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| Presented By The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition |
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| Axios World |
| By Dave Lawler · Jun 13, 2022 |
| Welcome back to Axios World. - This evening's edition (1,704 words, 6½ minutes) covers inflation, U.S.-China talks, a presidential robbery in South Africa, and the most dangerous race in the world. Thanks for being a reader.
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| 1 big thing: Inflation surges all around the world |
 Data: Moody's Analytics, OECD and Trading Economics; Chart: Baidi Wang/Axios Inflation in the U.S. is at a 40-year high, but America isn't alone. Soaring prices are a truly global phenomenon. The big picture: An analysis of inflation across 111 countries from Deutsche Bank puts the U.S. near the middle of the pack. Among those countries, the median rate of 7.9% year-over-year inflation has more than doubled from 3.0% one year ago, thanks largely to spiking energy and food prices. Inflation rates from May in western European countries like the Netherlands (+8.8% year-over-year) and Germany (+7.9%) are roughly on par with the U.S. (+8.6%). Inflation is a bit lower in France (+5.8%), but as high as 20% in the Baltic states, according to OECD data. - As in the U.S. and much of the world, sky-high energy prices exacerbated by the war in Ukraine have been a major driver of inflation in Europe. Energy prices in the U.S. are up 35% over last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- They have spiked even higher (+51%) in the U.K., which like the U.S. recently recorded its highest inflation rate (+9.0%) since the early 1980s, per the Financial Times. The U.K.'s grim economic outlook is deepening concerns about a cost-of-living crisis.
Breaking it down: While inflation is generally high around the world, it's lower in big Asian economies like China (+2.1%) and Japan (+2.5%) — though both countries have experienced upticks this year. - After years of very low inflation, Japan is expected to finally hit the central bank's 2% target this year. But wages are stagnant and consumers are unaccustomed to the rising prices, per the BBC.
- China's lower inflation is explained in part by Beijing's relatively limited stimulus during the pandemic, strong price controls and weak consumer demand, per WSJ.
- South Korea, meanwhile, experienced the sharpest increase in inflation in 14 years in May, to 5.4%. President Yoon Suk-yeol warned Friday of a coming economic "typhoon," per FT.
While countries around the world, including South Korea, are raising interest rates to stem inflation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has insisted on rate cuts. - Turkey's official inflation rate of 74% is the highest in the G20, and it's likely higher still in reality.
- The next highest is Argentina (+58%), which has been printing money to help cover its deficit.
- Several of the biggest economies in Latin America and Africa are also recording double-digit inflation.
What to watch: Food commodity prices are at a record high, according to the World Bank's index, and have risen sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. The twin rise in energy and food prices is hitting developing countries particularly hard. |
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| 2. Global news roundup: Two U.S.-China meetings |
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| Sullivan (right) and Yang during a previous meeting in Rome in March. Photo: Jin Mamengni/Xinhua via Getty |
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| National security adviser Jake Sullivan held a "productive," 4.5-hour meeting with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Luxembourg today, a senior administration official told reporters. State of play: The meeting, which was not announced in advance, came just three days after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Chinese counterpart Gen. Wei Fenghe at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. - While at that conference, Austin accused Beijing of "destabilizing military activity near Taiwan," while Wei said China would fight against Taiwanese independence "at all costs" and accused the U.S. of "smearing and containing China."
- A senior U.S. official briefing reporters on the Sullivan-Yang meeting said it was "productive" and part of the administration's efforts at "managing the competitive dynamic" with Beijing and "reducing risks" by communicating its intentions and priorities. Go deeper.
More global headlines: - The controversial U.K. plan to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda is set to go ahead Tuesday after the U.K. Court of Appeal declined to issue an injunction. Less than a dozen asylum-seekers are expected to be on Tuesday's flight due to individual legal challenges, per Reuters.
- A truckers' strike in South Korea prompted by high fuel prices continued for a seventh day today, hitting global tech supply chains.
- Former Bolivian President Jeanine Añez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in ousting her predecessor, Evo Morales. She says the charges are politically motivated and has promised to appeal.
- The U.K. is proceeding with plans to violate parts of its Brexit agreement with the EU, leading to fears of a trade war. At issue is the "Northern Ireland Protocol."
- An exhaustive Washington Post investigation determined that an Israeli soldier "likely shot and killed" Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
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| 3. South Africa's president was robbed. Then came the scandal |
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| Ramaphosa at Friday's press conference. Photo: Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty |
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| When burglars made off with a stash of his cash hidden at his farmhouse two years ago, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa didn't inform the police or the public. Why it matters: Arthur Fraser, a former spy chief loyal to a rival faction within Ramaphosa's ruling African National Congress, exposed the "Farmgate" affair, claiming Ramaphosa tasked his own security unit with kidnapping the suspects and then paying them to remain quiet. In a press conference on Friday, Ramaphosa admitted the burglary took place and that he did not report it. - But he claimed the money was legitimate income from his farm and was far less than the $4 million to $8 million figure put forward by Fraser.
