The China question

July 07, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

A shaky stock market, a real estate bubble, and other issues raise concerns about the Chinese economy.

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As negotiators braced for yet another possible extension of nuclear talks, Iran demanded on Monday that any deal should include the end to a United Nations arms embargo as well – a condition backed by Russia but opposed by the United States as it seeks to limit Tehran's Mideast influence. Late last month, Iran and six world powers gave themselves an extra week past June 30 after it became clear that that original deadline could not be met. The sides now are trying to work out a deal that would limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the easing of tens of billions of dollars in economic penalties on the Islamic Republic. But disagreements persisted as the sides moved close to the new Tuesday deadline, and White House spokesman Josh Earnest said another extension was "certainly possible."

South Carolina lawmakers on Monday began debating whether to bring the Confederate flag down outside the Capitol. The state Senate voted to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds Monday afternoon. The state House of Representatives is expected to consider the measure on Tuesday.

A day of extremist violence against both Muslims and Christians in Nigeria killed more than 60 people, including worshippers in a mosque who came to hear a cleric known for preaching peaceful coexistence of all faiths. Militants from Boko Haram were blamed for the bombings Sunday night at a crowded mosque and a posh Muslim restaurant in the central city of Jos; a suicide bombing earlier at an evangelical Christian church in the northeastern city of Potiskum, and attacks in several northeastern villages where dozens of churches and about 300 homes were torched.

A massive airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition targeting rebels in Yemen hit a local marketplace on Monday, killing more than 45 civilians, security officials and eyewitnesses said. More than 50 civilians were wounded in the strike in Fayoush, just north of the southern port city of Aden, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information otherwise.

A slew of global economic and geopolitical factors are working to pummel the price of oil and set up US drivers for very low gasoline prices later this year. The price of US crude dropped 7.7 percent Monday to close at $52.53 a barrel and is now down nearly 15 percent from the high for the year set on June 10. Gasoline prices in the US will likely slide somewhat from a national average of $2.77 over the next few weeks. Experts then expect a substantial decline in late summer and fall, pushing average gasoline prices in some low-price states below $2 a gallon again.

The reclusive beekeeper who co-founded Burt's Bees, and whose face and wild beard appeared on labels for the natural cosmetics, died on Sunday. Burt Shavitz was a hippie making a living by selling honey when his life was altered by a chance encounter with a hitchhiking Roxanne Quimby. She was a single mother and a back-to-the-lander who impressed Shavitz with her ingenuity and self-sufficiency. In the 1980s she began making products from his beeswax, and they became partners.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

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