Global Agenda articles from August 2006

Global Agenda archives from August 2006

After the slaughter in Qana.
August 1, 2006... Israel appears to be widening its ground offensive, after 56 Lebanese civilians were killed in one air attack. American suggestions that a ceasefire could be imminent seem misplaced THE timing could not have been worse. Israel's bombing on...

Another piece of the puzzle.
August 1, 2006... The Security Council tells Iran to suspend uranium enrichment. Pressure on the Islamic Republic is tied to efforts to solve the region's other conflicts DESPITE fears that the war between Israel and Hizbullah in Lebanon would prevent...

Global financial instability; The Buttonwood column: Global financial stability; Beware of crocodiles and an Achilles heel.
August 1, 2006... Beware of crocodiles and an Achilles heel CONSIDER the collapse of Baring Brothers in 1995, the Russia default in 1998, the problems of Long-Term Capital Management in that same year and the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Each...

Smile, we won!
August 1, 2006... Protesters shut down the centre of Mexico City and call for an election recount STANDING before a midnight crowd of several thousand in the Zocalo, Mexico City's central plaza, is Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The former mayor of Mexico...

Israel marches on.
August 2, 2006... Israel's despatch of thousands of ground troops into Lebanon has dimmed hopes for a ceasefire TO MUCH of the world, Israel's actions in Lebanon are regarded as an excessive reaction to Hizbullah's provocation, the kidnapping of two...

Global financial instability; The Buttonwood column: Global financial stability; Beware of crocodiles and an Achilles heel.
August 2, 2006... Beware of crocodiles and an Achilles heel CONSIDER the collapse of Baring Brothers in 1995, the Russian default in 1998, the problems of Long-Term Capital Management in that same year and the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Each...

My brother's keeper.
August 2, 2006... Cuba's Fidel Castro has handed over power, temporarily, to his younger brother Raul. The communist country is preparing for a permanent transition of power FIDEL CASTRO says he is "feeling fine". But it would appear that the man who has...

Israel marches on.
August 3, 2006... Israel's despatch of thousands of ground troops into Lebanon has dimmed hopes for a ceasefire TO MUCH of the world, Israel's actions in Lebanon are regarded as an excessive reaction to Hizbullah's provocation, the kidnapping of two...

Tighter and tighter.
August 3, 2006... Both the European Central Bank and the Bank of England have raised interest rates CENTRAL bankers often drop hints when they are about to raise interest rates. Over the past month, however, Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the...

Global financial instability; The Buttonwood column: Global financial instability; Beware of crocodiles and an Achilles heel.
August 4, 2006... Beware of crocodiles and an Achilles heel CONSIDER the collapse of Baring Brothers in 1995, the Russian default in 1998, the problems of Long-Term Capital Management in that same year and the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Each...

Tighter and tighter.
August 4, 2006... Both the European Central Bank and the Bank of England have raised interest rates CENTRAL bankers often drop hints when they are about to raise interest rates. Over the past month, however, Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the...

Ngozi goes.
August 4, 2006... The most prominent reformer in Africa's most populous nation quits Nigeria's government IF YOU could avert your eyes from kidnappings in the Delta, venal barons in the provinces, sectarian strife and oil-fired corruption, it was possible...

No end in sight.
August 4, 2006... Peace in Lebanon remains elusive, as fighting continues into a fourth week. Both sides may be pursuing a broader agenda A CEASEFIRE in Lebanon should not, in theory at least, be hard to achieve. The belligerents claim to share some of the...

Ever more deadly.
August 7, 2006... Fighting between Israel and Hizbullah intensifies as diplomats grope towards a ceasefire IT WAS the worst weekend yet for Israel in this war. On Sunday August 6th, rockets killed three civilians in the port city of Haifa and 12 soldiers...

Don't take the high roads.
August 7, 2006... Spain and Italy are making fresh attempts to block big cross-border mergers. If the European Union fails to take a tough stand more protectionist moves may follow OPTIMISTS interpreted the wave of protectionism that rolled across Europe...

