Economic policy around the world continues to be shaped by influential thinkers whose ideas help guide governments, financial institutions, and global markets.

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The Role of Economic Thought in Global Policy

Throughout modern history, economists and policy strategists have played a central role in shaping how nations approach economic growth, financial stability, and global cooperation. Their research and insights often influence decisions made by central banks, governments, and international institutions.

In an increasingly interconnected world, economic policies in one region can quickly affect markets and industries across the globe. As a result, the ideas of leading economic thinkers remain highly relevant in guiding policy discussions and long-term planning.

Ideas That Influence Global Markets

Economic frameworks developed by influential scholars have shaped many of the policies that guide modern financial systems. Concepts related to monetary policy, fiscal stimulus, and international trade continue to evolve as economists analyze new challenges and opportunities.

These ideas often serve as the foundation for strategies designed to maintain economic stability while encouraging sustainable growth across different regions.

Leadership and Policy Innovation

In addition to academic contributions, many economists also serve as advisors to governments or international organizations. Their expertise helps decision-makers understand complex financial dynamics and anticipate potential risks within global markets.

By combining theoretical knowledge with practical policy experience, these experts help shape the economic strategies that influence industries, employment, and international trade.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Economic Influence

As global markets continue to evolve, the role of economic thought leaders will remain critical. New technologies, demographic shifts, and emerging markets are creating both challenges and opportunities for policymakers around the world.

Through research, dialogue, and policy innovation, influential economists will continue to shape the direction of global economic development for years to come.

Image Source: Eric Gang

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Written by Jon Stojan

The president’s recent decision to deploy National Guard units to Washington in response to crime has reignited a longstanding debate: when does a guardsman’s service cross the threshold into veteran status, and what benefits should follow? For Eric Gang, founder of Gang & Associates and one of the nation’s leading veterans’ rights attorneys, the distinction is not just a matter of legal technicality; it can determine whether an injured guardsman receives federal benefits for life or nothing at all.

Image Source: Gang & Associates

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“Every state and territory has a National Guard,” Gang explains. “They are often called up during natural disasters or civil disturbances. But the real difference is who calls them, whether it’s the governor or the president. That difference shapes what benefits they may ever receive.”

If a governor activates the Guard, the mission is considered state service. Should a soldier be injured while filling sandbags after a flood or helping a community recover from a tornado, they may receive some state-level benefits but not federal veterans’ compensation. By contrast, when the president activates the Guard under federal orders, that service is treated as active duty for federal purposes. As Gang emphasizes, “If a guardsman is injured in the line of duty under federal activation, he is considered a veteran, and that opens the door to VA benefits, from disability compensation to education support and home loans.”

The stakes are particularly high as Guardsmen are deployed into urban environments marked by violent crime. “It’s one thing to support disaster relief,” Gang notes. “It’s another to be placed in the middle of unrest, where there are illegal guns on the street, where people may view them as hostile forces. These guardsmen face real risks, being shot at, assaulted, or even exposed to infectious diseases.”

Gang’s work has made him a national voice on when Guard service counts as federal duty. His firm litigated Watkins v. McDonough, a landmark 2022 case in which the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims considered when active duty officially begins. Gang argued successfully that a service member is deemed on active duty starting at 12:01 a.m. on the date listed in their orders, not just when they report later in the day. “If someone is ordered to report at 8 a.m., and they get into a car accident on the way at 7 a.m., that still counts,” Gang says. “The law recognizes that from the first moment of that day, they are subject to military justice, and they should also be entitled to veterans’ benefits.”

Image Source: Veterans Disability Info

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That interpretation matters. Guardsmen activated federally who suffer an injury, even en route to their duty station, can claim VA benefits if it occurred after 12:01 a.m. on their activation date. For Gang, this legal nuance ensures fairness. “It wouldn’t make sense,” he stresses, “to hold someone accountable to the Uniform Code of Military Justice from 12:01 a.m. but deny them benefits if they were hurt that same morning.”

The line is sharper for National Guard service under governors. Those missions, however necessary for public safety, are not considered active duty in the federal sense. “It can feel unfair,” Gang acknowledges. “But Congress has drawn that line. State-activated guardsmen don’t qualify for the same VA benefits, because their duty is not considered federal service.”

This split, he says, has deep political roots. Gang points to parallels with the civil rights era, when federal authorities deployed the Guard to enforce school desegregation over the objections of state governors. “We have always had tension between state and federal authority,” Gang observes. “Today, it plays out in debates over crime and immigration enforcement. But the ones caught in the middle are the guardsmen themselves. They are not political actors; they are simply doing their job.”

Gang stresses that these men and women should not be scapegoated. “They are innocent parties. They don’t decide where they are sent or who sends them. They deserve clarity about their status and the assurance that, if they are harmed in service, their country will take care of them.”

As deployments expand to other cities facing high crime, the questions that Gang raises grow more urgent. Guardsmen activated federally will qualify for VA benefits if injured or if they contract a disease in the line of duty. Those activated by governors may not. The distinction is critical for the thousands of citizen-soldiers who balance civilian lives with part-time service, and who may suddenly find themselves on the frontlines of contentious crises.

“It’s important for these individuals to know what is included when they are deployed,” Gang says. “Understanding when active duty starts, and under whose authority they are serving, can make all the difference in their future.”

Image Source: Unsplash

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Petrochemical Holding GmbH has learned that Romania will appeal an award made by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes in November 2024.

Petrochemical Holding GmbH brought a dispute to ICSID in July 2019, claiming the Romanian state had breached its obligations under the Energy Charter Treaty by sanctioning the unlawful sequestration of the company’s assets in RAFO Onești, a major Romanian petrochemicals plant.

An ICSID Tribunal ruled in favour of Petrochemical Holding GmbH, finding that that the Austrian company had been ‘denied the right to fair and equitable treatment established by this treaty [the Energy Charter Treaty]’.

Petrochemical Holding GmbH were awarded €85 million plus interest by ICSID, significantly less than the €837.2 million the company had requested. ICSID awards are final and binding, and can be recognised and enforced in any ICSID Member State.

ICSID is the world’s leading institution devoted to international investment dispute settlement. ICSID was established in 1966 by the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes Between States and Nationals of Other States, which has been signed by 165 States.

