Written by John Lounsbury
Early Bird Headlines 20 October 2015
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
Global
Asia slips as commodities languish, Canada vote weighs on loonie (Reuters) Asian equities were mostly lower on Tuesday after commodity prices languished in the wake of China’s soft growth data and dampened risk sentiment. The euro hovered near a 10-day low ahead of a European Central Bank meeting that could open the door for yet more monetary easing. With risk appetite flagging in Asia, spreadbetters expected a slightly lower open for Britain’s FTSE .FTSE, Germany’s DAX .GDAXI and France’s CAC .FCHI. The Canadian dollar, already under pressure from sliding crude oil prices, faced extra headwinds as Canada’s Liberal Party swept Monday’s general election which paves the way for increased government spending.
The world has 21 million slaves – and millions of them live in the west (The Guardian) Actually 7% of slaves live in North America or the EU, but the problem is global. The author (Wagner Moura, an actor and International Labour Organization Goodwill Ambassador on forced labor) says we must invest in protocols that work to fight trafficking and exploitation.
UN attempt to decriminalise drugs foiled (BBC News) An attempt by UN officials to get countries to decriminalize the possession and use of all drugs has been foiled, the BBC can reveal. A paper from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been withdrawn after pressure from at least one country. The document, which was leaked, recommends that UN members consider “decriminalizing drug and possession for personal consumption“. It argued “arrest and incarceration are disproportionate measures“.
Life on Earth may have begun 300m years earlier than previously thought (The Guardian) A new discovery, if confirmed, indicates that living organisms appeared on Earth 4.1 billion years ago, remarkably soon after its formation.
Central Asia Could Be Birthplace of the Modern Dog (The New York Times, MSN News) Where do dogs come from? Gray wolves are their ancestors. Scientists are pretty consistent about that. And researchers have suggested that dogs’ origins can be traced to Europe, the Near East, Siberia and South China. Central Asia is the newest and best candidate, according to a large study of dogs from around the world.
U.S.
Here’s Exactly Where the Candidates’ Cash Came From (Bloomberg) The 22 major candidates running for U.S president, along with an even larger number of independent groups supporting them, raised an unprecedented $388 million in the first half of the year. This shows which neighborhoods this money came from. Yes, the red and blue colors mean exactly what you think.
Homan Square revealed: how Chicago police ‘disappeared’ 7,000 people (The Guardian) Guardian lawsuit exposes fullest scale yet of detentions at off-the-books interrogation warehouse, while attorneys describe find-your-client chase across Chicago as ‘something from a Bond movie’. From August 2004 to June 2015, nearly 6,000 of those held at the facility were black, which represents more than twice the proportion of the city’s population. But only 68 of those held were allowed access to attorneys or a public notice of their whereabouts, internal police records show. Good video of less than 3 minutes viewing time accompanies the article.
EU
Thousands rush into Croatia as police reopen Serbia border (Associated Press) Thousands of people trying to reach the heart of Europe surged across Serbia’s border into Croatia on Monday after authorities eased restrictions that had left them stranded for days in ankle-deep mud and rain. The miserable wave of humanity left behind a field scattered with soaked blankets, mud-caked clothing and water-logged tents as they headed for Slovenia, the next obstacle to their quest to reach richer European Union nations via the Balkans. Monday’s surprise move allowed an estimated 3,000 more migrants to enter Croatia bound for its small Alpine neighbor, which also has been struggling to slow the flow of humanity across its frontiers – and faced another wave of trekkers seeking to reach Austria and Germany to the north.
Migrant crisis: Slovenia eases border restrictions for thousands (BBC News) This article has map showing th “new way north”.
Germany
As winter looms, Germany struggles to find homes for refugees (Reuters) With the approach of winter, authorities are scrambling to find warm places to stay for the thousands of refugees streaming into Germany every day. In desperation, they have turned to sports halls, youth hostels and empty office buildings. But as these options dry up, tent cities have become the fall-back plan: despite falling temperatures, a survey by German newspaper Die Welt showed at least 42,000 refugees were still living in tents.
Turkey
Know Them By Their Deeds (Foreign Policy) The author says we may not know the identity of those behind the Ankara bombings, but their intention is clear: to undermine moderates and deepen divisions within Turkish society. This generalization introduces an in-depth discussion of the complex forces at play in the region.
China
China State Steel Firm to Default After Government Said to Help (Bloomberg) A Chinese state-owned steel trader is set to default on a bond payment even after the government was said to have stepped in to help, highlighting worsening corporate finances as an economic slowdown deepens. Sinosteel Co. will delay an interest payment due Tuesday on 2 billion yuan ($314.5 million) of 5.3% notes that mature in 2017, according to a statement on Chinabond’s website Monday.
Canada
Canada election: Liberals sweep to power (BBC News) Canada’s Liberal Party has decisively won parliamentary elections, ending nine years of Conservative rule, partial results show. The Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau, are leading in 185 electoral districts. The son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now poised to form a majority government, Canada’s CBC and CTV networks predict. Incumbent Conservative PM Stephen Harper – whose party is leading in 103 districts – accepted defeat. Speaking after the polls closed, he said he had already congratulated Mr Trudeau, saying the Conservatives would accept the results “without hesitation“. But it was not just the Conservatives that were swept aside in the landslide: The left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) is on course to win 41 seats, less than half the number they held in the outgoing parliament.
Mexico
Conquistadors sacrificed and eaten by Aztec-era people, archaeologists say (The Guardian) Researchers say evidence shows Acolhuas, allies of a major Aztec city known to have captured a Spanish convoy in 1520, killed and cannibalised their captives.
Drought causes 450-year-old Mexican church to emerge from reservoir (The Guardian) Built in 1564 and abandoned about 210 years later after plague ravaged the surrounding area, the Temple of Santiago or the Temple of Quechula, has been under nearly 100ft of dammed-up water since 1966. Drought has now lowered water level enough more than 3/4 of its 42′ height is now above water.
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