Saturday, December 28

Domestic Politics

EU Advances Bosnia And Herzegovina Membership Request
14Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Europe, EU, Eurozone, Geopolitics, Human rights, Types of News: Brief

EU Advances Bosnia And Herzegovina Membership Request

European Commission Demands Candidate Countries Provide Stronger Human Rights Protections October 14, 2022—The European Commission gave the green light to Bosnia and Herzegovina on its candidacy to join the 27-member European Union. The decision, which comes with stipulations, moves to the European Council. EU leaders are aspiring to expand their bloc as a way to spread their perspective on the world stage. Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi called the enlargement policy a "geostrategic investment" in the continent's peace and stability. Candidates for the EU Line Up Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia are the latest countries to request membership. The bloc already has many countries waiting to get in, including Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Kosovo. "The Western Balkans are ...
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The End Of A Laissez-Faire Economy?
10Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Analysis, United States

The End Of A Laissez-Faire Economy?

Photo by Yibei Geng October 10, 2022—Free-market economies where business drives decisions based on supply and demand is still a concept. But many analysts are now asking how diligently is that concept being followed in practice? 'New Rules' for Business? Writing for the Financial Times, columnist Rana Foroohar says business leaders now have new rules to follow to succeed. For one, they need to cozy up to political bigwigs in Washington, D.C. It is not just that President Joe Biden and the Democratic-led Congress are enacting industrial policies, it is also a time of where the global economy is getting more competitive. Supply chains are regrouping and former trading partners are breaking up, or "decoupling." Ms. Foroohar says the U.S. government is not "yet in the business ...
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Latin American Politics: Another Country Shifts Left
29Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Videos

Latin American Politics: Another Country Shifts Left

Columbia Elects Gustavo Petro As Next President, Marking A Significant Shift In The Status Quo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hLUn0rdhsM On June 19, Columbia completed its presidential election, and a man named Gustavo Petro won decidedly. It marks the first time the country elected a left-wing politician. Petro says he'll bring in a new "capitalism" and at the same time "redistribute the economy." Furthermore, he is a former guerilla fighter in the M-19 militant movement. What kind of Left will Petro represent? Will he strengthen the communist countries of Venezuela and Cuba and the dictatorship in Nicaragua? Or will he represent a populist Left that is ultimately accountable to the people? The shift in the political pendulum will likely present challenges to the United St...
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Path To Normal For ECB Poses Challenges To High Debt Countries
15Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Europe, EU, Eurozone, Types of News: Bit

Path To Normal For ECB Poses Challenges To High Debt Countries

June 15, 2022— As the central bank for the Eurozone pursues a path to normal policies, the risk it now faces is uneven impact among the 19-member countries. Borrowing costs in so-called vulnerable countries like Italy, Greece, and Spain are soaring in response to monetary tightening last week by the European Central Bank (ECB). Now fragmentation of the Eurozone is a concern. As a result, the ECB announced today it is adjusting its plans. For one, the ECB will consider the vulnerabilities when reinvesting payments maturing from its pandemic relief program, known as PEPP. Those reinvestments of maturing PEPP payments are scheduled to continue through 2024. The program's worth is estimated at 1.85 trillion euro ($1.9 trillion), according to the New York Times.
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EU Moves One Step Closer To Forcing Standard Phone Cords
7Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Europe, EU, Eurozone, Types of News: Bit

EU Moves One Step Closer To Forcing Standard Phone Cords

June 7, 2022—The European Union is moving one step closer to forcing tech companies to standardize cords charging cell phones. Today, the European Parliament and EU Member States agreed on a plan to require tech companies to make it easier for consumers to use a uniform charger, USB-C as it's known, for mobile phones and other portable electronic devices. The European Commission developed the plan for a common charger last September. The commissioners have been working on the issue since 2009, to the chagrin of Apple and other firms who prefer to sell consumers multiple cords for multiple devices. Common Charger The 2021 plan is to make the USB-C "the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld videogame consoles." Supporters sa...
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U.K’s Johnson Wins Confidence Vote With 211 Tory MP Support
6Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Types of News: Bit

U.K’s Johnson Wins Confidence Vote With 211 Tory MP Support

June 6, 2022--While 148 Conservatives vote to oust British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from his leadership role today, 211 Tory MPs voted to keep him. "I think it's a convincing result, a decisive result," Johnson said in a media interview after the vote. "Of course, I understand what we need to do now is come together as a government and as a party, and that is exactly what we can now do." The vote of 59 percent support for Johnson is less than the 63 percent support than former Prime Minister Theresa May received just six months before she resigned over a stalemate on Brexit, the BBC reported today. The action came as a result of a request for a no-confidence vote by at least 15 percent of Conservative MPs.
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EU Agrees To A Partial Ban On Russian Oil
31May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Europe, EU, Eurozone, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

EU Agrees To A Partial Ban On Russian Oil

European Council Plans To Accelerate Transition To Alternative Energy May 31, 2022-The 27 heads of government of the European Union agreed today to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels and to accelerate a transition to alternative sources of energy. The decision sets the EU on a course to ban up 90 percent of Russian oil imports by the end of the year. It is part of the sixth round of sanctions against Russia and Belarus in response to Russia's war against Ukraine. "The European Council is committed to intensify pressure on Russia and Belarus to thwart Russia’s war against Ukraine," the Council said in an 11-page document. "The European Council calls on all countries to align with EU sanctions. Any attempts to circumvent sanctions or to aid Russia by other means must be s...
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China’s Covid Lockdowns ‘Strangles’ Growth
29May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Types of News: Bit

China’s Covid Lockdowns ‘Strangles’ Growth

China's Premier Li Keqiang issued a stark warning to party officials last week: the government's zero-Covid policy puts the Summer harvest at risk. He called on government officials at all levels to coordinate "COVID-19 response with economic and social development." (Sources: Financial Times and China's Premier's office) The statement follows a mid-May meeting in the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in which Li pressed for a faster enactment of new macroeconomic policies.
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Presidential Election in France Shows Populism Is Still Alive
20Apr By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Europe, EU, Eurozone, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Analysis

Presidential Election in France Shows Populism Is Still Alive

French President Emmanuel Macron Faces Run-Off With Right-Wing Candidate Marine Le Pen April 20, 2022—This Sunday's French election happens in the midst of various crises. For one, while most of Europe has loosened Covid-related restrictions, the pandemic and its economic damage are still present. At the same time the continent is dealing with the biggest war it's seen since the 1990s when Yugoslavia imploded. In that regard, the two candidates for the top job of the French government couldn't be more different. On one side is Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent president who at the age of 44 has become the heir-apparent to Germany’s Angela Merkel for leading European diplomacy. (Merkel retired at the end of 2021, making way for a new German leadership.) On the other side is Marin...
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Peru’s Protests Put Its President In An Uncomfortable Spot
13Apr By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

Peru’s Protests Put Its President In An Uncomfortable Spot

Economic Impact of War And Sanctions Reaches Far And Wide April 13, 2022—Pedro Castillo won a very close election last year as the left-wing option to Keiko Fujimori, the right-wing daughter of a dictator. It's been a rough ride for President Castillo with multiple crises taking place and government ministers changing frequently. But all that turmoil grew worse in the last few weeks. Castillo now finds himself in a position where you can usually find right-wing leaders: Fending off a protest movement started by transport syndicates. The last few weeks in Peru have seen the people take the streets and even call for a countrywide strike. What started with a protest against the rise in oil price by truckers escalated to more and more sectors of society. In some places, it turned violent...
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