Things are getting tough for small, private businesses in China. As the WSJ reported yesterday, Many smaller private companies, unable to obtain bank loans because of the government’s tightening of credit to fight inflation, have turned to so-called shadow lenders for funding. Such lenders often charge exorbitant interest rates, and many smaller enterprises, struggling to […]

Good news: plundered weapons from Libya’s once-guarded stockpiles are being located. Bad news: they’re in the hands of Bedouin black-market weapons racketeers in Egypt’s unstable Sinai Peninsula. Not exactly the growth in exports the world economy was hoping for. From the WaPo: Egyptian security officials have intercepted surface-to-air missiles, most of them shoulder-launched, on the […]

The 2011 Mead world tour continues; in the last couple of months I’ve visited the UK, Russia, Israel and the West Bank.  Today I’m leaving for China, where I’ll be meeting with academics, participating in seminars and giving lectures on US foreign policy in cities ranging from Shenyang and Anshan in the north to Guangzhou […]

Despite its month-long conspicuous presence at the center of America’s financial hub, the “Occupy Wall Street” movement has been having trouble attracting attention. In its early weeks, supporters had complained that the movement was being deliberately ignored by the media, and although media coverage has since grown, many boosters still feel that it has still […]

An SAT cheating scandal at a local (non-Queens) New York high school has put the spotlight on what could be a widespread lack of honesty and integrity among high school students sitting for the SAT. The NYT has the story: “The main risk for a cheater is getting caught,” [said one student.] “Why wouldn’t you […]

The green zombie movement for a carbon treaty took a shambling step forward Down Under this week.  The FT has the story: The Australian government scored a victory in its battle to introduce a carbon tax after measures to combat climate change cleared the lower house of parliament by a tiny margin.Carbon traders and climate […]

Brits love their monarchs, but old rules have historically favored princes over princesses in accession to the throne. That may change now, following a proposal put forward by Prime Minister David Cameron. As the NYT reports: Mr. Cameron told the House of Commons on Wednesday that he had written to the governments of 15 other […]

President Obama pushed through long-pending trade agreements with South Korea, Panama, and Colombia yesterday. The deals have received mixed reviews; some labor leaders criticize say it will kill thousands of American jobs while American exporters cheered the move, saying it will increase U.S. exports by $12 billion or more per year. Yet, by looking at the […]

A new threat to the nascent jobs of the future has emerged: the IRS. The IRS recently announced that it will be rolling out new fees and regulations for individual tax preparers, which are expected to dramatically increase costs for the entire industry. The Washington Post reports: Some fear the IRS campaign against tax fraud […]

Amid the despair and apprehension, some good news: Africa’s middle class is growing. An African Development Bank report suggests that within the next fifty years, the African middle class will reach one billion people, a figure that will undoubtedly draw the attention of marketers. From the Wall Street Journal: Building on the bank’s earlier research, […]