Guardian (UK) Nov 22, 08 3:24 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Rich nations are buying up farmland in developing countries and drawing the ire of some critics, the Guardian reports. One UN official said the purchases, designed as a hedge against food shortages, could put poor nations at risk of starving to feed the wealthy. In "this scramble for soil I don't see any place for the small farmers," said one analyst, who added that African and Southeast Asian countries will make good money from the sales.
More »
OPINION
Krugman: Russia et al. not immune after all to crisis' vicious cycle
New York Times Oct 27, 08 12:41 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Only a few weeks ago, it seemed the main fronts of the financial crisis were the Western banking system and mortgage market. But now the crisis has spread to emerging markets like Russia and Brazil. As Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times , the mantra of “decoupling”—that emerging economies could operate independent of the West—turns out to be a fiction.
More »
Wave of defaults in developing world could imperil global economy
New York Times Oct 24, 08 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
While the financial crisis is leading the West into recession, other parts of the world from Hungary to Argentina face an even worse fate: default, market panic, and possibly social upheaval. Now the IMF is working to build a giant line of credit, funded by rich nations, to provide emergency capital to nations on the brink. "The tsunami has only just reached their shores," said one international banker.
More »
Decline in exports poses huge challenge
to Communist Party
New York Times Oct 23, 08 7:44 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
For three decades now, China has established itself as a global economic powerhouse by providing cheap exports to the rest of the world. But as demand for Chinese goods slumps in a global recession, the ruling Communist Party, which owes its popularity to expanding prosperity, faces new tests: slowing growth, rising unemployment, an epidemic of factory closings, and a stock market that's lost 65% of its value.
More »
OPINION
Coffee empire's rise tracked (and fueled) housing's, and store locator mirrors trouble spots
Slate Oct 21, 08 3:48 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
A simple tool could hold the key to predicting where the financial crisis will strike next, Daniel Gross writes on Slate: Starbucks’ Internet store locator. “Having a significant Starbucks presence is a pretty significant indicator of the degree of connectedness to the form of highly caffeinated, free-spending capitalism that got us into this mess.”
More »
ANALYSIS
Analysts see 'equal-opportunity recession'
BusinessWeek Oct 21, 08 3:22 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The financial sector is slashing workers, and Silicon Valley employees are dropping like prices on last year's iPod. What industry is next? All of them, Moira Herbst writes in BusinessWeek . Every company relies on credit and consumer purchasing power, making this an “equal-opportunity recession,” a staffing agent says. The damage could be 20 million jobs globally, Reuters adds.
More »
OPINION
World must act to overhaul finance for next era: Gordon Brown
Washington Post Oct 17, 08 7:31 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The British plan to recapitalize world banks helped calm global markets, but Gordon Brown isn't done yet. In an op-ed for the Washington Post , the prime minister declares that we face "a defining moment for the world economy" on par with the aftermath of World War II, and that only a "new Bretton Woods"—a new system of global financial governance—can end the crisis and pave the way forward.
More »
ANALYSIS
Wall St. collapse shows old policies no longer work for modern US
Newsweek Oct 5, 08 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Reaganism—the graying policy of low taxes, light regulation, small government, and “cowboy capitalism”—is over. Worse, Francis Fukuyama writes in Newsweek, it, along with Washington’s ill-advised foreign policy, is tarnishing the American brand. “Restoring our good name and reviving the appeal of our brand is in many ways as great a challenge as stabilizing the financial sector,” Fukuyama says.
More »
Society not 'OK' with native speakers using Anglo shortcuts
BBC Sep 10, 08 2:29 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
One cultural institution is not "OK" with Italians speaking Anglitaliano, the BBC reports. "Weekend" and "OK" topped a list of least-favorite foreign words among visitors to the Dante Alighieri Society website. It shows Italians want more respect for their language, the group says.
More »
Multinationals would change first under plan
Wall Street Journal Aug 27, 08 4:42 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Securities and Exchange Commission is planning to require US companies to switch to international accounting rules, the Wall Street Journal reports. The body voted today to seek public comment on a plan for the transition, which would stagger requirements. Large multinational firms would be expected to voluntarily switch in 2010, prompting an SEC vote in 2011 on making the switch nationwide.
More »
TRAVEL
Breakneck rush to development leaves high-rises in place of multi-tiered history
Travel Leisure Aug 19, 08 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
It looks like Saigon, “the Paris of the East,” can't wait to ditch its colorful culture and tumultuous history for a shining capitalist future, Peter Jon Lindberg writes in Travel + Leisure . Officially Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnamese “cosmopolis,” 8 million strong, boasts the world's fastest-growing retail market, with high-rises and reclamation projects replacing its once "singular sense of place."
More »
OPINION
Washington Post Aug 16, 08 11:31 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
China hopes that its Olympic team will do the country proud—but many Chinese are openly rooting for US athletes. Why the love? Francesco Sisci, an Italian diplomat who lives there and whose wife is Chinese, writes in the Washington Post that the idea of "America," even with its flaws, is still held in high regard by everyday people. "The Chinese really look up to the United States. It's hard for them to admit, proud as they are of their 5,000 years of continuous culture, but they do."
More »
OPINION
Growing trend of traveling for health care doesn't have to hurt anyone
Economist Aug 15, 08 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The spread of “medical tourism”—uninsured and underinsured patients seeking cheap health care in Southeast Asia or Latin America—has fueled fears that developing nations will divert resources from state health systems caring for their own citizens. But, the Economist argues, “if governments make the best of the boom, then medical tourism should improve the health of rich and poor alike.”
More »