Petrochemical Holding GmbH is an Austrian company that has invested in petrochemicals projects across central and eastern Europe. It is owned by Austrian businessman, Iakov Goldovskiy, who has previously invested in the petrochemicals sectors in several Central and Eastern European countries.

The company acquired RAFO from bankruptcy in 2007, reimbursing all of RAFO’s creditors in full for the first time in Romanian history.

Romania has filed for annulment of the award with ICSID. According to statistics published by the court, only 2.6% of registered arbitrations under the ICSID Convention were annulled.

In the meantime, the €85 million award in favour of Petrochemical Holding GmbH will continue to accrue interest. Romania also risks enforcement proceedings being made against Romanian assets that are not subject to sovereign immunity.

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Dubai-based architecture firm ZNera Space has proposed a new type of contemporary symbol for the city: a green and natural landmark that serves as a "continuous metropolis" around Burj Khalifa. Dubbed "Downtown Circle", the project features installing a giant ring-like structure of 550 meters in length around the world’s tallest free-standing structure. The structure will "investigate how at this critical time in the country’s development, architects, and urban planners can move away from previous urban models of isolated skyscrapers, towards a more humane typology that seeks to emulate nature and create diverse public spaces".

The project comes as a response to the continuous rise of the global population, and how the fabric of urban centers is changing, especially in Dubai, where rapid urbanization drive has prompted rapid urban growth characterized by skyscrapers and sprawl. The 550 meter tall mega structure offers an alternative to the singular and unconnected high-rises found in most metropolitan areas.

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The structure's circumference is 3 km. As it encircles the Burj Khalifa, it draws panoramic views and clean air from the skypark which forms the central spine of the development. The large scale of the structure is broken down into smaller units to create a variety of spaces to serve public, commercial, and cultural programs. The project offers a variety of office and housing typologies, from large offices and living/working units, to lofts, townhouses, and terraced houses.

The downtown circle project aims to establish a sustainable and a self sufficient vertical urbanism, creating a hyper-efficient urban center that gives back to the environment. The footprint of the building is composed of two main rings, which are held together by a a continuous green belt – the “skypark” – which is illuminated with natural light and has offices and research centers embedded in it. The “skypark” connects the floors with each other vertically, creating a connected three-dimensional urban green eco system.

The concept is a potential answer to the global search for new, mixed urban typologies, which combine high densities and lavish greenery, dynamic urban functions and a high-quality user experience, following the demand for both climate protection and environmental excellence. Different climates are recreated inside the continuous skypark, where visitors can experience canyons, sandy dunes, and plants from various floras. Swamps, waterfalls, tropical vegetation, digital caves, cascades, fruit-trees, and flowers of various hues and species enrich the green eco system.

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In order to give back to the natural environment, the plan includes proposed areas for rainwater harvesting and solar power. The design also stores carbon and filters pollutants from the air, in addition to providing sanctuaries for wild plants and food production. The Skypark within the structure will provide residents with a connection to nature and enable opportunities for outdoor recreation and a healthier lifestyle. Taking into account the coastal development and how vulnerable they are to rising sea levels, the proposed typology explores remedies and proposes a unique urban model in response to this threat.

As for transportation, a fleet of suspended peripheral pods transport passengers from one node to another within the Downtown circle. These suspended vessels travel through a network of rail at the bottom tier towards their destination. 20-passenger pods are loaded at the outer perimeter ring and are connected through a pressurized vessels attached to the main lift cores. These hyper pods can travel at speeds of 100 kilometers per hour, and capture a 360 view of the entire city at the height of 500 meters.

Russia's economy shrank 4.0% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2022, the first full quarter of what Russia calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine, preliminary data from the federal statistics service Rosstat showed on Friday.

The economy is plunging into recession after Moscow sent its armed forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, triggering sweeping Western restrictions on its energy and financial sectors, including a freeze of Russian reserves held abroad, leading scores of Western companies to quit the market.Rosstat did not provide any further details but analysts said the contraction had been caused by weakness in consumer demand and the aftermath of sanctions.

"June data suggests the contraction in the Russian economy seems to have bottomed out as the situation in some industries is stabilising," said Sergey Konygin, an economist at Sinara Investment Bank.

The second-quarter contraction in gross domestic product was not as deep as expected. Analysts polled by Reuters had on average forecast GDP would shrink 7% year-on-year in April-June after expanding 3.5% in the first quarter.

The central bank's analysts had expected GDP to contract 4.3% in the second quarter, saying it was on track to fall 7% in the third quarter. The central bank projects the economy will start recovering in the second half of 2023.

Given the highly volatile political environment, official forecasts for the depth of Russia's recession vary.

The economy ministry said in April that gross domestic product could fall by more than 12% this year - after growth of 4.7% in 2021 - in what would have been the biggest contraction since the mid-1990s.

But forecasts have softened since then as Russia pushes back against restrictions.

The central bank predicted in April that GDP would shrink 8%-10%, but last month revised that to forecast a 4%-6% contraction.

"GDP contraction will reach its bottom in the first half of 2023," central bank deputy chairman Alexei Zabotkin said on Friday. "The economy will move towards a new long-term equilibrium."

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The Mastercard Foundation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will deploy $1.3 billion over the next three years as part of a new initiative to acquire and deliver vaccines across the continent.

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods scheme aims to secure shots for more than 50 million people and help develop vaccine manufacturing in African countries, the organizations said in a press release Tuesday. The second wave of Covid-19 has hit Africa much harder than the first, according to analysis published in March in The Lancet medical journal.

"Ensuring equitable access and delivery of vaccines across Africa is urgent. This initiative is about valuing all lives and accelerating the economic recovery of the continent," said Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation.

The announcement comes amid growing global concern over Covid-19 vaccine inequality. Many African nations have struggled with barely sufficient supplies of shots. The African Development Bank has warned that the pandemic could drive 39 million people into extreme poverty in 2021.

"Ensuring inclusivity in vaccine access, and building Africa's capacity to manufacture its own vaccines, is not just good for the continent, it's the only sustainable path out of the pandemic and into a health-secure future," said Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that he hoped the African continent's vaccine manufacturing sites would be up and running by the end of 2021.

"Sharing vaccines now is essential for ending the acute phase of the pandemic. But it's also clear that in an emergency, low income countries cannot rely solely on imports of vaccines from wealthier nations," he said at a news briefing.

