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Summit Struggle – Ahead of Wednesday’s crunch E.U. summit, Der Spiegel reports that new French President François Hollande will pressure German Chancellor Angela Merkel to agree to euro bonds, which she has so far strictly opposed. “Italy and Britain are expected to back Hollande in a further sign that Merkel is increasingly isolated in Europe with [...]
Spillover – Lebanon’s Daily Star reports on escalating violence inside the country after soldiers shot dead a prominent anti-Bashar al-Assad Muslim preacher Sunday. “The gravity of the incident… prompted leaders on both sides of the political divide to call for calm and restraint to prevent the country from sliding into sectarian strife as a result [...]
Family Business – The New York Times explores at length how China’s so-called ‘Princeling’ generation — the descendants of Communist Party leaders — use family ties to gain jobs, wealth and influence. “Evidence is mounting…[they] have also amassed vast wealth, often playing central roles in businesses closely entwined with the state, including those involved in [...]
The fraction by which imports to China increased in April. The expected growth rate was 11%. The drop is a sign, the New York Times says, that ”the Chinese economy may be running into trouble.” See TIME’s latest coverage of the issue here.
Hunger Pains – The Guardian writes that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned Israel of “disaster that no one could control” as Palestinian hunger strikers near death. Tony Blair, the Middle East quartet representative, urged Israel to “take all necessary measures to prevent a tragic outcome that could have serious implications for stability…on the ground,” the [...]
Fruit Flare-Up – China’s turned to a new weapon in its dispute with the Philippines over contested South China Sea islands. State-run People’s Daily gleefully reports that “fruit from the Philippines will receive stricter inspections for harmful organisms at Chinese borders, a potential setback for exporters from the country.” Meanwhile, the Philippine Star says the Philippine [...]
Eyes on Berlin – Germany’s Der Spiegel assesses the impact of François Hollande’s victory in the French presidential election Sunday on Chancellor Angela Merkel. “[She] can’t be pleased… but it will at least be bearable for her. The new-found self-confidence of her junior coalition partner, the FDP, which scored a surprise success in the state election [...]
Abraham Newman, associate professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, arguing on the website of Foreign Affairs magazine that European voters and leaders must demand that governments promote growth by stopping severe cuts and expanding consumption.
the number of unemployed people across the world by the end this year—up from 196 million in 2011, according to the International Labour Organization’s World of Work 2012 report released Tuesday, May 1. The study said government austerity programs are sending global joblessness rates ever-higher, threatening much of Europe with a return to recession.
Gallup research released today offers a worrying glimpse into the psyche of people from all income levels living across India. When asked how they felt about their present and future lives, 31% of adults — equivalent to some 240 million people — rated their prospects low enough on a scale of 0 to 10 to [...]