Ever more deadly.
August 8, 2006... Fighting between Israel and Hizbullah intensifies as diplomats grope towards a ceasefire IT WAS the worst weekend yet for Israel in this war. On Sunday August 6th, rockets killed three civilians in the port city of Haifa and 12 soldiers...

Reigniting.
August 8, 2006... Sri Lanka's smouldering civil war is growing more heated EACH day brings new horrors in Sri Lanka. On Tuesday August 8th a car bomb in the capital, Colombo, killed two people and injured a third. The same day, relatives prepared to bury 17...

Against gloom; The Buttonwood column: Against gloom; Things are not as bad as visiting moneymen may think.
August 8, 2006... Things are not as bad as visiting moneymen may think EVEN if he has no problems at home to flee from, when a western money manager chooses to visit Japan at this time of year, in power suit and tie, to inspect investments that have...

Against gloom.
August 9, 2006... Japan is not as badly off as visiting moneymen may think EVEN if he has no problems at home to flee from, when a western money manager chooses to visit Japan at this time of year, in power suit and tie, to inspect investments that have...

Taking a break.
August 9, 2006... The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, decides not to lift interest rates, after 17 straight increases ARE WE there yet? In recent months, that question has been asked so often of Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal...

Against gloom; The Buttonwood column: Against gloom; Japan is not as badly off as visiting moneymen may think.
August 10, 2006... Japan is not as badly off as visiting moneymen may think EVEN if he has no problems at home to flee from, when a western money manager chooses to visit Japan at this time of year, in power suit and tie, to inspect investments that have...

Taking a break.
August 10, 2006... The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, decides not to lift interest rates, after 17 straight increases ARE WE there yet? In recent months, that question has been asked so often of Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal...

The search for peace in Lebanon.
August 10, 2006... Hopes for a ceasefire are rising but the war may get even bloodier before it stops IT HAS taken a month, with more than 1,000 Lebanese and 100 Israelis killed and over 1m people displaced. But at last, diplomats are inching closer to a...

America's anti-war centre begins to hold.
August 10, 2006... Joe Lieberman's defeat is evidence of a startling political shift THIS week Joe Lieberman lost Connecticut's Democratic primary election to Ned Lamont, an anti-war businessman whose political experience runs no deeper than town hall...

A plot, and chaos.
August 10, 2006... Britain's security services believe they have foiled a big attack HEATHROW, London's main airport, is normally thronged with cross people in queues at this time of year. But on Thursday August 10th the lines became serpentine and the...

Marking an anxious birthday in Cuba.
August 11, 2006... A sickly Fidel Castro chooses not to celebrate his 80th birthday this weekend, as Cubans ponder a future without him ONE perk dictators enjoy is being able to determine official timetables. Fidel Castro, Cuba's long-serving leader, turns 80...

After a failed attack.(planned by terrorists identified by Britain)
August 11, 2006... Britain's security services believe they have foiled a big attack HEATHROW, London's main airport, is normally thronged with cross people in queues at this time of year. But on Thursday August 10th the lines became serpentine and the...

Meetings at Yasukuni.
August 14, 2006... A chance for Japan's next leader to draw the shrine's sting TO AN unnatural degree, Japan's relations with its neighbours turn upon visits by the country's leaders at this time of year to a green and peaceful compound in the heart of...

Petering out.(ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah)
August 14, 2006... As a ceasefire takes effect in Lebanon, and thousands of displaced civilians begin to return home, it is unclear whether the fighting is really over. Neither side can claim a military success ALL through the night of Sunday August 13th,...

Grey skies ahead?(flight delays in Britain's airports)
August 14, 2006... After security forces in Britain apparently foil a large-scale terrorist attack, it may be that air-travellers are the worst affected in the long run THE delays at most of Britain's airports have eased a little since Thursday August 10th,...

After a failed attack.(planned by terrorists identified by Britain)
August 14, 2006... Britain's security services believe they have foiled a big attack HEATHROW, London's main airport, is normally thronged with cross people in queues at this time of year. But on Thursday August 10th the lines became serpentine and the...

