Newsweek International 11/5/2021

2013 “For more than a decade, a relentless campaign by China to steal valuable, confidential information from United States corporations flourished with barely a peep from Washington. And now it might never be stopped,” Newsweek wrote after Edward Snowden, a former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency, leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency. After spending 40 days in Moscow’s airport, Snowden was granted asylum in Russia. This past July, the U.S. again accused China of cyberattacks, saying its hacking abilities pose a greater threat than ever before. 1961 “Fallout shelters, like The Twist, have become fashionable,” Newsweek said after President John F. Kennedy advised Americans to prepare for the threat of a nuclear attack. The prepper mentality is still flourishing today, with sales of lavish underground doomsday bunkers for use…

“Sometimes the truth becomes inconvenient for some people, so they react against me.” —DR. ANTHONY FAUCI “AS I GOT MORE INFORMATION AND LEARNED WHAT WAS GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES, IT WAS REALLY UPSETTING AND DISTURBING.” —KATIE COURIC ON MATT LAUER “May this appointment today be the first of many more to come, as we create a diverse and more inclusive future.” —ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HEALTH ADMIRAL RACHEL L. LEVINE ON BECOMING THE U.S’FIRST OPENLY TRANSGENDER FOUR-STAR OFFICER “Many of the answers are already out there...but we need everyone—from all parts of society—to raise their ambition and unite in repairing our planet.” —PRINCE WILLIAM ON CLIMATE CHANGE “THE GOAL WAS TO ELEVATE REGULAR BLACK PEOPLE AND MAKE US LOOK AS BEAUTIFUL IN OUR REGULARNESS AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. I THINK WE ACHIEVED THAT.” —Issa Rae on the final season of…

“CMIC will accelerate globalization with its network and experience in Asia to enhance global trials capabilities. Healthcare will become a major focus for us over the next four years as we broaden our solutions beyond the pharmaceutical industry.”Keiko Oishi, President, CMIC HOLDINGS CO., LTD. As the world’s third largest pharmaceutical market with progressive healthcare policies that allow for the accelerated approval of innovative drugs, Japan remains a very attractive market for foreign companies. The first company to offer contract research organization (CRO) services in Japan almost 30 years ago, CMIC Group can serve as the ideal partner for foreign companies looking for a leading one-stop service provider to support their entry and successful growth in the Japanese market, from pre-clinical and clinical trials, to approval, and sales & marketing. “We provide an…

GDP growth contracted by 6.3% in 2020, but it has rebounded strongly in the months since. Fitch Ratings recently revised its GDP growth forecast for Belgium to 5.8% in 2021, against 3.8% previously, reporting that a second lockdown lasting from October 2020 to April 2021 did not derail the country’s economic recovery. According to Fitch, the country’s high vaccination rate – 72% of the population was fully-vaccinated as of September 2021 – is also supporting a better-than-expected growth performance, meaning that permanent damage to the country’s growth and output will be much smaller than expected. As Prime Minister Alexander De Croo detailed, the Belgian economy is recovering more strongly than previously forecast thanks to the effective and efficient support measures of the government, which preserved the country’s economic fabric: “We avoided…

One of the wealthiest countries in Europe, Belgium’s economic strength has contributed to the vibrancy of its financial services industry. At the end of 2019, just before the pandemic, Belgian households’ financial assets were equivalent to nearly 300% of GDP, according to the European Banking Federation. Belgian banks have led the way in digitalisation, ranking third out of 39 countries surveyed in Deloitte’s 2020 Digital Banking Maturity report. KBC Group has been front and centre of these developments. The group as a whole has been laser-focused on pushing the boundaries of innovation under the leadership of CEO Johan Thijs. “We are one of the most innovative banks in Europe,” says Thijs. “We have a very specific bank-insurance digital first business model, which is driven and tailored towards the future and is…

Resurgent economic growth will be underpinned by the country’s robust financial services sector, including its mature and diversified insurance industry. Deloitte reports that growth in the insurance industry growth has been stable to positive over the past decade, with the property and casualty segment expanding by an average of 2% annually. Having dominated the domestic market, established local players are well-positioned to continue to expand their operations, both in Europe and further afield. The country’s top player, Ageas, is prepared and ready for the next growth phase. Founded in 1824, before Belgium was even a country, Ageas benefits from deep experience in the Belgian, British, and other continental European markets, and has been expanding rapidly into Asia in recent years. As CEO Hans De Cuyper explains, its history is complemented by…