- A + A MUMBAI/BUENOS AIRES/LONDON (June 27): It only took 24 hours last month for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in India — the world's second-largest producer of wheat — to shelve its plans to "feed the world". In April, Modi had said publicly that the world's most populous democracy was ready to fill part of the gap left by Ukraine in global grains markets by increasing its wheat exports, following five consecutive record harvests. India traditionally exports only a modest amount of wheat, retaining most of its crop for domestic consumption. On May 12, India's Ministry of Commerce & Industry said it was preparing to send delegations to nine countries to export a record 10 million tonnes of wheat this fiscal year — sharply up the previous season. But a barrage of alarming data changed all that. First came a downward revision to India's wheat crop in early May as a sudden heatwave hammered yields. Then data on May 12 showed inflation in the nation … [Read more...] about Food export bans, from India to Argentina, risk fueling inflation
Food crisis america
Ken Burns And Ewers Brothers Spotlight Youth Mental Illness In New Documentary
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Youth mental illness has reached crisis levels in America. The percentage of adolescents who have experienced at least one major depressive episode increased by 60 percent from 2007 to 2019. Rates of anxiety, self-harm, and attempted suicide were skyrocketing even before the Covid-19 pandemic, and since then matters have only gotten worse . Filmmaker Ken Burns has executive produced a powerful new two-part documentary film on this subject. Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness will air on June 27 and 28 at 9:00 pm ET on PBS and will be available for streaming on the PBS App. The film was directed and edited by Burns’ long-time colleagues Erik Ewers and Christopher Ewers. It shares the voices of 21 diverse youth across America who are living with mental health challenges, addressing issues of stigma, discrimination, awareness, and silence. Hiding in Plain Sight is part of a larger public media mental … [Read more...] about Ken Burns And Ewers Brothers Spotlight Youth Mental Illness In New Documentary
Escape From The U.S.: How To Move To Canada
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin How to move to Canada from the U.S.—it’s a question many people started asking as soon as the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week, with Google searches for the topic “how to move to Canada” spiking . The phrase “How to become a Canadian citizen” also spiked 550% in the hour after the decision came out. This isn’t the first time this has happened. During the 2016 election, so many American were looking into how to move out of the U.S. that the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration website crashed . Canada’s appeals are obvious: the nature, the livable cities , the publicly funded health care, the diversity, the lower crime rates. Also helping drive the recent interest: Abortion is legal in Canada. But there are downsides, too. Canada’s cost of living is higher than the U.S. The taxes not for the weak-willed: The more money you make, the more income tax you will pay. And it’s colder than much of the U.S. … [Read more...] about Escape From The U.S.: How To Move To Canada
G-7 Leaders Nearing Price Cap On Russian Oil Funding Putin’s War Chest
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Leaders of Group of Seven nations on Monday announced a support package for Ukraine, further sanctions against Russia and are reportedly nearing an agreement to set a price cap on Russian oil, a contentious issue as they debate ways to stave Putin’s war chest while mitigating spiraling inflation, soaring energy prices and an impending global food crisis. Key Facts Leaders of the G-7 —a group of the world’s seven largest economies which includes the U.S., the U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan— announced a suite of new measures against Moscow, including imposing higher tariffs on Russian goods, restricting Russian gold exports and imposing new sanctions on officials and organizations supporting the war effort. The group also unveiled a new support package for Ukraine, including the provision of military hardware, using the higher tariffs on Russian goods to help Ukraine and “financial, … [Read more...] about G-7 Leaders Nearing Price Cap On Russian Oil Funding Putin’s War Chest
Frontier-debt buyers look past default risk in hunger for yield
- A + A MUMBAI/MANILA (June 27): Signs of distress flashing in bond markets suggest the world's poorest nations are set to see a wave of debt restructurings. But a growing cohort of investors say that is a buying opportunity. Panic selling in the aftermath of Sri Lanka's economic collapse has sent the average yield in junk-rated emerging economies to almost 900 basis points above US Treasuries, the highest risk premium in 13 years except for the Covid-19-related rout in 2020, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co data. Yet, initial fears about a widespread default Armageddon across emerging markets is easing, and money managers are looking beyond the handful of countries that may reschedule their debt. This shift in perception means at least some smaller developing nations, called frontier markets, have been unduly punished in the recent sell-off and now offer highly attractive yields. Even in the event of debt restructuring, their bonds will offer greater recovery … [Read more...] about Frontier-debt buyers look past default risk in hunger for yield
A class above all others
Jeong Jae-hong The author is an international affairs and security editor of the JoongAng Ilbo. Gustavo Petro was elected president of Colombia on June 19. According to an analysis in the Washington Post, Columbia, ruled by right-wing politicians over 200 years, elected a left-wing president because the middle-class collapsed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and voters wanted the government to ease economic inequality. Brazil is scheduled to have a presidential election on October 2, and leftist former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, is getting over 50 percent of support. In addition to Mexico, Argentine, Chile, Peru and Columbia, another left-wing administration is about to launch in Brazil, too The left-wing wave in Latin America largely resulted from right-wing administrations’ failure to cope with the pandemic and the collapse of the middle class in the region. The middle class is the bastion of democracy. A country with a strong middle class … [Read more...] about A class above all others
Govt continues giving subsidies to stabilise prices, avoid high inflation
- A + A PUTRAJAYA (June 27): The government is willing to bear the projected huge subsidy totalling RM77.3 billion for this year towards stabilising the prices of goods and avoiding high inflation rates of up to 11.4%, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. He said the government had a choice of removing subsidies and strengthening the country’s finances to a better level, but it chose to bear the subsidies instead for the welfare and well-being of the people. Mustapa said the announcement on June 24 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob of no increase in the water and electricity tariffs, and the chicken price not being floated showed the government’s caring side and commitment to maintaining the subsidies. Referring to the projected consumer subsidy expenditure amounting to RM77.3 billion for 2022, he said RM51 billion of it made up the biggest component of fuel, cooking oil, electricity, water, chicken … [Read more...] about Govt continues giving subsidies to stabilise prices, avoid high inflation
G7 leaders work to ‘starve’ Russia of oil money as Zelensky says he wants the war over by the end of the year
Telfs-Buchen, Austria (CNN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told G7 leaders during a virtual meeting Monday that he wants the war in Ukraine to end by the end of 2022, according to a source familiar with his remarks , as leaders worked to starve Russia of its oil revenues and mitigate the economic fallout of the conflict. The dual missions -- sustain support for Ukraine while easing economic pressures at home -- have defined this year's summit of leading democracies, held high in the Bavarian Alps. While largely united, the leaders are all facing their own political imperatives to see a momentum shift in the fighting and bring an end to the conflict quickly. To that end, leaders were nearing an agreement to try capping the price of Russian oil, depriving the country of revenues that have soared amid the global spike in energy prices. Details were still being ironed out, including whether the top buyers of Russian oil would agree to the limits, but US officials … [Read more...] about G7 leaders work to ‘starve’ Russia of oil money as Zelensky says he wants the war over by the end of the year