In The News

What Happens If a Pandemic Hits? TechCrunch

John Evans February 25, 2020
The World Health Organization monitors the coronavirus as a group of epidemics and suggests it has the potential to become a global pandemic. Declaration of a pandemic would not mean closed borders, a shutdown of air travel or mass quarantines and drastic containment efforts could be counterproductive, argues Jon Evans for TechCrunch. “The focus will switch from containment to mitigation: slowing...

EU and US Disagree in Munich: Washington Post

Michael Birnbaum, John Hudson and Loveday Morris February 24, 2020
The annual Munich Security Conference exposed widening disagreements between the United States and Europe in terms of foreign policies, tariffs, national defense and more. This conference’s theme of “Westlessness” shows the concern of some political elites over a multipolar world as China and Russia gain power. Western rules-based international order remains the best option for the ensuring...

Malaysia’s Mahathir Resigns: Asia Sentinel

John Berthelsen and Murray Hunter February 24, 2020
Malaysians are express dissatisfaction with political machinations. Mahathir Mohamad resigned as the 94-year-old prime minister. A coalition adjustment plan fell apart, as “moderate Malays and members from Sabah and Sarawak refusing to go along with a grouping that included the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia, and others finding it a bridge too far to join the deeply corrupt United Malays...

NBA Financial Hit From China: Wall Street Journal

Ben Cohen February 23, 2020
A Houston Rocket basketball executive tweeted support for the Hong Kong protests in October, upsetting the close relationship between China and NBA. The fallout could result in a financial hit for NBA. The NBA commissioner suggests the loss may reach $400 billion in response to speculation that the total could be $1 billion. Disturbed by the NBA’s support for free speech, China stopped...

Globalization and Extremism: New Internationalist

Helena Norberg-Hodge February 22, 2020
Extremism and authoritarianism are rising, and Helena Norberg-Hodge, writing for the New Internationalist, blames economic globalization. She writes about Ladakh, an area administered by India that opened to tourism and development in mid-1970s. With increased economic development and external funding, local farming went into decline. Competition for jobs increased, contributing to ethnic and...

Russia Wants Trump Reelected? Washington Post

Ellen Nakashima, Shane Harris, Josh Dawsey and Anne Gearan February 21, 2020
US intelligence officials confirmed previous reports that Russia favors reelection of President Donald Trump. A Washington Post suggests that notification to members of congress angered Trump, who questioned why the House intelligence committee was briefed before the White House. He removed the acting director of national intelligence. “Trump announced Wednesday that he was replacing [Joseph]...

EU Proposes Big Tech Data-Sharing: Financial Times

Javier Espinoza, Madhumita Murgia and Richard Waters February 20, 2020
The European Commission wants the world’s top tech companies – Amazon, Facebook, Google and others to follow the lead of financial services firms by sharing data with small firms. The commission released a “European Strategy for Data,” and proposes compulsory data-sharing in areas with market failure. “The commission said that tech companies were able to build huge advantages by guarding their...