Sunday, November 24

Author: Patti Mohr

Patti Mohr is a U.S.-based journalist. She writes about global diplomacy, economics, and infringements on individual freedom. Patti is the founder of the Global Economic Report. Her goal is to elevate journalistic principles and share the pursuit of truth in concert with others.
U.S. Gov’t Charges Walmart with Foreign Corruption Violations
20Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Gov’t Charges Walmart with Foreign Corruption Violations

June 20, 2019--In an indication of the prevalence of bribery in international business, Walmart, the world's largest retailer, has agreed to pay the U.S. government $282 million to settle charges that it failed to instill anti-corruption practices for over a decade. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Walmart with with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). According to the SEC, Walmart did not sufficiently investigate or mitigate corrupt payments its subsidiaries and third-party intermediaries made to foreign governments in Brazil, China, India and Mexico. "Walmart valued international growth and cost-cutting over compliance," said Charles Cain, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s unit on foreign corruption. "The company could have avoided many of t...
Read More
U.S. Treasury Cracks Down on Cuba-Related Travel
13Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Globalization, Global Disintegration, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Treasury Cracks Down on Cuba-Related Travel

June 13, 2019-Just a week after the U.S. government announced tougher restrictions on traveling to Cuba, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it reached settlement agreements with internet-travel firm Expedia and Hotbeds USA for apparent violations of the U.S. Cuban Assets Control Regulations. The two actions, which relate to separate areas of the U.S. sanctions law, demonstrate the new emphasis in the United States on tightening and enforcing sanctions against Cuba. Enforcement Targets Travel Agencies Today, the U.S. Treasury 's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced settlement agreements with travel groups Expedia and Hotelbeds USA for assisting Americans for unauthorized Cuba-related travel. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the Expedia Group agreed to pay $325,40...
Read More
U.S.-Mexico Promise to Combat Migration, Invest in Central America
9Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Global Trade, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

U.S.-Mexico Promise to Combat Migration, Invest in Central America

June 9, 2019-After a week of negotiations between Mexican and U.S. officials, the United States and Mexico promised to work together to curb irregular migration and promote economic growth and good governance in Central America. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a message on Twitter that new tariffs on Mexican goods would be "indefinitely suspended." Against widespread opposition in Congress and Wall Street, Trump had threatened to impose tariffs of 5 percent starting June 10 and 25 percent in October, saying that Mexico needed to do more to curb migration flows from Central America to the United States. "I think Mexico has to step up. And if they don’t, tariffs will go on," Trump said June 5 during a joint press briefing with Ireland's Prime Minister. "And if they go high, the co...
Read More
Japan’s Abe Promotes Indo-Pacific Strategy in Trade Talks
29May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Global Economics, Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

Japan’s Abe Promotes Indo-Pacific Strategy in Trade Talks

May 29, 2019--As the U.S.-Japan continued a dialogue over trade between their two nations over the weekend, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe put the talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in the context of a wider free-trade agenda for the region. Specifically, Abe emphasized an Indo-Pacific strategy, which would engage the United States in stronger economic ties with the region. "In today’s summit meeting, we welcomed the steady progress of U.S.-Japan cooperation, looking toward the creation of free and open Indo-Pacific, including the areas such as energy, digital, and infrastructure," Abe said at a joint press conference with Trump in Tokyo on Monday. "Going forward, we will walk hand in hand and promote the cooperation for the realization of this common vision of our two nation...
Read More
Trade in Plastic Waste is Coming to A Halt, in Part
28May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, International Law, Legal Battles, Types of News: Brief

Trade in Plastic Waste is Coming to A Halt, in Part

May 28, 2019--Amid a decline in trade of plastic waste, Malaysia announced it would return 3,000 tons of plastic trash to exporting countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, the United States and Saudi Arabia. "Malaysia won’t continue to be a dumping ground for the developed nations and those responsible for destroying our ecosystem with these illegal activities are traitors," Malaysia Environmental Minister Yeo Bee Yin, told reporters on Tuesday, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. "We will fight back. Even though we are a small country, we will not be bullied." The problem, the Malaysian ministry said, is that countries are shipping low-quality plastics that cannot be recycled -- a move that is against the country's laws. “Garbage is traded under t...
Read More
Trump Proposes Merit-Based U.S. Immigration System
17May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief, United States

