Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Jan 15, 2021 01:52 PM All times are UTC Edition :

Follow Series

©Elmin Media . All Rights Reserved.

Folashade Soule

Senior Research Associate, University of Oxford
I am a Senior research associate at the University of Oxford and a former postdoctoral reseacher of the Oxford-Princeton Global Leaders fellowship programme. I hold a PhD (summe cum laude) in International Relations from Sciences Po Paris. Since defending her PhD, I have been a postdoctoral researcher at the London School of Economics (LSE), and a part-time Lecturer in International Relations and Political Science (Africa and Global Politics; the Politics of Globalization; International Political Economy).

My current research investigates the negotiation practices of francophone African governments when dealing with China (infrastructure projects). It is at the intersection of negotiation practice theory and the study of (agency) in IR. I have published several articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Global Governance, Afrique contemproaine, Foro Internacional and Cahiers des Amériques Latines. As a policy-facing academic, connecting policy and research, I have been acted as an international strategy consultant for the OECD, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Presidency of Benin, and consultancy firms (Oxford Analytica, Ernst&Young, Deloitte). I have also trained young diplomats and military civil servants in Bamako, Mali in methodology and analytical tools in international relations.

China Crisis Series

Nov 18, 2020 03:36 am UTC| Economy

Its been 20 years since the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was first held. Another summit is planned for September 2021 in Dakar, Senegal. Meanwhile, Chinese and African officials are reviewing and reflecting on their...

How to negotiate infrastructure deals with China: four things African governments need to put right

Jan 04, 2019 16:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views

You dont negotiate with China ! I was quickly told when I started interviewing African public servants about their infrastructure deals with Beijing. There is a widespread view in Africa that you accept whatever terms are...

Economy

Xi Jinping urges Starbucks and its chairman emeritus Howard Schultz to help improve US-China ties

Xi Jinping, the president of the Republic of China, reportedly called on Starbucks to help patch things up and restore its ties with the U.S. To be more exact, the Chinese president was said to have asked the former CEO of...

French govt opposes foreign group's takeover of Carrefour

France is opposing any takeover of retailer Carrefour by a foreign company to preserve its food security and sovereignty, said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. According to Maire, the acquisition by a foreign...

Electric car sales in China reportedly skyrocket by 10%

The electric car market in China is growing, and in fact, it was reported that the country achieved a 10% increase in its EV sales last year. The data was only revealed this week as the computation of sales cant be...

S. Korea approves Netherlands-based brokerage IMC to do business locally

Netherlands-based brokerage house IMC was green-lighted by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) to operate a financial investment and brokerage business in South Korea on the condition that its subsidiary serves as a...

S. Korea allocates 30 trillion won to promote green energy, digital exports

South Korea will allocate 30 trillion won in trade financing to expand outbound shipments in green and digital sectors from $180 billion in 2019 to $250 billion in 2025. Exporters in such fields could also avail of...

Politics

World War 3: Report reveals 2020 as the "darkest" time for human rights in China

Tensions among certain countries remain even as the world faces an ongoing pandemic and economic collapse. These tensions could also spark a world war 3 type of situation including a report that reveals what 2020 meant for...

Donald Trump impeached by House for the second time

The attempt to pressure Ukraine into digging up dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden led to Donald Trump getting impeached in 2019. In his final days as president, Trump has been impeached by the House the second...

Donald Trump humiliated: Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull blasted for Capitol riots

The world was shaken by the insurrection done by rioters in support of Donald Trump at the Capitol that has forced world leaders to speak out. This also includes former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who...

Joe Biden foreign policy: POTUS-elect inherits diplomatic conflicts left by outgoing administration

It is no secret that president-elect Joe Biden will inherit a lot of problems either created or unresolved by the Trump administration. However, recent moves in foreign policies by the outgoing administration may be left...

Joe Biden inauguration: POTUS-elect will no longer take Amtrak to ceremony out of security concerns

President-elect Joe Biden is known for his preference of taking the Amtrak train from his home in Delaware and to Washington over the years. However, in his upcoming inauguration, Biden may not be able to take the train to...

Science

Yellowstone volcano: USGS warns of possible eruption

Many scientists are keeping watch over the activity occurring in the Yellowstone volcano because of its potential to inflict large-scale damage in the United States. Now, scientists at the USGS have now warned of a...

Mars mission: NASA scientist says Martians can help humans live on Red Planet

Being able to live on Mars is one of the goals that space agencies all over the world have when it comes to exploring the red planet in future Mars missions. Although it may take a while to figure out how we may be able to...

Black holes: Albert Einstein's theory may save Earth from wandering black holes

Black holes are one of the most mysterious objects in the universe and were first brought up by renowned scientist Albert Einstein. With the possibility of wandering black holes being able to consume our own planet, the...

Asteroid alert: 16-meter space rock to pass by Earth on New Year weekend

With days to go until the Earth completes another year around the Sun, it appears that the universe also has plans to celebrate the new year along with us. An asteroid is set to pass by our planet a few days after the new...

Four ways microbial fuel cells could revolutionise electricity production in the future

The world population is estimated to reach 9.5 billion by 2050. Given that most of our current energy is generated from fossil fuels, this creates significant challenges when it comes to providing enough sustainable...

Technology

Signal, Telegram record higher app downloads than WhatsApp over the last week

WhatsApps privacy policy changes have sparked discussions on the types of user data being collected and how messaging apps handle them. The discussions have likely helped Telegram and Signal gain momentum in app downloads...

Netflix could add spatial audio support by spring 2021, report claims

Netflix could be joining other streaming platforms in offering spatial audio support to users with the necessary devices. The upcoming feature was reportedly being testing and planned to be released within the first half...

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag ships on Jan. 29, followed by SmartTag+ ‘later this year’

Samsung just announced a series of tracking devices with two variants using different types of wireless connections. First to launch this month is the Galaxy SmartTag that will be an apparent Tile tracker competitor....

EA's partnership with Lucasfilm continues amid new 'Star Wars' game development under Ubisoft

For many years, AAA video games based on the famous Star Wars franchise have been released by EA. That may not be the case for the newest project Lucasfilm Games announced this week, but it also does not mean their...

‘Returnal’ digital deluxe pre-order comes with free weapons, boosters

Returnal is one of the new IPs exclusively launching on PlayStation 5 this year. With just a couple of months left before its release, players who managed to order the new-gen console might want to take advantage of the...