Tuesday 14th January 2025

Inside the strange limbo facing millions of IVF embryos - MIT Technology Review (No paywall)

Frozen embryos are filling storage banks around the world. It's a struggle to know what to do with them.

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Jamie Lee Curtis Pledges to Donate $1 Million for Los Angeles Wildfire Relief - Vulture (No paywall)

Jennifer Garner, Paris Hilton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and more are also donating time, money, clothes, or supplies.

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Rise of the Nonaligned - Foreign Affairs (No paywall)

The global South has been a net winner from the shifts in global power over the last two decades. The growing influence of emerging economies, the rise of China as a great power, tensions between the United States and its European allies, and increasing great-power competition have given these countries new leverage in global affairs. They have taken advantage of these shifts by building new coalitions, such as BRICS (whose first members were Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa); strengthening regional alliances, such as the African Union; and pursuing a more assertive agenda at the UN General Assembly. From championing the Paris agreement on climate change to taking Israel to the International Court of Justice, the global South—the broad grouping of largely postcolonial countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East—has shown a greater willingness to challenge Western dominance and redefine the rules of the global order.

An “America first” foreign policy would seem to put those gains at risk. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to hit developing countries where it hurts most: raising tariffs that will throttle exporters in developing countries; normalizing the mass deportation of migrants, whose remittances are essential for the economies of many countries in the global South; and withdrawing from global environmental agreements that provide crucial support to those people disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. His proposed economic policies will probably lead to inflation at home, with devastating knock-on effects for developing countries as interest rates rise globally and credit becomes more expensive for economies already burdened by debt. His commitment to targeting China may make it harder for Beijing to continue serving as an alternative market and source of investment for much of the world.

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Why EU Offshore Migrant Centers Can’t Work—for Now - Foreign Policy (No paywall)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government presented the scheme, which entails intercepting male migrants at sea and transporting them directly to Albanian facilities, as a potential blueprint for the EU to process migrants outside of its borders. In October 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the Italy-Albania deal, saying that EU leaders had a lot to learn from it and encouraging them to consider offshore “return hubs” as valid options for managing asylum applications.

But later that month, after Italy transported a group of migrants from Bangladesh and Egypt to Albania, an Italian court ruled that all of them must be sent to Italy. The judges cited an earlier EU Court of Justice ruling, which found that a country of origin can only be designated “safe” if the entire country is safe for all minority groups. Meloni’s government has appealed the ruling and recently vowed to follow through on its plans. To date, Italy has not successfully processed a single asylum claim at the offshore centers.

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Scientists Just Showed the Mediterranean Diet Slows Brain Aging

Having lived in a Mediterranean country for over 10 years, I was not surprised to learn that U.S. News & World Report has just ranked the Mediterranean diet the healthiest overall for the eighth year in a row. I’ve seen firsthand what all the hype is about. Not only is food in my corner of the Med delicious, but people here seem wildly healthier than folks back home in the U.S. 

All of which has made me a true believer that a Mediterranean diet — i.e., one low in processed foods and high in veggies, fiber, seafood, and olive oil — is great for your body. But I have been surprised to learn lately just how much of an impact eating this way can have on your brain.  


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Why $10 Million Is the Hardest Number for Startups to Hit

A couple months ago I was sitting at a table in a casino restaurant, across from a good friend who agreed to meet me halfway between his home city and mine, out in the middle of nowhere. I had just learned that my current position would be phased out in the new year—startup, funding cuts, that old chestnut—and I wanted someone to complain to. 

He and I are completely different career animals. He has spent 25 years in what you’d call Big Business, rarely ever working for a company with less than $1 billion in AR. I’ve been a startup junkie my whole life. 


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Walmart’s Response to the Controversy Over That Knock-Off Hermés Bag Is a Stroke of Genius

Burbank, CA – November 21: Shoppers at the Walmart Supercenter in Burbank during Walmart’s multi-week Annual Deals Shopping Event in Burbank Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A few weeks ago, Walmart started selling what quickly became the most-talked-about designer fashion item. Aside from the fact that’s a thing you don’t ever expect to hear, there also happens to be a really interesting lesson, especially in the way Walmart responded.


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5 Simple Productivity Tricks Anyone Can Use

The surprising answer: plenty of people. Many famous and successful individuals swear by early mornings. Apple CEO Tim Cook, for instance, starts his day at 3:45 a.m. But if you’re like me and don’t live the life of a billionaire executive, your schedule might not allow for an early bedtime or the luxury of a crack-of-dawn routine.

The good news? The morning ritual that really matters isn’t tied to the clock—it’s about how you begin your workday. Whether you’re stepping into an office or logging into your laptop, those first moments can set the tone for everything that follows.


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With 3 Key Statistics, the CEO of Walmart U.S. Just Put Today's Scary World in Perspective

As Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner opened the National Retail Federation‘s conference in New York on Sunday, a saying popped into my head — really, more of a curse — but it quickly made me feel better.

We’re watching in real time as the threat of climate change and natural disasters upend our plans. Every speaker I saw at the “NRF Big Show,” with Furner first among them, rightly paused to acknowledge the devastating wildfires consuming parts of Los Angeles even as they spoke.


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Goodbye 'Accountant Archetype.' Former CFOs Are Dominating the C-Suite

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. 

In Silicon Valley, where the chief executive ranks are filled with founders and engineers, Twilio CEO Khozema Shipchandler’s résumé stands out. He spent more than 20 years at GE, a run that included stints as chief financial officer (CFO) of five different divisions of the conglomerate, before joining software company Twilio in 2018 as CFO. He soon began adding operational responsibilities. The company named him chief operating officer in 2021 and president of its communications business, which represents about 93 percent of the company’s revenue, in 2023.  


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