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BBC (March 21)

2013/ 03/ 21 by jd in Global News

“Disruption that paralysed the computer networks of broadcasters and banks in South Korea appears to have been caused by a virus…. two South Korean banks, Shinhan Bank and Nonghyup, and three TV stations KBS, MBS and YTN, all reported that their networks had suddenly shut down on Wednesday afternoon.” The cyber-attack originated from an internet address in China, leading many to guess North Korea is ultimately behind the attack. To disguise its identity, the North has been known to route cyber-attacks through China.

 

Institutional Investor (March Issue)

2013/ 03/ 20 by jd in Global News

“The European Central Bank’s recent moves have helped lighten the mood for investors in the euro zone.” It is true the dark cloud is rising, yet “Europe’s economic situation is still precarious, and any number of potential shocks could widen spreads and dampen returns. Moreover, policymakers have yet to address the region’s long-term growth prospects.”

 

Financial Times (March 17)

2013/ 03/ 19 by jd in Global News

“Net buying of Japanese equities by overseas investors amounted to slightly more than Y1tn in the first week of March – the highest weekly figure in Tokyo Stock Exchange records going back to 1982.” IPOs have also shot to top position in Tokyo and now rank second globally. “As investors have warmed to the pro-growth policies of Shinzo Abe, prime minister, since the beginning of January, newcomers to Japan’s markets have raised Y181bn ($1.9bn) – more than issuers in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia combined.”

 

Reuters (March 16)

2013/ 03/ 18 by jd in Global News

“In a break from months of saber rattling, China under new President Xi Jinping appears to be moderating its approach to a potentially explosive territorial dispute with Japan and taking measures to prevent accidental conflict.”

 

The Economist (March 16)

2013/ 03/ 17 by jd in Global News

America’s “debt is rising, its population is ageing in a budget-threatening way, its schools are mediocre by international standards, its infrastructure rickety, its regulations dense, its tax code byzantine, its immigration system hare-brained—and it has fallen from first position in the World Economic Forum’s competitiveness rankings to seventh in just four years.” But “dysfunction in Washington is only one side of America’s story…. There is also another America, where things work.” The successful side of America can be seen in the improving performance of the real economy where “businesses and politicians are not waiting for the federal government to ride to their rescue.”

 

Wall Street Journal (March 15)

2013/ 03/ 16 by jd in Global News

China is being forced to focus on the environment due to chronic air quality issues in Beijing and the discovery of 6,000 dead pigs in tributaries that provide Shanghai’s drinking water. “The pork soup scandal, as it has been dubbed, hits the trifecta of Chinese mistrust of government: lack of a plan to protect the public interest instead of companies and officials, political corruption that fails to hold polluters accountable, and withholding timely information when disaster strikes.”

 

Time (March 15)

2013/ 03/ 15 by jd in Global News

North Korea continues to ratchet up the tension. “In keeping with the dynasty’s tradition of erratic behavior, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to bombard a South Korean island with 5,000 residents, further raising alarms in Seoul and the U.S., which is beefing up its own missile defenses against possible attack from Pyongyang.”

 

New York Times (March 13)

2013/ 03/ 14 by jd in Global News

New Yorkers will still be able to buy their supersized drinks. A court struck down Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban on large servings of sugary drinks, the day before it was to be enforced. “The big-drinks ban was ill conceived and poorly constructed from the start.” Instead, the Mayor should work to “impose a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks. Just as taxes helped cut the use of cigarettes, taxes could help cut the public’s indulgence in high-calorie, giant drinks.”

 

Washington Post (March 12)

2013/ 03/ 13 by jd in Global News

The U.S. military is not ready for cyber conflict. “U.S. nuclear weapons, hardened to survive an atomic blast in the Cold War, may not be ready to survive a cyber-onslaught… We ought not wait until a disaster has arrived to address the policy implications of cyberwar.”

 

Financial Times (March 11)

2013/ 03/ 12 by jd in Global News

“Welcome back, Mrs Watanabe. The mythical keeper of Japan’s household savings has spent a long time in retreat, selling a net Y3.6tn of foreign securities over the past 18 months amid a strong yen and weak overseas prospects. But as the effects of “Abenomics” start to trickle down to consumers and private investors in the world’s third-largest economy – and as global recovery hopes brighten – this canny player of global currencies and interest rates has begun to stir once more.”

 

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