The African Union hopes to vaccinate at least 60% of its population -- approximately 750 million people -- by the end of 2022. Currently, less than 2% of Africans have received at least one Covid-19 shot, according to the Africa CDC press release.

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The cryptocurrency has fallen roughly 8% over the past 24 hours, according to Coindesk, and was trading near $33,200 at 4:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

Other digital currencies, including ethereum and dogecoin, also fell around 8% or more.

The value of bitcoin has tanked more than 40% over the last month during a torrent of bad news, including a move by one prominent former backer, Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, to stop accepting the cryptocurrency as payment for cars. There's also increasing government scrutiny on cryptos in China and elsewhere.

It's not clear what is driving the most recent downturn, but there have been a handful of recent developments that may be making investors anxious.

Musk tweeted a meme that appeared to lament the end of his relationship with the cryptocurrency, causing bitcoin's value to sink on Friday.

And over the weekend, several social media accounts related to cryptocurrency were blocked in China — a notable move from a country that has in recent weeks widened its crypto crackdown by banning banks and payment companies from providing crypto-related services, and tightening regulations against crypto mining.

On Tuesday, the Securities Daily, a state-owned news organization, commended Beijing's ongoing focus on crypto, writing in an editorial that China has entered an era of "strong supervision" over the industry that is needed to guard against financial security risks.

Even former US President Donald Trump has knocked bitcoin recently, telling Fox Business on Monday that the currency "seems like a scam" that "takes the edge off of the dollar."

The Biden administration has also zeroed in on the lack of regulation in the crypto market, having recently unveiled new plans to tax bitcoin more heavily. The Federal Reserve appears to be growing more serious about exploring a potential digital dollar.

Experts have pointed out that ransomware actors use cryptocurrency to launder their transactions, and US authorities have called the misuse of cryptocurrency in such situations a "massive enabler." Such issues returned to the spotlight on Monday when the US Justice Department announced that authorities recovered $2.3 million in bitcoin paid to ransomware hackers who attacked the Colonial Pipeline last month.

The sell-off could worsen if bitcoin prices fall below $30,000, according to Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst for Asia Pacific at Oanda.

Breaking below that barrier would "basically put every long position since January 1st in the red, which I believe, will trigger another capitulation trade," he wrote in a Tuesday research note.

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Global equities rose on Monday, but the mood among investors was cautious, as surging commodity prices and government bond yields continued to fan fears of a damaging rise in inflation, just as the world economy is starting to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Futures on the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones fell between 0.7% and 1.0%, while those on the technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 dropped by nearly 1.5%, pointing to a weak start to trade later in the day.

The benchmark indices have all hit record highs this month, thanks to the promise of more US government stimulus, as well as an acceleration in the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations.

But these same factors have ignited a rally in commodities, sending the price of economically sensitive materials such as copper and nickel to multi-year highs, while the cost of lumber has hit all-time peaks.

Government bond yields, particularly in the United States, are surging, as their price falls. The yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note is around 1.37%, its highest in a year, having doubled in the space of six months.

More pressingly for risk assets has been the pick up in so-called real yields, which strip out the effects of inflation. In the last month alone, 10-year real yields have risen by around a quarter of a percentage point and is one of the indicators that has needled some of the early-2021 euphoria among equity investors.

US lawmakers will open debate on President Joe Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan act this week. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell will deliver testimony to the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees.

"It would seem out of character for Powell to deliver a hawkish spin, especially given this back up in real yields and a repricing of the Fed (albeit small) in recent times. So soothing words for markets seems likely but the inflation fears are unlikely to go away whatever he says," Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid said.

In Europe, the Stoxx 600 was down 1.2%, while London's FTSE 100 fell 1.1% and Frankfurt's DAX lost 1.3%. Overnight in Asia, the picture was similarly downbeat. The Shanghai Composite and the Hang Seng fell 1.4%, while Seoul's KOSPI fell 1.1%.

"Investors are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is very long. Despite the significant progress made since the outbreak of the pandemic, concerns about new, potentially more dangerous COVID-19 variants persist," Axi strategist Milan Cutkovic said.

"Market participants are increasingly looking at the bond market. Rising yields threaten to slow the stock market rally down," Cutkovic added. Oil marched higher, boosted by a winter storm in Texas that has knocked out around 40% of total US crude supply. Brent crude futures briefly traded above $65 a barrel for the first time since last January and were last up 0.75% at $62.61 a barrel. WTI crude, which has gained 14% this month, was up 0.7% at $59.62 a barrel.

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The United Nations must be given "urgent and unfettered" access to Xinjiang to investigate reports of abuses in the Chinese region, the United Kingdom said Monday, upon its return to the UN Human Rights Council as a voting member.

During an address to the council in Geneva, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the rights record of fellow council members China and Russia, and also raised concerns about Myanmar and Belarus.

"We see almost daily reports now that shine a new light on China's systematic human rights violations perpetrated against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang," Raab said during the meeting.

"The situation in Xinjiang is beyond the pale. The reported abuses -- which include torture, forced labor and forced sterilization of women -- are extreme and they are extensive," Raab added.

China has been widely condemned for setting up complexes in Xinjiang that Beijing describes as "vocational training centers" to stamp out extremism and give people new skills. China's critics have called them concentration camps.

Earlier on Monday, China said Xinjiang and Tibet were "important examples of human rights progress."

"China is a country that has always protected and promoted the development of human rights," Senior Diplomat Wang Yi said in a speech. "Over the past 60 years, Xinjiang's economic aggregate has increased by more than 200 times, the per capita GDP has increased by nearly 40 times, and the average life expectancy has increased from 30 to 72 years," Wang added.

The United Nations has said at least 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang.

While the Chinese government has repeatedly said that Muslim minorities in Xinjiang are enjoying a high quality of life, attempts by journalists to report independently on the region have often been hamstrung by authorities.

The Chinese government is facing growing pressure to address allegations of human rights abuses towards Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

On January 19, the US announced it had determined that the Chinese government was committing genocide in Xinjiang, which then-Secretary of State Pompeo described as "the systematic attempt to destroy Uyghurs by the Chinese party-state."

After US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was confirmed one week later, he said that the Biden administration stood by the genocide finding.