Meetings at Yasukuni.
August 15, 2006... A chance for Japan's next leader to draw the shrine's sting TO AN unnatural degree, Japan's relations with its neighbours turn upon visits by the country's leaders at this time of year to a green and peaceful compound in the heart of...

Petering out.(Hezbollah-Israeli War, 2006)
August 15, 2006... After a ceasefire takes effect in Lebanon thousands of displaced civilians are beginning to return home. Hizbullah is claiming victory; Israel promises to "do better" if it confronts the armed group again ALL through the night of Sunday...

Back to prevention.
August 15, 2006... With broad agreement on how to treat those infected with HIV, the challenge--once again--is to find better ways to prevent infection in the first place POLITICAL crises come and go, but AIDS goes on forever. It is 25 years since the...

Sri Lanka at war.
August 16, 2006... The humanitarian cost of fighting in Sri Lanka is rising fast. A ceasefire exists on paper, but it has become irrelevant IT IS no longer a ceasefire riddled with violations; no longer a "low-intensity conflict". Sri Lanka is at war in all...

Coping with the boat people.
August 16, 2006... A thwarted policy on asylum-seekers gives Australia's John Howard his sharpest political defeat. Refugee policy remains a touchy subject elsewhere, too GLOBAL refugee numbers may be lower than at almost any point in the past quarter of a...

Sri Lanka at war.(with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)
August 17, 2006... The humanitarian cost of conflict in Sri Lanka is rising fast. A ceasefire exists on paper, but it has become irrelevant IT IS no longer a ceasefire riddled with violations; no longer a "low-intensity conflict". Sri Lanka is at war in all...

Iraq's spluttering economy.
August 17, 2006... There is little to cheer in the economy, even with high oil prices FIXING Iraq's economy is like treating a patient who is both sick and injured: there is little chance of tackling the disease until the wounds are dealt with. Over 20 years...

The quest for metals.
August 17, 2006... High demand and limited supply are pushing up the prices of base metals, and of the companies that produce them THE directors of America's Phelps Dodge, a mining and metals group, must be wondering where they went wrong. In June, they...

Battling the flab.
August 18, 2006... A deadly condition spreads from rich countries to developing ones OBESITY is no longer a problem for the rich world alone. The World Food Programme estimates that 3m people in southern Africa will remain short of food this year because of...

Battling the flab.
August 21, 2006... A deadly condition spreads from rich countries to developing ones OBESITY is no longer a problem for the rich world alone. The World Food Programme estimates that 3m people in southern Africa will remain short of food this year because of...

Water, water everywhere?
August 21, 2006... Some two billion people are short of water. But, with a little ingenuity, there should be more than enough to go round IS THE world running out of water? A group of scientists, economists and development experts who have been studying the...

And then there were two.(Joseph Kabila)(Jean-Pierre Bemba)
August 22, 2006... Election results in Congo show the president, Joseph Kabila, will compete in a run-off against his opposition rival, Jean-Pierre Bemba VIOLENT clashes in the streets of Congo's capital, Kinshasa, that began on Sunday August 20th have now...

No, but yes.(Iran's nuclear policy)
August 22, 2006... Iran fails to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, but offers "serious" talks with world powers, perhaps in an effort to divide them OUTSIDERS have long sought to freeze Iran's nuclear programme, which most believe is designed to...

Taking shape.
August 22, 2006... Italy is ready to lead a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, leaving France out in the cold MORE than a week after serious fighting between Israel and Hizbullah stopped, a UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon is beginning to take shape. France...

Taking shape.
August 23, 2006... Italy is ready to lead a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, with France taking only a secondary role MORE than a week after serious fighting between Israel and Hizbullah stopped, a UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon is beginning to take...

Weapons of less production.
August 23, 2006... Iran and Venezuela like to hint at the use of an "oil weapon" against Europe and America. But cutting exports may damage producers more than their intended targets "DO NOT force us to do something that will make people shiver in the cold."...

