In The News

US Dollar Could Lose Special Standing: CNBC

James McCormack June 18, 2019
The US dollar may eventually lose its standing as the world’s leading reserve currency due to protectionist policies, including sanctions and tariffs, as well as policy decisions abroad. “The primary reasons for the dollar’s continued dominance are inertia and the lack of viable alternatives, neither of which U.S. policymakers should find comforting for the longer term,” explains James McCormack...

America’s Cruelty Playbook: Irish Times

Una Malally June 16, 2019
Political leaders in southern region of the United States are making strides to limit abortion rights with the ultimate goal of reversing the Roe v. Wade court decision that protects a woman’s right to end a pregnancy. The laws target poor and vulnerable women while the wealthy women can travel to obtain care. Citizens often ignore the slow chipping away at rights in a few places, though recent...

Hong Kong Leader Yields to Protests: New York Times

Keith Bradsher and Alexandra Stevenson June 15, 2019
A series of protests, including a moving candlelight vigil by mothers of young protesters, convinced Hong Kong’s chief executive to back off from swift imposition of a law allowing extradition of citizens to mainland China. “It was a remarkable reversal for [Carrie] Lam, the leader installed by Beijing in 2017, who had vowed to ensure the bill’s approval and tried to get it passed on an unusually...

Global Recession on Way: South China Morning Post

Anthony Rowley June 14, 2019
With trade tensions, increased protectionism and major economies in no mood to cooperate, global recession is inevitable and possibly even reach crisis levels. Monetary easing or fiscal stimulus may not be effective if countries are intent on isolation. Global trade growth is at its slowest and Anthony Rowley compares current economic troubles with previous recessions: “The renewed slowdown in...

Global Poverty Reduction Slows: Brookings

Homi Kharas, Kristofer Hamel, Martin Hofer and Baldwin Tong June 12, 2019
The bulk of the world’s extremely poor population lives in Africa, but rates worldwide have slowed. The achievements of Asian economies like India cannot be denied, yet as more people escape poverty, life becomes harder for those left behind – this is known as the base effect. In 2015, the United Nations established goals for the year 2030, and Africa lags on ending extreme poverty, defined as...

Corruption in European Soccer: The New Yorker

Sam Knight June 11, 2019
The whistle-blowing organization Football Leaks has targeted corruption among dozens of soccer players, executives and clubs since 2015. Portuguese soccer aficionado Rui Pinto has reported on inflated salaries, large-scale tax evasion, controversial and secret deals and rape allegations against a major star. Currently being held for cybercrime charges, the young man leaked more than 88 million...

Countries Return Plastic Waste: BBC

June 10, 2019
Plastic waste is durable and can require centuries to decompose. Burning destroys plastic, but emits harmful emissions. Despite increasing amounts of plastic produced, the United States and Europe report that less than 10 percent of plastic is recycled. Increasingly, the plastic waste was shipped to developing nations, but much of that is unusable. “Often, materials that can't be recycled...