Recent news
Latest items of recent news relevant to Global as reported in our fortnightly newswire ‘Dernières nouvelles’.
Global: IMF reduces global growth forecast to 3.5% in 2019 and 3.6% in 2020
The latest IMF World Economic Outlook is forecasting 3 …
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Global: Sometimes the pay gap goes in favour of women
What is special about countries where the gender pay gap is negative, i …
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Global: Two statistical fallacies
Two statistical fallacies to overcome by way of new years resolutions when trying to make sense of the news we read as we commute to work each day. The first is that a drop in stock market prices means an economic collapse is taking place. Prices fluctuate all the time and some of these can look drastic without being a bad omen. What is more, the price of stock does not (immediately at least) affect liquidity for the company whose stock is being traded – as they got their capital when the stock was first listed. Yes, it will affect confidence and the value of future share issues, but that is all. In fact, as every investor knows, the company fundamentals and stock price are not strongly linked at all. The second fallacy is that reported fatalities through accidents, wars and assaults indicate a decline in social order. The total loss of life reported in the press, though tragic in itself, should be put in the context of unreported statistics – such as the fact that around 60 people in India lose their life every day due to snake bites. More tragic for society, and the individuals in it, (and something we seldom read about in the press) is that 45% of the World’s population will never live beyond age 65 – and before modern medicine it used to be far higher.
Global: 60 significant armed conflicts have raged around the world in 2018
As 2018 draws to a close, it is a sobering thought to reflect on a year where 60 significant armed conflicts have raged around the world, resulting in a total of around 133,500 fatalities …
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Global: Agreement reached on minimum wage for seafarers
Agreement has been reached between the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) on minimum seafarer wage rates …
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Global: ILO annual Global Wage report
According to the International Labour Organization’s Annual Global Wage report 2018/2019, global wage grew by an average of 1 …
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Global: Guard against blasphemy
Although companies across much of the world generally guard against religious discrimination, one of the corollaries of that is a tolerance for religious expression …
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Global: Effect of a workplace-based group training programme combined with financial incentives on smoking cessation
Research carried out in the Netherlands published in the medical journal The Lancet has concluded that workplace programmes that combined training with a financial incentive had a substantial success rate in cutting down smoking …
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Global: Residence permit
Uzbekistan is the latest country to introduce a scheme allowing foreigners to buy residence rights in return for the purchase of property above a certain value …
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Global: IMF lowers 2019 economic growth forecast to 3%
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has scaled back its projections of average global economic growth in 2019 from 3 …
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Global: Toxic logic
Companies concerned about vicarious liability for wrong doing can take a leaf out of the tactic manuals of the Saudi, Sri-Lankan and Mexican governments …
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Global: Companies are adopting a 4-day work week – but do they work?
The growing threat of labour displacing technologies (LDT) is strengthening interest in the 4-day week …
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Global: Speculating if and when the next recession will come
Speculating if and when the next recession will come is becoming quite a sport for economic journalists around the world, but there are three inescapable facts that we must all contend with …
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Global: Job automation risks vary widely across different regions within countries
A new OECD report examines the regional differences that exist due to the impact of automation on jobs …
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Global: Onward creep of consumer price inflation
One of the most worrying trends in the world’s major economies is the onward creep of consumer price inflation …
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