Economists to Cameron: refugee crisis response 'morally unacceptable'

In open letter to PM, more than 120 leading economists including former UN and World Bank officials say UK can do far more

The Guardian

More than 120 leading economists, among them former government, UN and World Bank officials, have lambasted the UK government’s response to the refugee crisis, calling it seriously inadequate, morally unacceptable and economically wrong.

In an open letter to David Cameron, the economists argue that as the world’s fifth-largest economy, the UK “can do far more” and are calling on the government to take a “fair and proportionate share of refugees, both those already within the EU and those still outside it”.

Greece Resists Its Role as European Union’s Gatekeeper

By LIZ ALDERMANJAN. 30, 2016

The New York Times

IDOMENI, Greece — On a recent weekday, 40 buses jammed into the parking lot of a gas station near the Macedonian border, carrying thousands of refugees who had survived a perilous crossing on wintry seas from Turkey.

Now they were approaching ground zero in the intensifying debate over how to curb the unceasing stream of men, women and children from war-ravaged and poor nations in the Middle East and Africa heading to the safety and prosperity of Europe.

Greece vs austerity

Greece’s far-left Syriza government is tottering

The Economist

A year after Alexis Tsipras’s sweeping victory, economic woes and scandals threaten to bring him down

Jan 29th 2016 | Europe

ON JANUARY 24th Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s prime minister, gave a rousing speech to his supporters in a stadium in Athens, marking the first year in power of his far-left, anti-austerity Syriza party. He vowed to come down hard on his party’s enemies, and blamed the Greek people’s continuing misery on the opposition. Meanwhile Greece’s public broadcaster, ERT, aired a six-minute retrospective on Syriza’s first year, featuring gauzy shots of Mr Tsipras and a voice-over proclaiming that his government had battled elites, delivered social justice, fixed the economy and made Greece an international symbol of dignity. Even leftists rolled their eyes at the heavy-handed propaganda. But if Mr Tsipras’s speech and video were intended to boost morale, they backfired.

A Russian journalist explains why there is no corruption in Russia

The Washington Post

By Adam Taylor January 28 at 2:33 PM

In the West, many think of modern Russia as near synonymous with corruption. We know all about the oligarchs, the mafia and the "Wild East" capitalism of the 1990s. One recent poll found that Russia was considered one of the more corrupt countries in the world, placing 119 out of 168 on Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (where a lower ranking indicates a higher perceived level of corruption).

In Greece’s Populism, Precious Lessons for Europe

The New  York Times

Nikos Konstandaras JAN. 28, 201

Athens — It may just be coincidence, but in the year since a radical left movement and an extreme right-wing party joined forces to govern Greece, the resilience of the European Union has been tested. But it may be also that the forces released in Greece have emerged in many other countries, poisoning relations among member states.

The glue that holds Greece’s paradoxical coalition together, and which we see across Europe, is populism. Not some coherent ideology that puts the people’s interests first, but a policy based on opportunism, on cultivating a grandiose sense of national identity and then presenting that identity as being threatened by domestic and foreign enemies. It uses current problems to undermine efforts at solutions, and conjures past and future utopias rather than trying to keep up with dizzying change.

Europe Raises Pressure on Greece to Tighten Its Borders

By JAMES KANTERJAN. 27, 2016

 The New York Times

BRUSSELS — The European Union authorities on Wednesday raised pressure on Greece to step up its efforts to slow the flow of migrants and tighten control of the bloc’s external borders, the first step in a process that would allow some countries to its north to extend their border controls for up to two years.

Valdis Dombrovskis, a vice president of the European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, said that Greece was “seriously neglecting its obligations” by failing to properly register and fingerprint migrants. That conclusion led the commission to file a report to member states detailing “persistent and serious deficiencies” by Greece at controlling its borders.

Refugee trail: Postcards from the mud, misery, anger and hope

By Rachel Clarke, CNN

Updated 0437 GMT (1237 HKT) January 28, 2016

(CNN)Refugees are still striving to reach Europe. Young men, families, the elderly are trekking through snow, seeking shelter and local aid or perhaps beginning to think of a new, brighter future.