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Zach Hirsch, widely known online as Mystic Zach, is not only an influential digital celebrity but he is also know for being the most accurate young sports analyst and handicapper in the world. Last season at only seventeen years old, Zach picked over 90% of all football, basketball and combat sports correctly. Amazingly he picked 21 straight college football games correctly including the SEC Championship, the College Semi-Finals and the National Championship Game. He has predicted hundreds of boxing, MMA and most recently BKFC Bareknuckle bouts correctly in addition to accurately calling the last four NFL Super Bowls.

His love of sports ultimately became the foundation for one of the most coveted nouvelle sports and lifestyle digital brands of today.

His success has translated into a massive Instagram® following – over 350,000 strong – and a burgeoning line or exclusive apparel. Mystic Zach has also been recognized by some of the most iconic sportsmen of all time as a virtuoso handicapper with an effortless winning personality.

The eighteen-year-old handicapper recently granted us an inside look at what goes on in the mind of a professional win picker:

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What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I get up with barely enough time to walk the dog, shower, get dressed and drive to school. I go to school until three-thirty. I post some content most days and once or twice a week I will stop by my dad’s office to shoot a video. I stay up late, probably too late studying sports. I usually give myself about an hour of chill time. I’ll play basketball or a video game.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I don’t have a real set process. I just kind of make it happen. I am not afraid to try new things; I don’t test or rehearse anything. If I have an idea, I just go for it.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I have a habit of sticking to something I am really interested in until I’m the best at it. I never stop craving improvement. I won’t be satisfied until I’m the best sports analyst and handicapper ever. When I was thirteen, I used to be really into playing Madden on the iPhone., I practiced until I was the number one rated Mobile Madden Player in the world. Today, I don’t play much. I am onto bigger goals.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I stick to what I am passionate about. I also never stop learning and I don’t want to sound cocky, but I pick wins and I do it over and over again. Do what you do best and totally commit to it.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Picking Wins! Analyzing the data, keeping a clear mind free of bias, and staying consistent. There are not too many sports picking guys that are also trying to be sports personalities, and I’m versatile and able to interview and entertain my audience, and I like to have fun while also being knowledgeable. I think my personality plus my knowledge is a unique blend in the sports world. I also share my sports knowledge for free and in return, I get lots of support.

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With this week’s unveiling of the Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami joins the brand’s lineup of collaborative contemporary artists, which includes Richard Orlinski, Mark Ferrero, and Shepard Fairey.

Known for fusing traditional Japanese techniques, such as gold leaf, with modern multimedia and fizzy pop culture motifs, such as his trademark smiling flower, Murakami’s fame transcended the art world.

From 2003 until 2015, he created colorful bags with Louis Vuitton that are still coveted by vintage handbag collectors. He has also worked with Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake ; the brands Vans, Uniqlo, and Crocs; and even rapper Kanye West. But he has remained wary of pricey Swiss watch brands, until now.

“Sometimes collaborations with watch companies only involve printing on the packaging,” the artist said in a video produced for the watch’s launch. “So, I used to say I would collaborate only if I can be fully involved. But I knew that was never an option, and I kept saying no.”

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Hublot convinced him otherwise with a visit to the factory in Nyon, Switzerland, in February of last year. As he experienced the meticulous work of the watchmakers, engineers, and designers, he was inspired. The creative process that ensued resulted in the Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black (US$27,300), fittingly based on his iconic smiling flower.

But rather than just print the cheery motif on the dial, Hublot’s engineers brought it to life. They devised an ingenious system of ball-bearings that allow the petals, set with 456 brilliant-cut black diamonds, to spin around as you move your arm, so the dial is in constant, eye-catching motion. The smiling center of the bloom, encrusted with 107 black diamonds, emerges from the top of the sapphire crystal adding a 3-D aspect to the 45mm satin-finished and polished black ceramic case.

“When I visited the Hublot manufacture in Switzerland for the first time, I realized to what extent the traditional know-how, precision, futuristic technology, and craftsmanship were all intertwined in the creation of a watch,” Murakami said in a news release. “Bringing my art into the creativity of these watchmakers represents a unique adventure for me.”

For Hublot, the partnership marks its first collaboration with a Japanese artist, and the limited edition of 200 pieces is sure to be a hit with collectors worldwide. Given Hublot’s mastery in colored ceramics, expect to see some vibrant Murakami iterations to follow.

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Hublot also added two new Classic Fusion Orlinski models (US$13,600), each limited to 200 pieces. The unisex 40mm pieces are particularly aimed at women in monochromatic vivid blue and glossy black ceramic, featuring a shiny, faceted ceramic dial for the first time.

Hublot has been collaborating with the French artist since 2017, translating his bold, faceted resin sculptures depicting bestiary and pop culture motifs into watches.

Standing next to Orlinski’s massive blue Wild Kong sculpture in Hublot’s HQ, the brand’s CEO Ricardo Guadalupe presented the new duo virtually this week, noting that the partnership has enjoyed immense commercial success so far.

“We have been inspired by the art of Richard Orlinski, and we have tried to put this art in a watch,” he said. “In the end, the result is that the watch itself becomes a piece of art.”

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Climate change is exposing the tragedy of undervaluing resilience, ignoring systemic risks, and not investing up front. Changing consumer preferences and new climate policies mean that businesses need credible transition plans that show how they will seize opportunities in the transition to net zero—or, put simply, they will cease to exist.

Finance has a pivotal role to play by building considerations of climate risk into decision-making, and increasing the flow of capital to assets and investments that are best positioned to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. But, in order to achieve this, the markets need high-quality, decision-useful information from companies to drive capital allocation decisions.

The bedrock for disclosures is the framework created by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, or TCFD. It was set up by the Financial Stability Board, with Mike Bloomberg as chair. As the leader of the task force, I helped develop its disclosure recommendations. They rest on four pillars: governance, strategy, risk management, and targets and metrics.

Investors, banks, insurers, and pension funds responsible for assets of $155 trillion have endorsed or adopted the TCFD recommendations. They are demanding that companies assess the risks and opportunities that climate change poses to their business models and disclose this information appropriately. Many companies are responding. The latest status report shows that over 40% of companies with a market capitalization greater than $10 billion disclosed in line with TCFD recommendations in 2019.

This shows good progress, but not enough. Full disclosure against all of the task force’s recommendations is still rare. Disclosure of the potential financial impact of climate change on companies’ businesses and strategies is limited, and progress in building consistency remains uneven.

Global momentum is building to make climate-related disclosures mandatory. More than 110 regulators and government organizations around the world support the TCFD. The most ambitious are already enshrining it in regulation and law, with the European Union, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Hong Kong leading the way.

