Thursday, December 26

Types of News: Brief

News briefs are shorter stories about current events. It’s the who-what-when-and-where. “Just the facts, ma’am.” Please see our writers guidelines.

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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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British Prime Minister Survives Leadership Challenge Amid Brexit Uncertainty
12Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

British Prime Minister Survives Leadership Challenge Amid Brexit Uncertainty

Dec. 12, 2018-British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a leadership challenge by members of her party today on a vote of 200-117. The 117 members of the conservative Tory party support Brexit -- the divorce of the United Kingdom from the European Union, but they oppose the deal she negotiated with EU representatives. Ms. May is scheduled to travel Brussels again tomorrow to discuss a path forward. She said she would seek legal and political assurances from the European Council over unresolved questions over the Ireland-Northern Ireland border--the only land border the United Kingdom has with the EU. Britain has until the end of March to agree to a framework for its separation from the EU before a 21-month transition period begins.
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U.S.-China Head Off Trade War
3Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

U.S.-China Head Off Trade War

Dec. 3, 2018-Meeting in in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the sidelines of the G20 summit over the weekend, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed prevent a pending hike in tariffs scheduled to take effect in less than a month. It was their first formal face-to-face meeting since Trump visited China in November of 2017. "It’s an incredible deal," Trump said to reporters on Dec. 2 on Air Force One. "It goes down, certainly — if it happens, it goes down as one of the largest deals ever made.... And what I’d be doing is holding back on tariffs. China will be opening up. China will be getting rid of tariffs." Timeout on Tariff Hikes In effect, the agreement gives U.S.-Chinese negotiators 90 days to complete talks on the following trade issues: forced techn...
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Mexico’s New President Promises to Root Out Corruption, Reverse ‘Neoliberal’ Policies
3Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief

Mexico’s New President Promises to Root Out Corruption, Reverse ‘Neoliberal’ Policies

Dec. 3, 2018--Mexico swore in Andres Manuel López Obrador as its new president on Saturday, bringing in a new era of governance and a dramatic shift in direction for Latin America's second largest economy. Mr. López Obrador, known by his populist name "AMLO," ran on a campaign to root out corruption and cronyism and eliminate government privilege. He also promised to empower the people, especially in poor and indigenous regions, both economically and through direct representation, such as referendums. It was perhaps that message or simply a wariness against the corrupt status quo that brings López Obrador to power. He won office last July in a landslide victory. He secured with 53 percent of the vote -- 30 percentage points above the closest rival. While The Economist magazine sug...
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Canada, Mexico & U.S. Leaders Sign New Trade Deal
30Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

Canada, Mexico & U.S. Leaders Sign New Trade Deal

Nov. 30, 2018--The presidents of Canada, Mexico and the United States signed a new trade agreement governing trillions of dollars of North American trade. Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina ahead of today's G20 meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto signed the treaty. The legislatures each country still need to approve it before it takes effect. NAFTA Becomes USMCA The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement succeeds the North American Free Trade Agreement. USMCA covers agriculture, intellectual property, digital trade and financial services. It includes environmental safeguards against unregulated fishing and in trafficking in wildlife and timber and labor rights, such as worker representation in collective bargai...
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