[Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry] How the fall of finance led to French tech‘s rise

France is emerging as a major European tech hub: La French Tech, as it is known, is improbably beating out Germany and rivaling London for funding levels and company valuations. A significant portion of France’s most talented young people now want to work in an innovation ecosystem rather than in secure jobs in government or traditional industries. The reason for the shift is not Emmanuel Macron, the reformer who has become French president. It long predates his rise.　Instead, it has its roots i

Nov. 30, 2017

[Adam Minter] How to protect China’s children

Nothing infuriates China’s online masses more than the belief that the powerless have been victimized by the powerful. The fury was particularly intense late last week, when allegations against a Beijing-area kindergarten blew up online. According to Chinese state media, kids as young as 3 years old were “reportedly sexually molested, pierced by needles and given unidentified pills.” The news came at a particularly raw time: Just two weeks earlier, China’s internet had convulsed in anger over vi

Nov. 29, 2017

[Chloe Morin] What’s left for France’s Socialists? They can’t say.

In September, the French Socialist Party took a practical decision freighted with symbolism: It put the party headquarters up for sale. Situated on Rue de Solferino, some hundred meters from the National Assembly and the iconic Musee d’Orsay, the imposing building had been acquired by the party in 1980, one year before Francois Mitterrand became the first Socialist president of the French Republic.　The decision, a sign of the party’s deep troubles after a crushing election, has been hotly debate

Nov. 29, 2017

[James Copeland] Opportunity missed on improving gender inequality

The government’s plan to introduce a 10-20 percent quota for women in senior level government positions and public institutions does not go far enough to effect a real change in gender inequality in Korea.Europe has a problem with gender inequality in the workplace -- women do not seem to receive the same salary as men for doing the same job. Figures released in October show this gap to be an average of 16 percent across the entire EU. Last week the European commission responded to this problem

Nov. 29, 2017

[Michael Pettis] Maybe China shouldn’t open up

China needs reform. This has long been the consensus advice from economists and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, whose recent “China 2030” report argues that Chinese leaders should strengthen the role of markets and liberalize legal, financial and other institutions governing the economy. Their to-do list is virtually gospel by now: free up trade and investment, unshackle the exchange rate and ease capital controls.　Such reforms are held not only to be worthy in themselves, but

Nov. 28, 2017

[Ayalon, Sher, and Petruschka] Trump’s ‘ultimate’ Middle East peace plan

According to recent reports, President Donald Trump is going to unveil a Middle East peace plan early next year. Last month’s unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia by three top White House aides -- Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and Dina Powell -- to discuss this plan, along with Vice President Mike Pence’s announcement that he will visit Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo next month, give the reports credence.As Israelis who have served at the forefront of our country’s security, diplomatic and economi

Nov. 28, 2017

[Doyle McManus] Forget ‘bad deals,’ it’s the GOP tax plan that’ll make the trade deficit even worse

President Donald Trump has spent decades blaming America’s economic woes on the trade deficit.“We can no longer tolerate unfair trading practices that steal American jobs, wealth and intellectual property,” he said after his trip to Asia this month. “The days of the United States being taken advantage of are over.”However, trade deficits aren’t caused primarily by unfair practices or poorly negotiated agreements. They’re caused mainly by economic fundamentals. And if Congress passes the tax plan

Nov. 28, 2017

[Stephen L. Carter] Too many laws. So much ignorance. Something has to give.

Seventy-five years ago, in the summer of 1942, four friends decided to while away the afternoon playing bridge in a Baltimore city park. Instead of enjoying their game, they found themselves under arrest. The city had an ordinance that forbade the use in a public park of any device that might be used for gambling -- such as a deck of cards. They didn’t know about the rule, of course. But under a longstanding tradition of our jurisprudence, ignorance of the law is no excuse.　Maybe it shouldn’t be

Nov. 27, 2017

[Frederico Bartels] Congress must act on unused military bases

If you could remove 50 channels you never watch from your cable subscription and save $10 a month, you would do it, right?You have no use for those extra channels, and they probably represent a time drain as you surf through the clutter to find Food Network.The Pentagon has a similar problem.According to a Defense Department study released last month, it now has 19 percent more infrastructure than it needs. Roughly 1 in every 5 installations the Pentagon owns is idle, yet we -- the nation’s taxp

Nov. 27, 2017

[Andres Oppenheimer] Venezuela not the only nation at risk, but few pay attention

While the world is watching Venezuela’s descent into a full blown dictatorship, scant attention has been paid to the slow-motion disappearance of democracy in two other countries: Nicaragua and Bolivia. If they continue on their present course, they may soon be called Latin America’s emerging dictatorships.The erosion of basic freedoms in these two countries came to mind this week when I interviewed Sergio Ramirez, the Nicaraguan writer and former Sandinista vice president who, on Nov. 16, was a

Nov. 27, 2017

[Adam Minter] China’s bike-sharing bust

During its first six months of existence, Bluegogo, China’s third-largest bike-sharing firm, dumped 600,000 bicycles into Chinese cities. Twenty million people signed up to use them; investors showered the company with $58 million in funds. But with rental rates as low as $0.07 per half-hour, Bluegogo’s days were numbered and last week the company folded. In an apologetic letter, its CEO conceded that he had been “filled with arrogance.”　He’s not the only one. In the space of 18 months, dockless

Nov. 26, 2017

[Mac Margolis] Brazil is on track to get its own Trump

These days, you need steady nerves to join the Brazilian political conversation. Ask Judith Butler, the University of California, Berkeley, comparative literature professor known for her provocative ideas about gender. Two weeks ago, she was hectored by street protesters in Sao Paulo, burned in effigy, and chased by contrarians all the way to the airport.　Butler wasn’t the only target. In recent weeks, sois-disant protectors of public morals attacked a museum and a cultural center in two cities

Nov. 26, 2017