Governments should publish road maps to show which authorities will be responsible for turning the TCFD recommendations into reporting rules and the timeline to make them mandatory. The EU and the U.K. have published excellent examples.

To avoid fragmentation, national and regional efforts must be complemented at the international level. The International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation, or IFRS, which sets many worldwide accounting rules, is consulting on the demand for global sustainability reporting standards and how it might contribute to their development. This includes a promising proposal for a new Sustainability Standards Board.

The EU is also leading a robust exploration of standard setting for ESG disclosure. The European Commission’s International Platform on Sustainable Finance, launched in 2019, is playing a key role. Platform members represent 16 jurisdictions, half of the global population and gross domestic product, and 55% of greenhouse gas emissions, and the majority have already set mandatory regulatory requirements for climate disclosure. The U.S., notably absent from the discussion to date, has the opportunity to build on these efforts and participate in the development of standards that are being sought by investors and corporations globally.

The U.S. accounting standards setter, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, in coordination with the IFRS, is well placed to pursue climate-risk disclosure standards for three reasons. First, the IFRS has developed global accounting rules that are used in over 140 countries, and the FASB has a record of standard setting for the world’s largest capital market. Second, given that climate and financial interests are inextricably linked, there is an opportunity to bring standards on sustainability and financial reporting together. Third, building on significant work in the private sector, the two institutions can assure a globally coordinated approach based on the TCFD framework.

Global standard-setting is needed, and quickly. Now that the U.S. government is certain to fully engage on a climate agenda, the SEC and the FASB should help drive the effort for global climate-risk disclosure standards.

Market participants are unified in their desire for global standards. Public sector co-ordination—across geographies and sectors—is instrumental to agreeing on a common set of international standards. And, with domestic and regional standard-setting initiatives now well under way, it is now or never for a global solution.

It falls to leaders of all kinds—political, financial, and corporate—to support the efforts to create internationally consistent, comparable, and decision-useful reporting that the financial system needs. The key institutions and jurisdictions need to align. With the TCFD as the foundation for climate-related risk disclosure, we will work toward a more resilient global economy and be better placed to achieve a net zero future.

Mary Schapiro, the former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, leads the secretariat for the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, is vice chair of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, and is the vice chair for global public policy at Bloomberg.

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Tesla posted its first full year of net income in 2020 -- but not because of sales to its customers.

Eleven states require automakers sell a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles by 2025. If they can't, the automakers have to buy regulatory credits from another automaker that meets those requirements -- such as Tesla, which exclusively sells electric cars.

It's a lucrative business for Tesla -- bringing in $3.3 billion over the course of the last five years, nearly half of that in 2020 alone. The $1.6 billion in regulatory credits it received last year far outweighed Tesla's net income of $721 million -- meaning Tesla would have otherwise posted a net loss in 2020.

"These guys are losing money selling cars. They're making money selling credits. And the credits are going away," said Gordon Johnson of GLJ Research and one of the biggest bears on Tesla (TSLA) shares.

Tesla top executives concede the company can't count on that source of cash continuing.

"This is always an area that's extremely difficult for us to forecast," said Tesla's Chief Financial Officer Zachary Kirkhorn. "In the long term, regulatory credit sales will not be a material part of the business, and we don't plan the business around that. It's possible that for a handful of additional quarters, it remains strong. It's also possible that it's not."

The 11 states which will require a certain percentage of cars to be zero emission vehicles, or the automakers to purchase credits from a company like Tesla which has exceeded the target, are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Tesla also reports other measures of profitability, as do many other companies. And by those measures, the profits are great enough that they do not depend on the sales of credits to be in the black.

The company reported 2020 adjusted net income, excluding items such as $1.7 billion stock-based compensation, of $2.5 billion. Its automotive gross profit, which compares total revenue from its car business to expenses directly associated with the building the cars, was $5.4 billion, even excluding the regulatory credits sales revenue. And its free cash flow of $2.8 billion was up 158% from a year earlier, a dramatic turnaround from 2018 when Tesla was burning through cash and in danger of running out of money.

Its supporters say those measures show Tesla is making money at last after years of losses in most of those measures. That profitability is one of the reasons the stock performed so well for more than a year.

But the debate between skeptics and devotees of the company whether Tesla is truly profitable has become a "Holy War," according to Gene Munster, managing partner of Loup Ventures and a leading tech analyst.

"They're debating two different things. They'll never come to a resolution," he said. Munster believes critics focus too much on how the credits still exceed net income. He contends that automotive gross profit margin, excluding those sales of regulatory credits, is the best barometer for the company's financial success.

"It's a leading indicator," of that measure of Tesla's profit, he said. "There's no chance that GM and VW are making money on that basis on their EVs."

The future of Tesla

Tesla's lofty stock performance -- up 743% in 2020 -- makes it one of the most valuable US companies in the world. Yet the 500,000 cars it sold in 2020 were a sliver of more than 70 million vehicles estimated to have been sold worldwide.

Tesla shares are now worth roughly as much as those of the combined 12 largest automakers who sell more than 90% of autos globally.

What Tesla has that other automakers don't is rapid growth -- last week it forecast annual sales growth of 50% in coming years, and it expects to do even better than that in 2021 as other automakers struggle to get back to pre-pandemic sales levels.

The entire industry is moving toward an all-electric future, both to meet tougher environmental regulations globally and to satisfy the growing appetite for EVs, partly because they require less labor, fewer parts and cost less to build than traditional gasoline-powered cars. "Something most people can agree on is that EVs are the future," said Munster. "I think that's a safe assumption."

While Tesla is the leading maker of electric cars, it faces increased competition as virtually every automaker rolls out their own EVs, or plan to do so. Volkswagen has passed Tesla in terms of EV sales in most of Europe. GM said last week it hopes to shift completely to emissions-free cars by 2035.

"The competition is rendering Tesla's cars irrelevant," said GLJ' Resarch's Johnson. "We do not see this as a sustainable business model." Other analysts contend Tesla's share price is justified given how it can benefit from the shift to electric vehicles.

"They're not going to stay at 80-90% share of the EV market, but they can keep growing even with much lower market share," said Daniel Ives, a technology analyst with Wedbush Securities. "We're looking at north of 3 million to 4 million vehicles annually as we go into 2025-26, with 40% of that growth coming from China. We believe now they are on the trajectory that even without [the EV] credits they'll still be profitable."

