Tag Archives: Economy
Banking on Merkel: Germany expected to hold course on Eurozone
Germany is likely to continue with the same cautious, pragmatic approach in overcoming the crisis, despite the Southern Eurozone countries’ expectations of changing the policies. The decisive day, 22 September 2013, not for the German people only but also for Read on! →
Spain: Sipping orujo in the green dustbowl
In the first days of the tourist season in Green Spain, sightseers, attracted by orujo, a grappa-like liquor, and local honey, brave a downpour to swarm on motorbikes and coaches around the centre of Potes, the gateway to the Picos Read on! →
UK: Are visa bonds winning at home but losing abroad?
The announcement by the UK government to pilot a tough new visa bond scheme aimed at discouraging illegal immigration and reducing net migration will have gone down well at the Home Office. However, given the public perception of the scheme Read on! →
Timor Leste: After the UN’s departure, can the country sustain its rise?
The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor Leste (UNMIT) withdrew its troops on December 31st, 2012. When introduced in 2006, it aimed to “bring about a process of national reconciliation and to foster social cohesion’. This task is almost complete Read on! →
Latvia: Introduction of the Euro to go ahead despite lack of public support
Latvia will become the 18th Member State to introduce the euro on 1 January 2014, but with less than 40% support from its citizens. The Latvian Prime Minister, Valdis Dombrovskis, has admitted: “The public now is less convinced than it Read on! →
Tasmania: A surge in tourism is changing the economy
One of the things Tasmania has tended to be famous for, throughout history, is an economy that has often looked rather bleak. There was no gold rush in Tasmania and many other industries failed to flourish there. However, the fortunes Read on! →
USA: Scandals and the Obama Administration
Legacy: the buzzword for all incumbents of the oval office fortunate enough to have won a second term. On that clear night in Chicago’s Grant Park in 2008, any brief thought of the president-elect’s legacy was undoubtedly clouded out by Read on! →
Bosnia: Independence never far from the minds of Bosnian Serbs
As relations between Serbia and Kosovo improve after an agreement signed last month giving extensive rights to Serbs and their municipalities in Kosovo, there are renewed demands in the Republika Srpska for it to separate from Bosnia and Herzegovina. On Read on! →
Argentina: The beginning of a wave of resource nationalism
Despite the Arab Spring, it was not a Middle Eastern country which grabbed biggest headlines for resource nationalism in 2012. It was Argentina, where populist President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner proposed a bill on April 16 to renationalize Yacimientos Petrolíferos Read on! →
Intra-African Trade: A first step to a continental free trade zone
Africa is touted as the continent of opportunities, where there are endless resources available for economic growth and transformation. But for Africa to take its rightful position in the world’s global economy, then it must dream of becoming borderless in Read on! →