In The News

Folha De S. Paulo: Investors Eye Brazil Election

Taís Hirata October 27, 2018
Brazil, like many other democracies, is polarized over politics and foreign investment. Voters head to the polls on 28 October to select between far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. Bolsonaro has led in the polls, and China eyes the outcome, concerned about Bolsonaro’s nationalist views. “The candidate, already known for his criticism towards former state companies that...

BBC: Trade Tensions Drive Japan, China Closer

October 27, 2018
The United States under Donald Trump has unleashed a protectionist agenda and that is pushing Asian economies closer together – including China and Japan, two bitter foes before and during World War II. “Tokyo and Beijing have long been at odds over past military confrontations and present territorial disputes,” reports BBC News, but now Asia’s two largest economies are aiming for more trade,...

Financial Times: Global Recycling Crisis

Leslie Hook and John Reed October 26, 2018
Increases in online shopping combined with China’s ban on many plastic and other waste imports as of this year disrupted the global recycling industry, increasing costs and leaving piles of trash in communities and ports. The $200 billion industry processes more than 270 million tons of waste each year into new products – clothing, construction materials and more as described in a 2016 YaleGlobal...

Washington Post: Bomb Targets and Trump’s Words

Philip Rucker October 25, 2018
Nationalism is defined by Oxford Living Dictionaries as “Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.” The extreme ideology regarding any criticism as threat is especially dangerous when so many challenges are global in scope. Yet Donald Trump proudly proclaims his stance as nationalist and...

Project Syndicate: The Blockchain Lie

Nouriel Roubini October 25, 2018
The bubble has burst for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and economist Nouriel Roubini argues that such techno-currencies and the related blockchain distributed ledger software are over-hyped and not useful. He insists that investors find more security holding real money widely recognized by governments. “In practice, blockchain is nothing more than a glorified spreadsheet,” Roubini writes...

Reuters: “Existential Crisis” at WTO

Tom Miles October 24, 2018
The World Trade Organization plans reforms after the United States has blocked appointments and threatened withdrawal. “At stake is the effectiveness - even the survival - of a key stabilizing force in the global economy,” reports Tom Miles for Reuters. “Since its founding in 1995, the WTO has stopped governments from arbitrarily raising trade barriers and disrupting the flow of goods.” The WTO...

RTÉ: Europe to Ban Single-Use Plastics From 2021

October 24, 2018
Small plastic items that are more fast conveniences than necessities will be banned from Europe as of 2021. “The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly today for an EU-wide ban on single-use plastics, such as straws, plastic cutlery and cotton buds,” reports RTÉ. “The European Commission, the 28-nation EU's executive arm, proposed banning such items that it said account for 70% of the...