In The News

DW: EU Reaches Agreement on Single-Use Plastic Ban

December 19, 2018
Plastic is made of oil and consists of large polymers that do not break down quickly, adding to waste management challenges. Most plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans with microbeads and other forms of plastics finding their way into the food chain and seafood consumed by humans. China ended accepting imports of plastic waste for recycling this year, with global implications, forcing major...

Spiegel: Exit From Brexit?

Markus Becker December 14, 2018
Britain, facing a March deadline, struggles to reach agreement on ending its EU membership. Increasing awareness about membership benefits has triggered second thoughts, and some leaders urge a second referendum. Ending Brexit would not be helpful for Britain or the EU, argues Markus Becker for Spiegel Online. Another referendum would encourage ugly rhetoric, with Brexit supporters feeling...

BBC: May Wins Confidence Vote

December 12, 2018
British Prime Minister held on to her job after facing a vote of confidence from fellow Tory members. Just before the voting started, Theresa May told fellow MPs she would see the Brexit deal through before resigning as party leader before the next scheduled election in 2022. After she delayed a vote on Brexit by full parliament, 48 members of her party expressed no confidence. Most Tory party...

Washington Post: Cultural Anxiety Fuels France’s Protests

Ishaan Tharoor December 11, 2018
The “gilets jaunes,” or yellow vest movement, target French cities with violent protests and economic disruptions. The protests are spreading to Belgium, the Netherlands and Britain. One analyst suggests that what began as opposition to a tax designed to slow climate change has exploded into a working-class revolt. Yet surveys suggest that 79 percent of French citizens regard climate change as a...

BBC: Three Brexit Defeats for May

December 5, 2018
Members of parliament found British Prime Minister Theresa May’s ministers in contempt, ordering release of the government’s complete legal advice on proposed terms for Brexit. The government had been trying to rush the proposal through to avoid too many second thoughts. The attorney general published a summary and answered questions, but advised that release of the complete version was not in...

The Local France: Savage Violence in Paris

John Lichfield December 3, 2018
More than 10,000 yellow-vested protesters in Paris expressed fury toward their government over increasing inequality, unemployment and poor services in rural areas with wealth going unshared. “The Arc de Triomphe, symbol of French Republican pride, was vandalised and tagged with insulting graffiti,” explains John Lichfield, adding that police acted with restraint as protesters set buildings and...

CNN: Post-Brexit UK-US Trade

Euan McKirdy and Hilary McGann November 27, 2018
Every step in Brexit negotiations and new procedures creates winners and losers for industries and workers throughout Europe, the United Kingdom and beyond. Members of the European Union reached draft agreement with the government of UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and the UK Parliament’s approval is now required. “Under the draft agreement, the UK will stay inside the bloc's single market...