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The Economist (May 30)

2015/ 05/ 31 by jd in Global News

Amid the global fanfare over urbanization, “another pressing urban dilemma” is being overlooked: “what to do with cities that are losing people.” Germany, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea all have shrinking cities. Before long, China will too. To avoid blight, one of the best policies is to “return the land to nature” by knocking down old structures. Urban “planners are expert at making cities work better as they grow. Keeping them healthy as they shrink is just as noble.”

 

USA Today (May 29)

2015/ 05/ 30 by jd in Global News

The work of U.S. federal prosecutors “will not be done until they find a way to force the soccer governing body to enact meaningful reforms and get rid of leaders who, at the very least, tolerated the corruption.”

 

Wall Street Journal (May 28)

2015/ 05/ 29 by jd in Global News

JPMorgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon told the “the truth about proxy advisory firms” when he urged investors not to blindly follow their guidance on corporate governance and shareholder votes. Firms like Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. and Glass Lewis & Co. “have enjoyed far too much influence over companies they don’t own and been subject to far too little scrutiny given their potential conflicts of interest.”

 

Washington Post (May 27)

2015/ 05/ 28 by jd in Global News

“China is attempting to steal a march on its neighbors by rapidly constructing airstrips, ports and other infrastructure on reclaimed land in one of the most sensitive maritime areas in Asia—one with multiple overlapping sovereignty claims. While it probably cannot be stopped, the project should be fully exposed—and China’s attempts to restrict air and sea traffic near its installations decisively rejected.”

 

Financial Times (May 26)

2015/ 05/ 27 by jd in Global News

Global cities now “drive the world’s economy. The 600 biggest cities account for more than 60 per cent of global gross domestic product. The top 20 are home to one-third of all large corporations, and almost half of their combined revenues. Tokyo leads the pack — in population size, economic punch and number of corporate headquarters — ahead of New York, London and Paris.”

 

New York Times (May 24)

2015/ 05/ 26 by jd in Global News

For today’s dictator, “soaring approval ratings are a more cost-effective path to dominance than terror.” While a few violent dictators still remain, there has been a sea change in methods. “A new brand of authoritarian government has evolved that is better adapted to an era of global media, economic interdependence and information technology.” So-called ‘soft’ dictators like Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Peru’s Alberto Fujimori and Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad  “concentrate power, stifling opposition and eliminating checks and balances, while using hardly any violence.”

 

Institutional Investor (May 23)

2015/ 05/ 25 by jd in Global News

“After a stronger than anticipated consumer inflation released in the U.S. on Friday, Janet Yellen dampened investors’ hopes that the Federal Reserve would delay a rate increase until next year.” Her underlying message was “that recent setbacks in economic data do not appear to represent a roadblock to growth despite labor conditions that remain fragile.”

 

The Economist (May 23)

2015/ 05/ 24 by jd in Global News

“Saudi Arabia’s rulers have long wielded their influence discreetly.” No more. Amid current Middle East chaos, “the Saudis are acting with uncharacteristic boldness across the whole range of domestic, foreign and economic policies. Whether by design or default, they stand out as the leading force in the Arab world.”

 

USA Today (May 22)

2015/ 05/ 23 by jd in Global News

“Had Takata and NHTSA moved more quickly, they would have prevented deaths and injuries.” Finally in full motion, the biggest auto safety recall in U.S. history, involving 34 million Takata air bags, will still “take years—yes, years—before all the defective air bags are replaced.”

 

Bloomberg (May 22)

2015/ 05/ 22 by jd in Global News

Japan is “still beating China on one score: world’s no.1 creditor.” And by a long shot. In 2014, Japan’s net overseas assets expanded 13% to $3 trillion. “The reading stretches Japan’s lead as No.1 creditor country to 24 years, with 71 percent more in net assets than China, even after its Asian neighbor surpassed it to become the world’s second-largest economy in 2010.”

 

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