2015/09/30 - LEAP/E2020 Press Review on the Global Systemic Crisis

Corporate investments : the stock exchange or your life ? As long as financial markets are not regulated, as long as they operate on an ultra-short-term rationale and huge and quick profits, as long as they haven’t regained contact with reality (that’s to say as long as they are supported by the central banks), we recommend that businesses stay away from the stock markets. There are now other ways to finance one’s business without losing one’s freedom, even one’s life. The financial markets now look like a forest full of bandits ready to fall on you and rob you… To artificially cause the stock price of a business to fall in order to buy it cheaply has become a national sport. Recently, Boiron’s stock market “difficulties”, a very strong company however, whose stock price fell heavily whilst its profits were rising, is a clear call, and must give family business leaders the cold sweats: the good deal of buying cheaply in fact whetted the appetite of investors... (Read more in the GEAB 97) LEAP (September, 2015)   Global stocks hit two-year lows on commodity outlook; biotechs fall Global equity markets reached a two-year low on Tuesday as the outlook for raw materials prices and emerging markets remained soft, while U.S. biotech shares remained under pressure... Reuters   China to join Juncker’s investment scheme The EU and China agreed on Monday (28 September) to step up their cooperation on investment, with China promising to participate in the EU €315 billion investment plan... EUObserver   German prosecutors investigate Audi over emissions - paper German prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) subsidiary Audi related to the scandal over rigged emissions, a newspaper reported on Wednesday... Reuters   Glencore Copper Mines Seen Top of China’s Asset Shopping List As a beleaguered Glencore Plc fights to staunch losses in equity and debt markets, Chinese companies may be sizing up the assets of the world’s largest publicly listed commodity trader with a particular eye on its copper mines... Bloomberg   French minister: ‘TTIP talks are not transparent’ Negotiations for an EU-US free trade agreement “are not transparent” and could end if no progress is made, French trade minister Mathias Fekl said... EUObserver   China to set up $1b peace fund Xi says nation will provide millions in aid for the African Union in next 5 years. China will establish a $1 billion "China-UN Peace and Development Fund" to support the United Nations' multilateral cooperation and boost world peace, President Xi Jinping said on Monday... China Daily   Obama ends up dealing with Russia and living with Assad, for now Russia’s military buildup in Syria appears to have forced U.S. President Barack Obama to two unpalatable conclusions: He cannot ignore Moscow, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may survive for some time... Reuters   Prominent US school drops requirement for SAT, ACT tests George Washington University in the United States recently dropped its requirement for some standardized tests in recruitment, sparking discussion among educators about the admission criteria of universities around the world... China Daily   World won't achieve its development goals without India coming through: Bill Gates Last week, the United Nations adopted 17 ambitious goals, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which aim to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change over the next 15 years. Tech magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates' has been on the forefront of the global fight against extreme poverty, thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation which has an endowment of $ 41.3 billion... Economic Times   Why Modi's 'Digital India' plan is floundering India is far behind schedule in its plans to give its 1.2 billion citizens access to high-speed broadband Internet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to do a lot more to prove his critics wrong, says Shivam Vij... Deutsche Welle   Saudi Arabia says there is ‘no future’ for Assad in Syria Saudi Arabia has called on Bashar al-Assad to give up power or be removed by force, raising the global stakes at a time when the Russians are shipping troops and military hardware to Syria in an effort to prop up its beleaguered leader... The Guardian   US judge dismisses 9/11 case against Saudi Arabia A US judge has dismissed claims against Saudi Arabia by families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, who accused the country of providing material support to al-Qaeda... Al Jazeera   Putin Offers the US a Route to Sanity in the Middle East As the UN General Assembly meets, and the world awaits anxiously Russia’s proposals for a solution to the Syrian conflict, it is important to keep in mind how we got into this position in the first place... Sputnik News

This special Press Review reviews articles from the French and Engligh-speaking international online media relating to the unfolding global crisis. It is delivered freely on a weekly basis to 60,000 recipients worldwide. Subscription / Contact: centre@europe2020.org