Trump Proposes Merit-Based U.S. Immigration System

May 17, 2019-U.S. President Donald Trump introduced sweeping changes to the U.S. immigration system. "We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages, and safety of American workers first," Trump said while outlining the plans on Thursday. If enacted by Congress, the new system would reshape the American immigration system by increasing merit-based admissions while accepting fewer family-based and humanitarian immigrants. It would identify-candidates based on age, talent, vocation and academic records. Meanwhile, it would prioritize immediate family relationships such as parent and child. 'Dead on Arrival' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the plan was "dead on arrival" in Congress. She said the plan had "repackaged the worst" of immigration ...
Read More
Trump Emboldened By Completion of U.S. Special Counsel Investigation
25Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Types of News: Brief, United States

Trump Emboldened By Completion of U.S. Special Counsel Investigation

March 25, 2019 -- A 22-month Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election concluded on Friday, clearing President Donald Trump from a suspicion of conspiring with foreign agents to influence the outcome of the election. Special Counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report to the Justice Department Attorney General Robert Barr. On Sunday, Barr released a four-page letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate judiciary committees summing up key findings from the report. 'No collusion' The fundamental finding is that the Trump campaign did not "knowingly coordinate with" the Russia's Internet Research Agency in its disinformation and social media operations to sow social discord in the United States or with th...
Read More
5 Takeaways from Macron’s Letter to European Citizens
5Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Europe, EU, Eurozone, Types of News: Brief

5 Takeaways from Macron’s Letter to European Citizens

March 5, 2019--Facing an uncertain future in the wake of the United Kingdom's Brexit dilemma and the rise of nationalist politics in Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron published a letter to EU citizens that outlined a "roadmap for European renewal." The op-ed ran in newspapers throughout the 28-member European Union. It comes ahead of the May 23-26 European Parliament elections. Here are five takeaways: 1. Nationalism Must Be Addressed Nationalists -- or populist -- parties are on the rise in Europe, challenging the established order in both national governments and the European Union. One study featured in Parliament Magazine says support for populist political parties has tripled in the last two decades, reaching a significant threshold of 25 percent. Macron acknowledged that ris...
Read More
U.S. Puts Global Companies Doing Business in Cuba on Notice
4Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Communism, Dictatorship, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Puts Global Companies Doing Business in Cuba on Notice

March 4, 2019-In an effort to increase pressure on the Cuban government to stop its support for embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and end human rights abuses within its own country, the U.S. State Department announced plans to allow U.S. lawsuits against Cuban entities accused of confiscating private property following the 1959 Cuban revolution. "We should remember that after Fidel Castro seized power, he confiscated private property of thousands of private individuals and companies without any compensation," a senior State Department official said. "And to date, there’s really been no justice for this theft." The list of restricted Cuban entities of restricted entities in Cuba at risk of lawsuits includes government ministries, hotels, stores, holding companies, marinas ...
Read More
Second U.S.-North Korea Summit Ends
28Feb By Patti MohrNo Comments
Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

Second U.S.-North Korea Summit Ends

Feb. 28, 2019--U.S. President Donald Trump and  DPRK Leader Kim Jong Un concluded their series of meetings in Hanoi, Vietnam without a signing ceremony or changes in policies. "Sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times," Trump said at a televised press conference after the meetings. "At this time, we had some options, and at this time we decided not to do any of the options." The United States has been pushing the North Korean state to denuclearize -- a term that could include accounting for its nuclear weapons, allowing international inspectors inside its facilities and dismantling them. North Korea has been asking the international community to lift economic sanctions against it, at least partially. Flattery and Promises of Economic Success Throughout th...
Read More

Contact Us