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Billionaire Carlos Slim returned to his home in Mexico City after being hospitalized for Covid-19, a family member said.

Slim is recovering and recuperating well, his son-in-law and spokesman Arturo Elias Ayub said in a message Saturday. Latin America’s richest man, who turned 81 this week, was hospitalized in Mexico City’s Instituto Nacional de Nutricion, where he was experiencing mild symptoms, Elias Ayub said previously.

Slim is the world’s 25th-richest person with a net worth of $51.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The bulk of his wealth comes from telecommunications giant America Movil SAB.

Mexico overtook India in total Covid-19 deaths Thursday, making its outbreak the third-most deadly worldwide.

On Friday, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador assured the public that he has passed the “critical stage” of his own coronavirus infection and is recovering. The president, who’s known as AMLO, spoke in a video posted online late Friday, marking his first appearance since he revealed that he tested positive for the virus late Sunday.

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GameStop is expected to lose money this year and next year. Sales growth is sluggish as fewer gamers need to go to stores — or even shop online — when they can download new titles directly from their consoles, PCs, phones or tablets. So why are shares of the video game retailer up more than 275% so far in 2021?

The company can thank a loyal group of investors on Reddit who continue to back the stock even as many others on Wall Street have argued that the shares are overvalued and due for a sharp decline.

The stock was extremely volatile on Monday, and it was halted several times. Shares more than doubled at one point, and finished the day 18% higher.

Posters on the WallStreetBets subreddit have been touting the company aggressively. That appears to have helped fuel a so-called short squeeze in GameStop (GME) stock.

A large number of investors have bet against GameStop recently by borrowing shares and selling them with the hopes that they can then repurchase the stock at a lower price and pocket the difference.

That's a risky strategy: If a stock suddenly spikes higher, short sellers may have to rush en masse to buy back shares or risk losing their shirts.

The more that a shorted stock goes up, the bigger the losses become if a short seller doesn't buy back (or cover) their position. That creates the squeeze.

Citron Research, an investing firm that often identifies stocks it thinks are overvalued and therefore could be good short-selling candidates, has learned the hard way what can happen when investors squeeze a stock higher.

Citron founder Andrew Left called GameStop a "failing mall-based retailer" in a report earlier this month and then predicted that the stock would plunge to $20 in a video he posted to Twitter on Thursday. At the time, GameStop was trading around $40. The stock surged to $65 by Friday and is now trading around $100.

Left has now given up on shorting GameStop, citing harassment by the stock's backers.

He also tweeted last week that "too many people" were hacking Citron's Twitter feed, causing him to delay the posting of his video, which was originally planned for Wednesday. Left was not immediately available for further comment.

The victory for GameStop's vocal bulls on Reddit shows how dangerous it is for investors to bet against stocks that have a significant cult following. BlackBerry (BB), another favorite among Reddit's WSB followers, has also surged this year.

Some gleeful GameStop investors are even looking to cash in by selling merchandise touting the stock rally.

JonesTrading chief market strategist Mike O'Rourke noted in a report Monday that there is now a commemorative patch listed on Etsy that celebrates the GameStop stock spike. More than 100 have been sold so far.

To be sure, GameStop does have some upside beyond the Reddit love.

Despite its name, the retailer doesn't sell only games. GameStop is also popular with fans of pop culture collectibles, such as Star Wars toys and Funko (FNKO) figurines, which help attract shoppers who aren't hardcore gamers to visit the brick and mortar shops.

GameStop announced earlier this month that same-store sales rose nearly 5% during the 2020 holiday season and that digital sales skyrocketed more than 300%.

Overall sales were still down though, due primarily to temporary store closures as a result of a spike in Covid-19 cases in December as well as supply disruptions due to strong demand for new PS5 and Xbox Series X.consoles from Sony (SNE) and Microsoft (MSFT).

GameStop had no comment for this story, but the firm is making some changes as it attempts to become a more digitally-focused retailer.

The company announced earlier this month that Ryan Cohen, founder of online pet supply store Chewy, is now on GameStop's board along with two other former Chewy executives. Cohen's RC Ventures is one of the largest investors in GameStop.

"The three new directors collectively bring deep expertise in e-commerce, online marketing, finance and strategic planning to GameStop," the company said in a press release about the board moves.

Still, some investing experts are worried that the rise in GameStop has gone too far too fast and could be yet another sign of speculative mania in what has suddenly become a frothy overall market.

"Generally speaking, stocks with high short interest have been some of the top performers this year," said analysts at Bespoke Investment Group in a report earlier this month.

The Bespoke report also noted that struggling retailer Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY), mall owner Macerich (MAC) and hard hit movie theater operator AMC (AMC) are other examples of heavily shorted stocks that are up substantially in 2021.

Technology has undoubtedly become an indispensable part of our lives; From ordering a cup of coffee to getting around in driverless vehicles and everything in between, the age of the tech entrepreneur has seen humanity become more connected than ever before.

In every field there are key examples of how cutting edge innovations are successfully reimagining entire industries. When it comes to the CBD industry - one of America´s most promising - people like David Obasiolu, founder of Chow420 are leading the way as part of an ongoing technological revolution set to effect an industry which is projected to continue showing double digit growth in 2021; With research firm Brightfield Group expecting America´s hemp-based CBD market to surpass $12 billion by 2023.

As consumer habits continue undergoing a series of shifts, many have found that successfully navigating the regulatory environment can be a real challenge, and one that slows down commercial activity. For small and large business owners alike, being able to service nationwide customers who might prefer a particular CBD brand or product proved to be nothing short of an epic endeavor.

Given the fact that individual state CBD laws differ from each other, it is often complicated for CBD retailers to stay compliant online. However, Chow's founder, David Obasiolu has devised a way to automate compliance for both CBD retailers and customers by combining their age, location and state laws on Chow420's marketplace, helping democratize the space and allowing users and suppliers to connect like never before; Which in turn has made the company become a hot topic amongst institutional and retail investors alike.

Given the fact that explosive growth within the CBD industry has prompted the creation and marketing of countless brands, Chow's marketplace provides optimal transparency between retailers and customers by enforcing the public display of all necessary information about products from product content to lab results. By doing this, Chow believes they will be able to deliver the highest quality products for customers on a daily basis through retailers on the platform.

