DGI Brief - July 21, 2016

Good morning, all. Today's top 5 global issues news are about #Turkey #Europe's #economy #Zimbabwe #Russia and #USA

- TURKEY: The suspension is partial, however the government is allowed to both partially or entirely suspend “the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms under Turkish Constitution. That is concerning in a country that already has a poor human rights record. The state of emergency gives President Erdogan worrying new powers to continue his purge & autocracy w/o parliamentary approval. 10,000 people have been arrested & nearly 60,000 civil servants suspended or fired. Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign & local currency sovereign credit ratings were downgraded to BB/B & BB+/B w/ a negative outlook. Related ripple effects in the following comment.

- Terrorist attacks in EUROPE, attempted coup & volatile security situation in the neighboring regions, economic uncertainty following Brexit, severe weather & strikes throughout European countries are hitting the airline industry first. Shares for giants like Lufthansa & low-cost locals like easyJet slumped over 5% this year. Other industries will inevitably follow.

- The group is the ZIMBABWE National Liberation War Veterans Association & supported Mugabe’s 36 years in power, often using violence against opposition groups. Now they break w/ him. Mugabe has turned to the youth league hoping for support from young generations & suggested to his critics that anyone unhappy should leave Zimbabwe. Fabulous way to treat your citizens. That was sarcasm.

- RUSSIA: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is ‘satisfied’ w/ the international court’s rejection of Russia’s appeal of the Olympic ban. Accountability matters.

- USA: The Denying Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act passed both US Senate & House of Representatives, hailed as bi-partisan effort, & awaits President Obama’s signature.. The bill sets a federal labeling standard for foods w/ genetically modified ingredients & prevents states from creating their own. That’s the good part. But the measure gives food producers a choice of how to disclose GMO presence: use text (can be only a 1-800 number), symbols or a QR code. Problem. The burden would be on the consumer. Scanning QR codes, calling companies to then sift through mountain of info where a simple symbol should be used. Problem. And what about the 1/3 of Americans who don’t own a smart phone to read a QR code? Problem. Call 866-942-5138 to stop this bill. We deserve a better version.

#Erdogan #coupattempt #Turkeycoup #stateofemergency #purge #humanrights #economy #slump #airlines #business #democracy #opposition #doping #Rio2016 #Olympics2016 #Olympicgames #WADA #GMO #GMOlabeling #foodlabeling #consumerrights #stopMonsanto #activism