But the Europe so many have reached is now fractured in its reaction -- some as open and welcoming as at the height of compassion last year in the wake of the drowning of Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi, but many not. With migrants blamed for New Year's Eve harassment and rape and even now a killing, some communities and governments are taking a tougher line.

This week, CNN met locals and migrants across the continent and beyond. Here are snapshots of what we found.

Opinion: Greece - a lost year

The victory of the radical left-wing Syriza party in Greece exactly one year ago was a political earthquake for Europe. Spiros Moskovou takes a very critical look at the past 12 months with Alexis Tsipras.

Deutche Welle

After his surprisingly clear election victory, the people's tribune Alexis Tsipras formed a new government in record time with the right-wing populist Anel party. Back then, Tsipras was promising an end to austerity policies and the decisive renegotiation of the bailout package with Greece's international creditors.

GREECE FURIOUS OVER SCHENGEN SUSPENSION PLANS

BY JOSH LOWE ON 1/26/16 AT 8:50 AM

Newsweek

Greece has responded furiously to proposals to modify the Schengen agreement which would see the country’s borders effectively sealed off from the rest of the continent.

EU interior ministers meeting in Amsterdam on Monday discussed moving the southern frontier of the passport-free travel zone, which includes most of the EU, to the north, deploying joint police forces along the Macedonia-Greece border. Other European states piled pressure on Greece to do more to control the influx of migrants into Europe via its shores.

China Deepens Its Footprint in Iran After Lifting of Sanctions

By THOMAS ERDBRINKJAN. 24, 2016

The New  York Times

ZARRINABAD, Iran — Rising from the yellowish, treeless plains so typical for central Iran stands a square labyrinth of pipes and conveyor belts, topped by a silver chimney that glitters in the summer sun.

Sanctions against Iran failed to halt the construction of the complex, a steel mill that went into operation in September and now churns out ingots and billets. The sanctions also did not stop Sheng Kuan Li, a Chinese businessman, from pouring $200 million into the project.

SYRIZA ANNIVERSARY: WHAT HAS ALEXIS TSIPRAS ACHIEVED?

BY JOSH LOWE ON 1/24/16 AT 2:32 PM

Newsweek

Power can do funny things to a person. Just look at the panel Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sat on at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. There, the former firebrand, besuited and sporting a fancy watch, shared a stage with an old foe, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, and other EU leaders. Tsipras solemnly warned an audience of brainy business types and the global super-rich about the dangers of “populism” for Europe.

China fourth-quarter growth weakest since 2009 as policy misstep fears grow

Markets | Tue Jan 19, 2016 2:37am EST Related: CHINA

BEIJING | BY KEVIN YAO AND XIAOYI SHAO

China's economic growth in the fourth quarter slowed to the weakest since the financial crisis, adding pressure on a government that is struggling to restore the confidence of investors after perceived policy missteps jolted global markets.

Concerns about China's policy making ability have shot to

the top of global investors' risk lists for 2016 after a renewed plunge in its stock markets and yuan currency CNY=CFXS stoked worries that the economy may be rapidly deteriorating.

Xi’s new model army

Xi Jinping reforms China’s armed forces—to his own advantage

Jan 16th 2016 | BEIJING

The Economist

CHINA’S biggest military shake-up in a generation began with a deliberate echo of Mao Zedong. Late in 2014 President Xi Jinping went to Gutian, a small town in the south where, 85 years before, Mao had first laid down the doctrine that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the armed force not of the government or the country but of the Communist Party. Mr Xi stressed the same law to the assembled brass: the PLA is still the party’s army; it must uphold its “revolutionary traditions” and maintain absolute loyalty to its political masters. His words were a prelude to sweeping reforms in the PLA that have unfolded in the past month, touching almost every military institution.

Opposition leader’s landslide win in Taiwan puts onus on China to respond

The Washington Post

By Simon Denyer January 17 at 2:44 PM 

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — A stunning victory for Taiwan’s opposition and the election of the island’s first female president Saturday signal a new era and send a clear message: Taiwan is coming of age as a democracy.