David has always stressed the importance of details, so it should come as no surprise that thanks to Chow420´S user-friendly interface and superior technology, for the first time online, customers can now learn about CBD, shop CBD and comply with all state laws and regulations online in real time. That ́s what makes Chow420 a game changer which expert analysts have predicted will be a driving force for extending e-commerce to all restricted sectors with a high level compliance in mind.

In a recent interview, founder David Obasiolu discussed the vision behind the company:

1. What has been your biggest milestone or achievement to date as the founder of Chow420?

The most significant milestone for Chow420 has been the compliance algorithm. Compliance with State laws and regulations is the biggest challenge that cannabis eCommerce stores face daily. Chow420 is an end-to-end platform that is paving the way for the CBD market. With the use of smart identities, the Chow420 algorithm promotes the acceptance and transparency of the marketplace with regulatory bodies online.

2. How do you believe the use of your technology will impact the CBD market as a whole?

Chow420 brings integrity for both customers and dispensaries involved in CBD transactions online. Our goal at Chow420 is to ensure that all CBD products sold through the Chow420 platform are safe and legal for use.

3. How did the company get its start, and where do you see it going?

We started small through an automated dispensary and an online marketplace. However, the pandemic emphasized challenges surrounding operational restrictions for CBD retailers online. With most of the market transferring to e-commerce stores, the team saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between CBD dispensaries and regulatory bodies. The goal at Chow420 is to become the go-to place for the emerging billion-dollar CBD industry.

esla (TSLA) is expected to report third-quarter vehicle deliveries sometime during the first few days of October, with Chief Executive Elon Musk gunning for a new record. A record-breaking quarter would likely have a big impact on Tesla stock.

Musk sent out an email to all employees last week saying, "We have a shot at a record quarter for vehicle deliveries, but will have to rally hard to achieve it." He also said "It's extremely important that we keep factory output as high as possible over the remaining 10 days. This is vital for the California market."

Tesla stock climbed 2.4%, closing at 429.01 on the stock market today.

Analysts polled by FactSet look for Tesla to deliver 144,000 vehicles during the quarter, a 59% jump from the prior quarter.

Tesla Stock Reaction To Vehicle Deliveries

Tesla smashed delivery estimates in the second quarter. The company delivered 90,650 vehicles in the quarter vs. estimates of 72,000 vehicles during the pandemic-induced economic slowdown. Tesla stock jumped 8% in reaction to the report.

Its record quarter, the one Tesla wants to beat, is 112,000 vehicles. That was achieved in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Production at Tesla's China factory has ramped up significantly since the fourth quarter of 2019. That should help the company achieve its goal on the production side.

Early this year, prior to the pandemic, Musk said he expected Tesla to deliver more than 500,000 vehicles this year. Despite its factory being shut down for six weeks due to the pandemic, and some disruption at its China factory, Tesla is sticking to that estimate.

At Tesla's Battery Day event last week, Musk reiterated that Tesla plans to see vehicle delivery growth of 30% to 40% in 2020. That's a range of about 478,000 to 515,000, or 497,000 at the midpoint.

Expectations On Model 3 Lowered

Deutsche Bank analyst Emmanuel Rosner on Tuesday lowered his estimate on deliveries from 140,000 to 130,000. He based that on slightly softer expectations for the Model 3 in the U.S. as wells as the global market for the Model S and model X. Rosner said the consensus estimate among bearish sell-side analysts is 136,000. He maintained a buy rating on Tesla stock with a price target of 500.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak expects Tesla to ship 144,600 vehicles.

Tesla stock is up about 395% this year.

.K. health secretary Matt Hancock on Monday said a COVID-19 vaccine would “most likely” be available in the first few months of 2021, as the country recorded a sharp rise in daily coronavirus cases.

Speaking on national news radio station LBC, Hancock said the government has already started production of the U.K. government’s initial order of 30 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine, which is being developed by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca AZN, +2.10% in collaboration with the University of Oxford.

“We have got 30 million doses already contracted with AstraZeneca, in fact they are starting to manufacture those doses already, ahead of approval, so that should approval come through — and it’s still not certain but it is looking up — should that approval come through, then we are ready to roll out,” Hancock told LBC.

“The best-case scenario is that happens this year. I think more likely is the early part of next year — in the first few months of next year is the most likely,” he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering plans to fast-track approval of AstraZeneca’s vaccine in a bid to make it available to Americans before November’s election.

The vaccine hasn’t been approved for use and is still undergoing late-stage clinical trials in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa.

Hancock’s comments come after the U.K. recorded a surge in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus. On Sunday, a further 2,988 cases of coronavirus were reported in the country, the highest number reported on a single day since May 22, and a rise of 1,175 on Saturday, according to the U.K. government’s coronavirus dashboard.

Two deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test in the previous 24 hours, taking the total to 41,551, the government said.

The rise in cases prompted Professor Gabriel Scally, a former National Health Service regional director of public health for the south west, to tell the Guardian that the government had “lost control of the virus.”

Hancock on Monday denied the government was losing control, but said that this weekend’s rise in cases was “concerning.” He urged younger people to adhere to social distancing measures, saying that under-25s, particularly those aged 17 to 21, accounted for a large number of positive cases.

The spike in cases comes as people are returning to work and school, and as universities prepare to reopen.

“It is concerning because we have seen a rise in cases in France, in Spain, in some other countries across Europe — nobody wants to see a second wave here,” Hancock told LBC.

“It just reinforces the point that people must follow the social distancing rules, they are so important,” he said, adding, “But we’ve also bought vaccine ahead of it getting approved from a whole different series of international vaccines as well.”

In August, the U.K. announced that it will buy 90 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines from Johnson & Johnson JNJ, -0.89% and U.S. drug developer Novavax NVAX, -8.20%.

Some people with coronavirus are being asked to travel hundreds of miles to get tested, according to the BBC.

Labour’s shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, on Sunday tweeted that the increase in COVID cases is “deeply worrying” and demanded Hancock give a statement to the House of Commons to explain the increase in cases and why some people are still being told to drive hundreds of miles to have a test.

Dubai rental market sees landlords and tenants seek more flexibility on contracts

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ubai: Are landlords in Dubai telling you to go for a two-year rent lock-in contract on that new home? Even if the rent on offer seems absolutely reasonable, tenants are better off negotiating on a year-by-year basis.

