In The News

Biggest Protests in 20 years Sweep Brazil

Todd Benson, Asher Levine July 3, 2013
"The people have awakened" is one slogan of the massive demonstrations underway in Brazil. About 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities, organized mostly through social media campaigns. Corruption, poor public services, rising prices and lackluster growth during the past two years are among the widespread complaints. While billions are spent on...

The Rise of the Global Middle Class

Linda Yueh July 2, 2013
Describing the shift as historic, the United Nations reports that the global middle class in China, India and Brazil will have propelled their countries’ economies to account for nearly half of world output by 2050. Defined by the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development as people who earn or spend between $10 and $100 per day, the global middle class is set to grow exponentially in...

Argentina Falls From Throne as King of Beef

Simon Romero July 1, 2013
In a country with more cows than people, beef consumption is in decline: Per capita consumption of beef in Argentina is 129 pounds, down from 222 pounds in 1956. High prices, rising demand for grains and the shift towards a more varied diet – reflected in rising demand for poultry, pasta and pizza – are reasons for the decline, reports Simon Romero for the New York Times. Government policies aim...

China Eases Curb On Dalai Lama Images

June 27, 2013
Chinese authorities in the Sichuan province have announced that followers of the Dalai Lama can publicly display his images, and officials in the area have been ordered to cease criticism of the spiritual leader, according to a report by US-funded Radio Free Asia. China took control of Tibet in 1951 and has since demonized the Dalai Lama after he established a government in exile in India. Since...

Mexico Eyes China as New Tequila Market

Wenqian Zhu June 26, 2013
A new challenge awaits Mexican tequila producers who want to export their product: studying the spirits, culture and customs of the Chinese upper middle class. China had long restricted imports of foreign liquors with more than 2 grams of methanol per liter, such as tequila, citing harmful health effects, but has since reversed that stance. During a visit to Mexico, Chinese President Xi Jinping...

Why India Trails China

Amartya Sen June 20, 2013
India as a democracy has made great strides in education, poverty reduction and economic reform, but the country, destined to the world’s most populous, still lags behind China. “The far greater gap between India and China is in the provision of essential public services — a failing that depresses living standards and is a persistent drag on growth,” writes Amartya Sen in an opinion essay for the...

Mixing Sushi and Samba

Milena Veselinovic June 19, 2013
Brazil is home to 1.8 million people of Japanese descent, the largest Japanese immigrant population in the world. The first Japanese immigrants came to Brazil in 1908 to work as coffee laborers after the abolition of slavery, and most had the opportunity to achieve an education and relative wealth within one or two generations. Nowadays, Japanese Brazilians have had an influence on Brazilian...