The question is whether Beijing is listening, and how it will respond.

Even as the final votes were being tallied, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen was reaching out to China and calming any fears the giant neighbor might have.

Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party considers Taiwan to be a sovereign, independent nation, but it sees no need to anger Beijing by making a formal declaration of independence. But Tsai went further, promising in her victory speech that she would rise above party politics, maintain peaceful and predictable relations with Beijing, and avoid doing anything provocative.

Greece Seeks German Know-How to Tackle Tax Evasion

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATHENS, Greece — Jan 16, 2016, 4:04 PM ET

Greece has turned to a German state government to seek help in combating tax evasion.

Greek tax officials, initially numbering about 50, will be trained by the tax authorities of North Rhine-Westphalia, a state noted for its success in persuading German citizens to repatriate capital they had whisked abroad to avoid taxation. Their efforts have resulted in 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) in extra revenue since 2010.

Next Up for Greece: How to Shrink the Debt

Political talks to begin after first bailout review is done

The Wall Street Journal

By VIKTORIA DENDRINOU

Jan. 14, 2016 1:44 p.m. ET

Greece’s creditors are expected to start talking soon over an issue that has been looming over the eurozone since 2010: cutting the country’s mountainous debt burden.

Greece already sliced its debts to private lenders through a bond swap in 2012. But that wasn’t enough. Now, most of its debt is owed to other eurozone governments, which have conceded Athens needs more relief.

After Nuclear Test, South Korea Urges China to Rein In North

The New York Times

By CHOE SANG-HUNJAN. 13, 2016

SEOUL, South Korea — A week after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, President Park Geun-hye of South Korea urged China on Wednesday to do more to rein in the North, amid growing criticism that Ms. Park’s policy of building stronger ties with Beijing was not showing results.

“China has repeatedly said publicly that it would not tolerate North Korea’s nuclear weapons,” Ms. Park said in a nationally televised speech. “I think China is fully aware that if such strong will is not matched by necessary measures, we cannot prevent fifth and sixth nuclear tests by the North or guarantee real peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

As Taiwan’s Workers Flock to China, Concerns About Economy Grow

By AUSTIN RAMZYJAN. 13, 2016

The New York Times

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Jason Lee spent most of the last decade building a business in a field for which Taiwan is famous. With three friends, he founded an animation studio here, churning out TV shows and special effects for games and films.

But costs rose and orders dried up, and they closed up shop in 2011. A few years later, Mr. Lee left Taiwan for mainland China, where he was hired to run an animation studio in the city of Qingdao. Five months ago, he started his own studio there. He has 20 employees, a number he hopes to double after the Chinese New Year next month — growth he could not have imagined in Taiwan.

Greece Renews Challenge to Creditors’ Austerity Policies

Labor Minister says stimulating growth, not belt-tightening, is best way to bolster country’s finances

The Wall Street Journal

By NEKTARIA STAMOULI and  MARCUS WALKER

Jan. 12, 2016 4:41 a.m. ET

ATHENS—Greece’s left-led government renewed its challenge to its creditors’ austerity policies on Tuesday, vowing to resist further pension cuts while calling on Europe to let Greece meet budget targets mainly via economic growth, not belt-tightening.

“The best way to fill this gap [in Greece’s budget] isn't by reducing, but by increasing the economy,” Labor Minister George Katrougalos said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

U.S. may send more strategic weapons to Korean peninsula: South Korea

Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:51am EST Related: WORLD, SOUTH KOREA

SEOUL | BY JU-MIN PARK AND JEE HEUN KAHNG

Reuters

The United States and its ally South Korea were discussing on Monday sending more strategic U.S. weapons to the Korean peninsula, a day after a U.S. B-52 bomber flew over South Korea in response to North Korea's nuclear test last week.

North Korea said it set off a hydrogen bomb last Wednesday, its fourth nuclear test since 2006, angering China, the North's main ally, and the United States, which said it doubted the device was a hydrogen bomb.