Bloomberg (March 3)
The submission of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s “long-awaited final report…will be only the start of an explosive chain of events. There will be a struggle in Congress, on cable TV and social media and probably in the courts over how much must be disclosed. There also will be an epic political fight over whether the findings implicate President Donald Trump in wrongdoing that may even merit his impeachment.”
Tags: Congress, Courts, Epic, Explosive, Fight, Impeachment, Mueller, Report, Struggle, Trump, Wrongdoing
The Economist (September 17)
“Investors outside China have about $1trn invested in firms that use” variable interest entities (VIEs). These include Alibaba and Tencent. Yet, it remains “unclear if VIEs are even legal in China,” exposing investors to two risks. “First, the VIEs could be ruled illegal, potentially forcing the firms to wind up or sell vital licences and intellectual property in China. The second danger is that VIE owners seek to grab the profits or assets held within. If they refuse to co-operate, die, or fall out of political favour, it is far from clear that firms can enforce VIE contracts in Chinese courts.”
Tags: Alibaba, Assets, China, Contracts, Courts, Illegal, Investors, IP, Profits, Risks, Tencent, VIEs
The Economist (May 10)
“Long in crisis, Thailand is close to the brink. Without compromises on both sides, it may well collapse.” Thailand has fallen hard. Not long ago, it was a “shining example” of democracy with its booming economy. Now “everything is broken.” The latest blow came when a court dismissed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and nine cabinet members in what is being viewed by many as a political intervention. The country remains split in two politically. “The irreconcilable differences between the two sides have swallowed up Thailand’s courts, its army and even the monarchy—and left Thailand at the abyss.”
Tags: Army, Brink, Broken, Cabinet, Collapse, Compromise, Courts, Crisis, Democracy, Economy, Monarchy, Politics, Prime minister, Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra
