In The News

Europe Reluctant to Take Back ISIS Fighters: NPR

Vanessa Romo February 20, 2019
The Islamic State recruited young men and women from around the world with propaganda, promising a caliphate, devout surroundings, marriage and adventure. Syria, the United States, Russia and the Kurds, Turkey and Iran worked separately to defeat the brutal terrorist group. Now, disillusioned and defiant ISIS members hope to return to their homes, reports NPR. Some express less remorse than...

Japan Bank Fuels Global Lending: Wall Street Journal

Telis Demos and Sam Goldfarb February 19, 2019
Corporate debt is unnerving some investors. For companies with low ratings, Norinchukin Bank in Japan with about $600 billion in deposits from agricultural and fishing collectives can come to the rescue. The company with about $1 trillion in assets, holds about $700 billion in collateralized loan obligations, which in turn cover about half of US loans to junk-rated companies, report Telis Demos...

Putin vs. US Intelligence: Daily Beast

February 19, 2019
The US budget devotes more than $80 billion on intelligence-gathering, representing more than 10 percent of the US defense budget, with many expenditures and details classified. Yet the US president has suggested that he does not hold much stock in US intelligence assessments. Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe offered a new example as shared by a colleague, during an interview on the...

US-China Trade Deal Not Enough: Project Syndicate

Minxin Pei February 18, 2019
If the US and China fail to negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement, bilateral trade, the economic relationship will erode as tariffs of up to 25 percent are applied on $200 billion of Chinese exports to the US, thus encouraging relocation of business activity out of China. Even if the two nations resolve differences over China’s state-owned enterprises and subsidies, the relationship could...

WTO and New World Order: Diplomat

Valbona Zeneli and Michael R. Czinkota February 15, 2019
With more than 160 members, the World Trade Organization describes itself as the only global organization dealing with the rules of trade among nations. “The outsourcing revolution has affected the developing world in a major way: global manufacturing and new services have dramatically changed supply chains; corporate espionage and intellectual property infringements supported many corporate...

Global Insect Decline and More Pests: BBC

Matt McGrath February 13, 2019
Intensive agriculture, pesticides, pollution, deforestation, habitat loss, invasive species and a changing climate are decimating populations of bees, ants and beetles, reports research published in Biological Conservation. Meanwhile the populations of houseflies and cockroaches, insects that reproduce quickly and live among humans, could rise. “Insects make up the majority of creatures that live...

Warning on Mining Dam Disasters: BBC

David Shukman February 7, 2019
Companies mining for coal, copper and iron ore remove tons of material during the excavation process – only a small amount is valuable ore and the rest is rock and material contaminated with chemicals and other mining waste. “And the cheapest way to dispose of these remains is to create what's called a ‘tailings pond’ – a rather genteel term for a dumping-ground sealed with a dam,” explains...