JAPAN: Surging caseload suggests new state of emergency is only the beginning
On Thursday, 7 January, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga officially declared a month-long state of emergency for Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures of Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa. The announcement came as the country set new records for case numbers nationwide – 7,571 new cases … Become a member to read the rest of this article […]
CHINA: Rules to counteract foreign sanctions are mostly symbolic
New Commerce Ministry rules allow regulators to prohibit the application of foreign sanctions inside China. But Beijing will remain reluctant to scapegoat foreign business in retaliation for government action, given the desire to resist supply-chain decoupling. The r… Become a member to read the rest of this article
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: Implications of Kenya’s DSSI accession
On 11 January, the Paris Club announced that Kenya would benefit from the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) from 1 January to 30 June 2021. At the start of a crucial year in Kenya’s political cycle, the government’s U-turn on an earlier decision not to participate in the … Become a member to read […]
MACRO: Policy responses to Covid-19
Below is this year’s first summary table on the health and economic policies that selected governments around the world are implementing to counter the fallout from Covid-19. The updated table includes information about each country’s vaccination strategy. Please do not hesitate … Become a member to read the rest of this article
ITALY: Simmering tensions come to boil
A cabinet meeting widely seen as setting the stage for a showdown in Italy’s simmering government crisis will be held today (12 January) at 9.30pm local time. The meeting has been called by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte for the cabinet to approve an economic recovery plan (PNRR) … Become a member to read the […]
GERMANY: The Merkel succession race is only about to begin
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) will vote for a new party leader at their digital convention on 16 January. However, this will not yet mark the decision about who will lead the Christian alliance (CDU/CSU) into the 26 September Bundestag elections. The … Become a member to read the rest of this article
Biden’s trump cards and challenges
Barring another dramatic twist in an already torturous two months of political upheaval, Joe Biden will find a very full in-tray when he settles into the famed Oval Office in eight days time. The two most pressing issues which he will need to resolve are arguably the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated impact on already […]