For yet more evidence that a global carbon treaty will never work, read a recent post on Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog, which reports that China’s official statistics on carbon emissions may be significantly understating the real numbers. Researchers found that China’s reported growth rate in emissions of 7.4 percent is 1 percent lower than numbers accumulated […]

The Financial Times reports that Cyprus, which has been locked out of world capital markets for almost a year, is preparing to ask the international community for a bailout of its banking sector. Close ties to a collapsing Greece have exacerbated Cyprus’ financial woes, and now it’s looking for help wherever it can get it, […]

Though both sides have pulled away their warships, China and the Philippines are still engaged in a standoff near the Scarborough Shoal: a form of commercial warfare. A Chinese ban on Filipino bananas has left tons of fruit rotting on Filipino docks. China claims that health concerns prompted the ban, but Filipinos see it as retaliation for […]

After some gloomy announcements last week, reports from those engaged in negotiations with Iran have turned more positive. A one-hour talk between Iran’s lead negotiator, Saeed Jalili, and Lady Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, is said to have gone well, with Iran indicating for the first time that it is prepared to […]

June 12 is one of those world-historical days whose significance is not as widely appreciated as it deserves to be.At the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, President Ronald Reagan issued a memorable challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev: “Tear down this wall!” It was an important moment for President Reagan and the world, but back in Washington a […]

After we expressed our concerns during NATO’s Libyan war that the afterparty was likely to be chaotic and unpleasant, we’ve been watching the horrific humanitarian and political consequences unwind in several places.Most recently, Via Meadia has been keeping a careful eye on the growing troubles in northern Mali and the storied historical city of Timbuktu for […]

Here’s a story we’ve heard before: revenue in pension accounts falling short of expectations; the government considering reforms to ensure the system remains solvent; concerns that the changes might reduce opportunities for younger workers to find jobs.There’s one detail about this story that’s different, however: it comes from China. The retirement age in China was set […]

The Battle of Spain is over; the Battle of Italy has begun.This morning we noted the first signs of falling confidence just hours after Europe’s announced $125 billion bailout of the Spanish banking system. By late this afternoon the news is all about fears that Italy will be next in line.A Spanish collapse tests Europe; […]

In a sidebar during last week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Chinese President Hu Jintao urged Iran to play nice in next month’s round of nuclear talks. This time, the West and China hope to avoid the runaround Iran gave everyone in last month’s flop negotiations.BBC reports:  According to Xinhua news agency Mr Hu urged the […]

Every so often, a group of self-proclaimed experts will predict some new dire threat to civilization as we know it. Via Meadia has documented many instances of modern-day doomsayers who insist that the end is near, whether due to overpopulation, peak oil or rapidly melting glaciers, only to be proven wrong by unforeseen events and […]