An interconnected world economy

December 30, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Amid otherwise encouraging economic news, difficulties for some countries can pose problems for all.

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There were no fire alarms at first, no knocks on the door from the crew, just thick, acrid smoke filling cabins and waking passengers on the overnight ferry from Greece to Italy. In the chaos that followed, passengers sought safety from the flames on deck, only to be drenched by cold rain and firefighting hoses while heat from the fire below burned their feet. Pushing and shoving broke out, and passengers came to blows over space in lifeboats and helicopter baskets. Italian and Greek helicopter rescue crews Monday evacuated the last of the known survivors aboard the vessel, bringing the number rescued to 427. But the death toll climbed to at least 10, and the search in the Adriatic Sea for more possible victims continued amid serious discrepancies in the ship's manifest and confusion over how many people were aboard.

Thousands of Afghans are pouring into makeshift camps in the capital where they face a harsh winter as the Taliban return to areas once cleared by foreign forces, who this week are marking the end of their combat mission. On the grimy outskirts of Kabul, hundreds of families are huddled in flimsy tents or mud shelters at the Bagrami camp. By day, the children forage for fuel and food. At night, the families burn garbage to try to keep warm as the icy winds sweep down from the Hindu Kush mountains surrounding the city and temperatures plunge to below freezing.

Long criticized as the party of old white men, Republicans are seeing a diverse group of people step up for possible contention in the 2016 presidential race. This class of contenders could include two Hispanic senators, an Indian-American governor, a female business leader and an African-American neurosurgeon. In a group that could exceed a dozen Republican White House prospects, all but a few are in their 40s or 50s, while one of the oldest white men is a fluent Spanish speaker whose wife is a native Mexican.

A year after three Al-Jazeera English journalists were arrested in Egypt, they and their families are pleading for justice and an end to their ordeal. The unprecedented arrest and prosecution of Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohammed sent a chill through the media in Egypt. They were detained in a raid on suspicion of helping the Muslim Brotherhood, which the government later declared a terrorist organization, and were sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison in a trial that most observers called a politicized sham that lacked any evidence to incriminate the journalists of anything beyond doing their job. Egypt's Court of Cassation begins hearing their appeal on Thursday. A recent reconciliation between Egypt and Qatar – the tiny Gulf nation that owns the Al-Jazeera news network and is a strong backer of the Brotherhood – has raised speculation that a solution is in the works that could lead to the journalists' release.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio saw success at fulfilling many of his liberal campaign promises during his first year in office but has at times been overshadowed by events beyond his control, most notably the recent killings of two police officers amid a wave of protests against police conduct. The mayor, whose election opened a new chapter in America's largest city after billionaire Michael Bloomberg's three terms, has appeared triumphant against some of those outside forces – notably during an Ebola scare – and has become a national progressive voice. The police shooting, however, has pushed his young mayoralty into its biggest crisis yet.

“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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