In The News

Boris Johnson and Conservatives Win in UK: BBC

Laura Kuenssberg December 13, 2019
Boris Johnson risked calling an election and won decisively with his call to get Brexit done. Solid results remove Brexit uncertainty as voters entrust the Conservative Party, which won 364 votes of the 650 required, to manage exit from the European Union. “The Conservative Party's Commons majority is its largest since Margaret Thatcher won a third term in 1987,” reports BBC News. Many...

Regime-Change Merchants: South China Morning Post

Teddy Ng December 12, 2019
Candidates who support democratic rights for Hong Kong swept district elections in November, and protesters continue to remind the government about their expectations. More than 800,000 marched on December 8. China wants to bring Hong Kong under its control and blames foreign interference, with diplomats expressing frustration. The Chinese vice foreign minister spoke at a human rights forum: “...

India’s Parliament Passes Citizenship Bill: NYT

Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini Raj December 12, 2019
India’s parliament has approved a Citizenship Amendment Bill, expected to be signed into law soon.The bill “uses religion as a criterion for determining whether illegal migrants in India can be fast-tracked for citizenship” and “favors members of all South Asia’s major religions except Islam,” reports the New York Times. Muslim leaders regard the measure as discrimination; up to 15 percent of the...

Polluting Firms to Be “Hit by Climate Policies”: BBC

Roger Harrabin December 11, 2019
Climate researchers overwhelmingly agree that carbon emissions are increasing global temperatures and contributing to worsening storms and rising seas. Most nations rallied around reducing carbon emissions with the Paris Accord in 2015. All levels of government are imposing policies aiming to reduce carbon emissions. As a result, carbon-intensive firms could lose 43 percent of their value and...

Samoa’s Measles Epidemic Part of Global Surge: PRI

Elana Gordon December 11, 2019
Samoa is an independent nation in the Pacific and nearby American Samoa is a US territory. Many on these islands, like others throughout the world, once dismissed measles as a harmless childhood disease, and now both contend with the disease. An outbreak began in September, disrupting Samoan businesses and schools on the island of 200,000 people. The disease is highly contagious and symptoms do...

OPEC Cuts Production: Wall Street Journal

Summer Said, Benoit Faucon and David Hodari December 11, 2019
Saudi-led OPEC and Russia and its allies, 24 nations in all, agreed to implement an additional collective oil production curb of 500,000 barrels a day, pushing the Brent crude price up by 1.2 percent. The original pact was to hold back about 1.2 million barrels per day. Some analysts express doubt about the new pact’s effect because based on some independent estimates, Saudi Arabia’s production...

Malaysia Depends on Foreign Workers: Asia Sentinel

Murray Hunter December 10, 2019
Malaysia relies on a broad mix of foreign workers. The nation’s median age approaches 30, the fertility rate dips below replacement levels, and foreign workers often do the work that many citizens reject, from cleaning to construction and warehouse work. Unofficial estimates suggest as many as 6 million foreign workers represent more than 18 percent of Malaysia’s population and up to 40 percent...