In The News

Financial Times: Trump Shifts Stance on Two-State Solution to Israel-Palestine Conflict

John Reed February 17, 2017
In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump supported “really a great peace deal” and was noncommittal about the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. “The two-state solution, under which a Palestinian state would be formed alongside Israel in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, has been a touchstone of US policy in the region...

Caixin: Chinese Drone Maker to Supply Dubai with Self-Flying Taxis

Coco Feng February 17, 2017
Dubai, with a population of 2.7 million, is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, and traffic congestion is a major complaint. The Dubai Roads and Transportation Authority is planning to allow remote-controlled drones work as taxis, and Chinese drone maker EHang Inc. announced “it will supply passenger-carrying drones to Dubai, which is aiming to become in July the world’s first city to...

Independent: Investors With $2.8 Trillion in Assets Unite Against Climate Change Denial

Ben Chapman February 16, 2017
Taking steps to end reliance on fossil fuels and curb climate change is on the agenda at the meeting of foreign ministers of the world’s 20 largest economies in Bonn, Germany. “But as G20 foreign ministers meet on Thursday to prepare for a climate change summit in Hamburg in July, managers of funds with assets totalling more than $2.8 trillion - more than the entire annual GDP of the UK - called...

Associated Press: UN Security Council Condemns North Korea's Missile Test

Edith M. Lederer and Eric Talmadge February 15, 2017
North Korea launched yet another missile into the Sea of Japan, demonstrating new strides in range and capability with solid fuel. The US ambassador to the United Nations issued a statement calling the launches “unacceptable” and that the time had come to hold North Korea and “its enablers” accountable. The Kim regime in North Korea could not survive without fuel, food and other basic goods from...

Spiegel: Germany Prepares for Coming Tax Battle

Christian Reiermann February 15, 2017
The United States and the United Kingdom – intent on attracting foreign investment and jobs – may “begin stretching, undermining or completely redefining the internationally established tax framework,” reports Christian Reiermann for Spiegel Online. Finance ministers of the world’s 20 largest economies meet in March, and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble wants to lead a fight against tax...

WWD: Global Retailers Call for Action on Labor Issues in Bangladesh

Mayu Saini February 14, 2017
Fashion loses its allure when associated with horrific factory conditions. “In a letter addressed to prime minister Sheikh Hasina by the steering committee of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety global retailers called for the release of detained worker leaders after the December unrest in Ashulia, and a wage review mechanism to address the increased cost of living in Bangladesh,”...

BBC News: US National Security Adviser Resigns

February 14, 2017
Sloppy procedures from the US commander in chief’s security team combined with ongoing Russian interference are triggering anxiety. Michael Flynn, the US national security adviser, resigned after serving for less than one month over allegations he discussed US sanctions with the Russia ambassador before Donald Trump took office – and then misled his supervisors despite surveillance transcripts of...