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
Reuters (May 6)
As criticism mounts, both domestically and overseas, the Chinese Communist Party has come out forcefully to “fight any comment or action that distorted, doubted or repudiated its COVID policy.” It stresses that “relaxing COVID controls… would lead to large-scale infections.” The People’s Daily newspaper even used an editorial to dispute “accusations China’s COVID policy was disrupting global economy and trade.”
Tags: Accusations, CCP, Controls, COVID policy, Criticism, Disrupting, Distorted, Economy, Fight, Global, Infections, People's Daily, Repudiated, Trade
Financial Times (December 9)
“The Big Four accounting firms have recorded their strongest financial performance since the collapse of Enron as corporate clients rushed to transform their businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.” Revenues soared to over $167 billion, collectively, in spite of “continued criticism of the structure and performance of the firms, especially in audits, including scrutiny of EY’s failure to identify fraud at Wirecard.”
Tags: Accounting firms, Audits, Big Four, Clients, Collapse, Coronavirus, Criticism, Enron, EY, Failure, Financial performance, Fraud, Pandemic, Revenues, Scrutiny, Transform
Professional Pensions (November Issue)
“The problem with ESG fund ratings is primarily that they are fairly new—and are therefore prone to criticism that they are not detailed enough, are missing information, or are failing to analyse certain aspects of companies.” At this stage, “to truly reduce ESG risk exposure, those overseeing funds may need to do their own research and engage with companies to properly inform their decision-making.”
Tags: Criticism, Decision-making, Detailed, Engage, ESG, Fund ratings, New, Research, Risk exposure
Wall Street Journal (April 21)
“For Europe to grow faster, the political class will eventually have to stop looking to the ECB as the growth engine of first and last resort.” On Thursday, Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, was unusually blunt in his criticism of other European politicians because they “have used the relief of low interest rates as an excuse not to do reforms.”
Tags: Blunt, Criticism, Draghi, ECB, Europe, Excuse, Growth engine, Interest rates, Politicians, Reforms
Washington Post (November 3)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare, is beginning its third year “amid fierce criticism from the law’s detractors.” The ACA has, in some regards, performed better than expected, though weaknesses remain. “Instead of wasting more time on repealing the law or important individual components, such as the ‘Cadillac tax,’ Congress should be looking at changes that would help the ACA finish the phasing in process.”
Tags: ACA, Cadillac tax, Congress, Criticism, Detractors, Obamacare, Phase in, Repeal
New York Times (March 9)
“American press freedoms rank among the broadest in the world,” but the government can still crimp this freedom by “prosecuting those suspected of leaking classified documents, and even seizing reporters’ records. Uninhibited and robust criticism can go only so far without meaningful access to information.”
Tags: Access, Classified documents, Criticism, Government, Information, Leaks, Meaningful, Press freedoms, Prosecuting, Reporters, Robust, Seizure, U.S.
