as inflation figures show UK consumers are now paying over seven per cent more for bread than a year ago.[1]