In The News

Pacific Trade Deal Needs to Harmonize With Sustainable Development Goals

Shuaihua Wallace Cheng October 22, 2015
Developed and poorer developing nations often struggle to agree on global initiatives. But two major deals have been announced: The 193 members of the United Nations approved global action on 17 Sustainable Development Goals to reduce poverty, and 12 nations concluded negotiations on the Transpacific Trade Partnership, the largest regional trade agreement in history. The trade agreement supports...

Trudeau’s Challenge: Global Climate Strategy

Terence Corcoran October 21, 2015
National leaders must respond quickly to global events and challenges. A priority for Canada is the UN climate conference that opens November 30 in Paris, suggests the Financial Post. G20 and Asia Pacific Economic Summit meetings follow in November. Voters handed a decisive win to the Liberal Party. Justin Trudeau will be sworn in as prime minister; the party holds five times the number of...

Among the Lucky Few: Syrian Family Rebuilds in America's Heartland

Ari Shapiro October 21, 2015
Toledo, Ohio, is among the communities doing its best to welcome refugees. “Fewer than 2,000 Syrians have come to the U.S., though the war has displaced more than 12 million since it began in 2011,” reports Ari Shapiro for NPR. He describes the experiences of one of eight families settling in Toledo with the help of diverse faith groups: A Christian group provides language lessons and day care,...

Live Longer, Consume Less: Recipe for Slow Growth

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller October 20, 2015
Global growth no longer keeps the pace of just a decade ago. Researcher Joergen Oerstroem Moeller points to behaviors that contribute to reduced consumption: Life expectancy has risen, but ages for collecting pensions have remained steady at around age 60, thus stretching out the retirement stage of life. Fearing poverty, combined with increased uncertainty over government regulations and social...

You've Got Fail: High School Students Claim Hack on CIA Director's AOL Account

Sam Thielman October 20, 2015
Internet users can be swift and harsh with online judgments. US authorities are investigating claims that the CIA director’s email account was hacked with details on 20 employees released. One hacker claims to be a US high school student – “not Muslim” and “motivated by opposition to US foreign policy and support for Palestine.” Violence has spiked in Israel this month: Random, sudden knife and...

Matteo Renzi, Scrapper in the Swamp

Joji Sakurai October 19, 2015
A challenge for Europe is that many talented, skilled young adults cannot find work. Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would like to jumpstart the economy by “breaking it open to competition,” journalist Joji Sakurai explains for the New Statesman. Italy confronts “a struggle of allegiances versus globalisation; gerontocracy versus meritocracy; made-in-Italy quality versus stark economic...

China's Xi Lauds Britain for “Visionary” Openness, Prods Others to Emulate

Stephen J, Adler and Jason Subler October 19, 2015
China’s President XI Jinping praises Britain for strengthening commercial ties with China. “Xi's visit comes amid debate in Britain and many other Western countries over what is the best way to engage with a Communist-ruled China that has grown more influential economically and diplomatically, but which maintains stances in areas from human rights to the South China Sea that are often at...