The Guardian (August 10)
“China’s attempt to hold together conflicting interests on the war in Ukraine – maintaining its ‘no limits’ partnership with Russia, without damaging its relationship with western nations and its tarnished global brand too greatly – has proved awkward.” Beijing’s gestures “should not be mistaken for a substantive shift in position. But they should not be ignored either.”
Tags: Awkward, China, Conflicting interests, Damaging, Gestures, Global brand, Partnership, Russia, Tarnished, Ukraine, War, Western nations
Time (June 26)
In order to discuss “gender equality and women’s empowerment,” G7 representatives gathered in Nikko, making for “an awkward photo-op, highlighting Japan’s ongoing struggles with gender.” The only male was its chair “Japan’s representative to the gender equality meeting, Masanobu Ogura…. The optics are not likely to help Japan ward off mounting criticism of its deficiencies in gender and LGBT rights from its peers in the informal economic bloc of advanced democracies.”
Tags: Advanced democracies, Awkward, Criticism, Deficiencies, G7, Gender equality, Japan, LGBT rights, Nikko, Ogura, Optics, Photo-op, Struggles, Women’s empowerment
Washington Post (July 26)
“The U.S. economy is caught in an awkward, painful place. A confusing one, too. Growth appears to be sputtering, home sales are tumbling and economists warn of a potential recession ahead. But consumers keep spending, businesses keep posting profits and the economy keeps adding hundreds of thousands of jobs a month.”
Tags: Awkward, Businesses, Caught, Confusing, Consumers, Economists, Economy, Growth, Home sales, Painful, Profits, Recession, Spending, Sputtering, U.S.
Financial Times (June 6)
“The Japanese AGM season will provide rapidly digestible evidence of three things: how empowered activists feel, how awkward the big institutions feel about backing them, and how threatened managements feel by both of those.” The results are unlikely to show real change. “Despite the appearance of change, half of Japanese stocks still trade below book value and carry not just a record value of cash as a proportion of equity, but the largest such ratio in developed markets.”
Tags: Activists, AGM, Appearance, Awkward, Book value, Cash, Change, Empowered, Evidence, Institutions, Japan, Managements, Stocks, Threatened
New York Times (November 17)
“Everything is up in the air in the Britain’s tumultuous politics right now.” The Brexiteers “savage Mrs. May’s deal and offer no practical suggestions for anything else. This is an utter failure of responsibility. Yes, the prime minister’s deal is pitiful, an awkward compromise that will hobble Britain’s economy and diminish our power. But the truth is—and everyone knows this—there is no better, purer Brexit available without a permanent economic hit.”
Tags: Awkward, Brexiteers, Compromise, Economy, Failure, May, Pitiful, Responsibility, Savage, Tumultuous, UK
Reuters (February 2)
“The world’s longest ruling monarch faces what could be one of the most awkward state visits of all time–that of Donald Trump.” He might want to watch out. “Queen Elizabeth always behaves impeccably. When it comes to giving a harsh message, however, she has been known to deliver a hefty punch.”
Tags: Awkward, Donald Trump, Harsh, Impeccably, Message, Punch, Queen Elizabeth, State visit