Because right now, residential rents are headed in only one direction – and that’s down. Based on market feedback, new contracts since June have on average 8-15 per cent declines, depending on locations and tenants’ willingness to look at a wider range of communities or high-rises. And there’s no guarantee rents are going into stability mode any time soon.

That being the case, “Why would any tenant want to commit to rent lock-ins of two years if they expect rates to continue to fall,” said John Stevens, Managing Director at Asteco. In fact, what is happening right now is a willingness by landlords to allow short-term lease extensions “while tenants look at their options,” said Stevens.

Flexibility is the theme

In fact, in Dubai’s residential rental space, there is more of a give-and-take attitude on the part of landlords and tenants. This is most evident in the case of early termination of lease contracts as well. “We have seen a many landlords provide rent-free or rent deferrals,” said Prathyusha Gurrapu, Head of Research and Advisory at CORE, the real estate consultancy.

“Landlords are even willing to allow concessions on early termination of leases – but provided tenants can show the necessary documents to show loss of employment or salary reductions.” (In normal course, such early cancellations on a rental comes with a two-month penalty.)

Being tested

Landlords confirm there is no let up in the number of requests they receive from tenants requesting penalty waiver on early lease terminations (or even rent payment delays). Most of them are willing to consider such requests given the unprecedented nature of the situation they - and their tenants – are facing.

“Only two things matter for a landlord these days – that their property remains occupied and they can clear the cheques received from tenants,” said a senior official at a property leasing firm. “If a property remains unoccupied for even two to three months, it could alter the rental demand and values.

“No one can ignore the number of new properties being completed and pushed into the rental market.”

Some relief

Landlords may, however, get some relief in the weeks ahead. Going by the first six months’ data, the pace of handovers of new properties is slowing down, according to Asteco. Between April to end June, there were 4,200 new homes added against 5,750 units in the first three months.

Even if the pace picks up between now and end of the year, it’s unlikely to record major improvements. As it is, “Research reveal that approximately 20 per cent of previously tendered or under construction projects have been put on hold - temporarily or indefinitely,” according to a recent Asteco update. (In the 12 months to end June, Asteco estimates that apartment rents in Dubai are down by 13 per cent, and comparable to the average decline seen on villas.)

It “anticipates this pattern is likely to prevail, or even intensify due to the expected volume of additional supply combined with a potentially sharp drop in demand in the short- to medium-term due to the impact of COVID on employment.”

Split them up

Landlords would do well to keep close watch on the job market – any further volatility there will have repercussions on their future income. To offset tenants’ burden, landlords are committing to multiple cheques, with six- and even 12-month payment options being offered. As long as the cheques keep coming in… and getting cleared, they are fine.

Even landlords are learning to work on a month-by-month basis.

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he world is filled with so many different kinds of people, but to narrow it down - some are selfless and some are selfish. Kate Morgan is most definitely selfless - but on a much larger scale than most.

Kate has valuable experience in Philanthropism, she has a Masters Degree in English Rhetorics, an array of experience in helping and supporting people of all walks of life and an incredibly successful career in filmmaking - her film Hearts on Fire will be featured in the BeBop Channel Content Festival this year!

Chicago is where the young idol was raised - Kate was brought up in a Christian home, and both her parents worked in fields that included helping and supporting others - her mother worked as a nurse for 25 years, and her caring, empathetic nature has certainly been passed down to Kate.

She was taught from the very beginning that “if you have more than you need, you should take what you need - and give what is left to those who need it more”.

Kate had been helping out with Uganda’s orphanages along with many other projects before the horrific Covid-19 pandemic struck the world, and the damage it has caused has meant that projects are needing to be pushed ahead due to urgency - help and funding is needed now, more than ever.

Covid-19 could be compared to hell on earth for Uganda - as an area where things were already so cruel and tough, Covid-19 made situations worse than ever before, with an already ridiculously low food supply - delays on shipping and money shortages worldwide made the situation for Ugandan abominable.

Kizito and Chris are Kate’s “inside” team, they live in the heart of Uganda - and do incredible work within the orphanages, along with a range of other much needed work to help support the children of their area. They are the sole communication between Uganda and Texas - where Kate resides.

Kate is a huge part of multiple organizations that are dedicated to helping this salient cause - one of the organisations being the Voluntary Rural Community Empowerment Uganda. (VRCEU) is a Christian registered charity organization. It is a community organization that is working in the Bukedea District in the Rural Eastern part of Uganda in Africa, their work covers 7 parishes, 19 villages and over 2431 households. She also runs the Church of The Elohist Thelma - this is another Christian Organization, that has regular meetings and readings.

Kate and her team are currently raising money for a wide array of seriously urgent projects - what we are able to find in our bathroom cupboards in our first world countries is something the people of Uganda do not have access to - an example of this is sanitary pads for young girls, who miss up to 5 days a month of school while menstruating - because they do not have access to the health supplies or care that we do.

This is heartbreaking and unacceptable - and one of the reasons behind the “Girls Child Project” -

“Nobody is more vulnerable than an uneducated young girl living in severe poverty. She is highly at risk of being sexual violated, forced into child marriage, early pregnancy, complications during childbirth, and contracting HIV/AIDS. If she survives, she will raise her children in poverty and they too - will face the same obstacles.” - Kate stated.

Kate and her team are doing all that they can to change this - along with many other important matters such as bringing medical/health, children orthopedic supplies, orthopedic/clubfoot treatment, child support - which include school fees, school/education supplies, sanitary pads, clothes, children medical supplies, infrastructure, school construction, solar powered boreholes construction, sustainable agriculture, ox-plough supply, new seed supply and education on global warming and re-forestation - as well as roof and building material for hospitals and orphanages to Uganda. Along with three successful planting projects that Kate and her team funded - with beans being the most important vegetable due to how filling and flexible they are - Kate and her team have also funded 4 successful reconstructive surgeries for Clubfoot - this is a serious issue in Uganda. It is considered a “bad omen” within the Ugandan people, meaning many families abandon their children if they have this disability. The surgery is needed now more than ever - with the amount of Clubfoot cases rising all the time.

Help is needed more than ever in Uganda - and Kate and her team are a leading example to the rest of the world, more of us need to do what we can to help those in need.

People like Kate just prove that there are still truly good people in this world, follow in her footsteps if you can.