IMF

Global governance’ in our vocabulary does not imply a global 'government', but rather the institution set up for cooperation, coordination, and common action between durable sovereign states…people and nations are beginning to agree To take the next steps together. They are reaching a consensus by practical procedures rather than by the formal voting of governmental representatives; many International functions, especially those requiring the most foresight and operational flexibility, and be carried out through non governmental arrangements. –Club of Rome

The Bush administration on Wednesday was downplaying the role of biofuels production in rising food prices. The debate involves questions of blame for rapidly inflating prices for staple crops that have led to famine and riots in many parts of the world. Some economists and food scientists have argued that biofuel production should be scaled back because it is a major factor in rising food costs, particularly corn.

Fidencio Alvarez abandoned his bean and corn farm in southern Honduras because of the rising cost of seeds, fuel and food. After months of one meal a day, he hiked with his wife and six children to find work in the city.

Author Raj Patel explains what is behind the global food crisis and who is profiting from it. NAM Editor Sandip Roy interviewed Patel, author of "Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System."

President Rafael Correa’s allegations that intelligence services in Ecuador had been infiltrated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have led to a shake-up in the armed forces of unforeseeable consequences.

The International Monetary Fund recently published their World Economic Outlook. The IMF has done a great job making their website much more interactive, and they now offer their Data Mapper that maps out their global estimates for a number of economic indicators.

Financial markets are tumbling. The world economy is starting to sputter. Food prices have shot up so far, so fast, that there are riots in the streets of many poor nations. It's a hard time to be one of the masters of the global economy. Those leaders -- finance ministers from all over the world -- are gathering in Washington this weekend to sort out their reactions to the most profound global economic crises in at least a decade. The situation could reveal the limitations that international economic institutions face in dealing with the risks inherent to global capitalism. "There's got to be something coming out of the weekend, a way to visibly assume public responsibility for trying to limit the damage that financial markets can do to our society," said Colin Bradford, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "The pressure is on politicians this weekend to come up with an answer. . . . What is the power structure going to do about this?"

America's mortgage crisis has spiralled into "the largest financial shock since the Great Depression" and there is now a one-in-four chance of a full-blown global recession over the next 12 months, the International Monetary Fund warned today.

The United States supports a plan for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to sell part of its gold reserves to shore up the multilateral institution's finances, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Would you trust your government with the lives of your family? During a national emergency would you wait for help or make efforts to safeguard your family? The government devours roughly 40% from the average American family’s budget through taxes and what services do they get in return? The proper role of government according to the constitution is to guard life, liberty and property. It is sad to say but if America was the name of a ship sailing upon choppy waters and our government officials knew we were headed for the ‘perfect storm’they would be guarding the life rafts and jumping ship.