What to watch: Ramaphosa was known to be very wealthy before seeking the presidency, but the disclosure that he had vast sums of foreign currency hidden on his farm won't help his anti-corruption bona fides when he seeks re-election as ANC leader in December. |
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| A message from The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition |
| With growing global threats, what's it worth for America to engage? |
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| Ukraine, a global food crisis and new variants — global instability is impacting Americans from the grocery store to the gas pump. It's why veterans like Idaho's Mario Pile are in Washington this week to urge Congress to invest in global solutions by strengthening U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid. |
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| Bonus: Where in the world? |
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| Courtesy of Worldmapblank.com |
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| Can you name the cities in which the following international organizations are based? I realized this one was pretty tough, so I put some rough locations on the map to help you along. - African Union
- Arab League
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN (Secretariat)
- Eurasian Economic Union (Commission)
- European Union (Commission)
- European Parliament
- Gulf Cooperation Council
- Mercosur (South American trade bloc)
- NATO
- United Nations
Scroll to the bottom for the answers. |
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| 4. Data du jour: U.S. is global outlier on gun ownership |
 Data: Small Arms Survey; Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios The United States in 2017 represented about 4% of the global population, but had about 46% of the world's civilian-owned firearms, according to a 2018 survey, Axios' Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath reports. - The Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey estimates the U.S. had more than double the number of civilian-owned firearms as the next highest country: war-torn Yemen.
- Worth noting: The Small Arms Survey notes the difficulty in counting the number of civilian-owned firearms due to unregistered guns, lack of reliable data and the illegal arms trade, among other factors.
The latest: A group of bipartisan senators this weekend struck an agreement on what could be the most significant gun safety measure approved by Congress in decades, Axios' Alayna Treene writes. |
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| 5. Two exclusives: Escaping Afghanistan and replacing a Nobel winner |
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| World Food Program chief David Beasley. Photo: Andrea Renault/AFP via Getty Images |
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| 1. The Biden White House was angling to replace David Beasley, the head of the World Food Program, before an extraordinary bipartisan intervention by senators convinced the president to support extending his term, Axios' Hans Nichols and Jonathan Swan report. Why it matters: The potential change at the top of the Rome-based UN agency, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, could have complicated the WFP's ability to raise money and deliver food at a critical moment for global hunger. Behind the scenes: Beasley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina, was nominated by former President Trump in 2017 for a five-year term. - As that term drew to an end, the White House was inclined to replace him. But Beasley has broad — and bipartisan — support in Congress for his fundraising skills and willingness to travel to war zones.
- "I urged that he strongly be considered for an extension because of what I'd seen of his effectiveness in the world and in Congress," Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) — a key Biden ally — told Axios.
- The UN — with Biden's consent — gave Beasley a one-year extension in March.
2. An Afghan American freed in April after being detained by the Taliban used his connections to help secure the release last Thursday of an American woman held in northern Afghanistan, Axios' Zach Basu reports. Mahnaz Safi and Safi Rauf at New York's JFK International Airport. Photo courtesy of Safi Rauf How it happened: 33-year-old Mahnaz Safi who was born in New Jersey to Afghan parents, decided to travel to a village in Jowzjan province, Afghanistan, in May. - She said her goal was to distribute $18,000 in humanitarian aid that she raised on GoFundMe, and to explore her roots.
- Three weeks into her stay, Safi was brought in for questioning by the local police, who were suspicious of why an American with thousands of dollars and without a visa was living with people who were not her family. That led to several days of interrogations.
Her U.S. family reached out to Safi Rauf, co-founder of Human First Coalition, after reading about his own months-long detention in Taliban custody and humanitarian work. - Rauf negotiated with village-level and national officials to secure her release in exchange for direct humanitarian aid.
Go deeper. |
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| 6. The world's most dangerous race |
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| A competitor during the 2007 Isle of Man TT. Photo: Ian Walton/Getty Images |
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| The Isle of Man TT motorcycle race, the "deadliest race on Earth," returned this weekend after two consecutive COVID cancellations. Sadly, so did the fatalities, Axios' Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy write. Driving the news: Five competitors died at this year's event, the second-most ever behind 1970 (six). Overall, 265 competitors have died in races on the island's infamous 37.7-mile Mountain Course since the TT's 1907 debut. The circuit runs through the mountains, filled with blind turns on tree- and stonewall-lined roads, leaving little margin for error. - There are calls for the race to be banned, but competitors say they know the risks.
- One key to its survival is the economic boost it provides the Isle of Man (pop. 85,000), which lies in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.
- 46,000 visitors spent $46 million during the 2019 event, which is about one-third of the nation's annual tourism income. Schools are closed during race week, and the day of the Senior TT is a public holiday.
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| 7. Stories we're watching |
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| Monkeys enjoy some watermelon on a sweltering day in New Delhi. Photo: Imtiyaz Khan/Anadolu Agency via Getty |
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- Biden planning July trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel
- Bridges out of Severodonetsk destroyed
- Brookings president resigns amid FBI probe
- UN human rights chief opts not to seek second term
- Biden unveils migration agreement for hemisphere
- CDC lifts test requirement for international air travelers
- Ukraine enlisted White House alum to fight Russian propaganda
Quoted: "Saving people from dangerous journeys is absolutely great, but is that the right way to do it? Is that the real motivation for this deal to happen? I don't think so." — UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi today on the U.K.'s plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda. ( UN News) |
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| A message from The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition |
| There's no longer any question: Leading globally matters locally |
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| With growing threats overseas, global instability is a kitchen table issue impacting American families here at home. It's why veterans like Virginia's Lyla Kohistany are in Washington this week for USGLC's Global Impact Forum to urge Congress to strengthen U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid. |
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| Answers: 1. Addis Ababa; 2. Cairo; 3. Jakarta; 4. Moscow; 5. Brussels; 6. Strasbourg; 7. Riyadh; 8. Montevideo; 9. Brussels; 10. New York Key: 1. African Union; 2. Arab League; 3. ASEAN; 4. Eurasian Economic Union; 5. EU; 6. European Parliament; 7. Gulf Cooperation Council. 8. Mercosur; 9. NATO; 10. UN |
 | It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | |
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