Gimme shelter.
August 23, 2006... Now that America's housing party is over, how bad will the hangover be? AMERICA's housing market has banged its head on the ceiling; now investors and homeowners are wondering how soon--and how hard--it will hit the floor. On Wednesday...

Gimme shelter.
August 24, 2006... Now that America's housing party is over, how bad will the hangover be? AMERICA's housing market has banged its head on the ceiling; now investors and homeowners are wondering how soon--and how hard--it will hit the floor. On Wednesday...

Cruise control.
August 24, 2006... Religious beliefs and Hollywood don't mix, unless there is money to be made HALF a century ago Hollywood's love of scale and spectacle manifested itself in biblical epics such as "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur". Now film moguls are...

Forbidden planet.
August 25, 2006... Stripping Pluto of its status has angered as many as it has pleased. Although there were problems with the voting, the decision was the right one CONTROVERSY has dogged the definition of Pluto as a planet almost since the lump of rock was...

A taste of things to come.
August 28, 2006... Two big Italian banks, Intesa and SanPaolo IMI have agreed to merge. Italy's fragmented banking sector needs to consolidate yet more WHEN Mario Draghi assumed his job as governor of Italy's central bank early this year one of his main...

In Katrina's wake.(George W. Bush visiting New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck)
August 28, 2006... George Bush visits New Orleans this week, a year after Hurricane Katrina struck. Like the city, the Bush administration has yet to recover fully from its effects IN 2004, Americans re-elected George Bush to the presidency mainly because he...

A taste of things to come.
August 29, 2006... Two big Italian banks, Intesa and SanPaolo IMI have agreed to merge. Italy's fragmented banking sector needs to consolidate yet more WHEN Mario Draghi assumed his job as governor of Italy's central bank early this year one of his main...

Forbidden planet.
August 29, 2006... Stripping Pluto of its status has angered as many as it has pleased. Although there were problems with the voting, the decision was the right one CONTROVERSY has dogged the definition of Pluto as a planet almost since the lump of rock was...

In Katrina's wake.
August 29, 2006... George Bush visited New Orleans this week, a year after Hurricane Katrina struck. Like the city, the Bush administration has yet to recover fully from its effects IN 2004, Americans re-elected George Bush to the presidency mainly because...

A big test.
August 29, 2006... China seems to be taking a tougher line with North Korea over its plans for a nuclear test. Its patience with the hermit kingdom may be wearing thin DESPITE knowing how much he dislikes foreign travel, the Chinese government has reportedly...

Losing its grip.
August 29, 2006... Despite attempts to break the political deadlock Palestinian political and militant groups are still fragmented, and Hamas's hold on power in Gaza continues to slip THE kidnapping of two Fox News journalists in Gaza, who were released on...

In Katrina's wake.
August 30, 2006... George Bush visited New Orleans this week, a year after Hurricane Katrina struck. Like the city, the Bush administration has yet to recover fully from its effects IN 2004, Americans re-elected George Bush to the presidency mainly because...

Resorting to terror.
August 30, 2006... Kurdish separatists have targeted tourists in a wave of bombing in Turkey, putting pressure on the government to take a harder line against the rebels ONLY days after a wave of bomb attacks shook two of Turkey's most popular coastal...

Richer for poorer.
August 30, 2006... Though their numbers remain steady, the lot of America's poor may be improving in ways not reflected by the official figures "THE poor you shall have always with you". Jesus wasn't specifically addressing America with these words, though he...

Losing its grip.
August 31, 2006... Despite attempts to break the political deadlock Palestinian political and militant groups are still fragmented, and Hamas's hold on power in Gaza continues to slip THE kidnapping of two Fox News journalists in Gaza, who were released on...

An end in sight?
August 31, 2006... A truce between the Lord's Resistance Army and Uganda's government could signal the end a long and murderous conflict. But the crimes of the rebel group's leaders may go unpunished IN GULU, capital of the war-ravaged Acholi district of...