Global Agenda articles from December 2005

Global Agenda archives from December 2005

No confidence, no alternative? Canadian politics; The government falls but may bounce back before long.
December 1, 2005... A sleaze scandal from years past has helped to bring down Canada's Liberal government, led by Paul Martin. But opposition parties have problems of their own, and the Liberals are likely to regain power in the January election ONE of...

Trichet's dilemma.
December 1, 2005... After leaving interest rates unchanged for more than two years, the European Central Bank has finally raised its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point. The bank is trying to establish its credibility as an inflation hawk, but this may be...

Trichet's dilemma.
December 2, 2005... After leaving interest rates unchanged for more than two years, the European Central Bank has finally raised its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point. The bank is trying to establish its credibility as an inflation hawk, but this may be...

Trichet's dilemma; European monetary policy; The ECB's quarter-point gamble.
December 5, 2005... After leaving interest rates unchanged for more than two years, the European Central Bank has finally raised its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point. The bank is trying to establish its credibility as an inflation hawk, but this may be...

Chavez's clean sweep; Venezuelan elections; A clean sweep for Chavez and his allies, thanks to an opposition boycott.
December 5, 2005... In an unusual election victory, Hugo Chavez's party and its allies have won all the seats in Venezuela's national assembly, thanks to a boycott by most of the opposition parties. While some of Venezuela's neighbours are warming to the fiery,...

Lean and mean, but not very popular; Wrangles over the European Union budget; Britain's lean, mean but not very popular proposal.
December 5, 2005... Britain has proposed cuts to the European Union budget in an effort to save the rebate it has enjoyed since the mid-1980s. But deep rifts over farm policy and competition will make it hard for Tony Blair, Britain's prime minister and current EU...

Lean and mean, but not very popular; Wrangles over the European Union budget; Britain's lean, mean but not very popular proposal.
December 6, 2005... Britain has proposed cuts to the European Union budget in an effort to save the rebate it has enjoyed since the mid-1980s. But deep rifts over farm policy and competition will make it hard for Tony Blair, Britain's prime minister and current EU...

Drowning in fines.(Securities and Exchange Commission audit reports)
December 6, 2005... Regulators love to trumpet the big penalties they impose on financial transgressors. How they treat the money is almost a crime in itself UNTIL 1934, the successors of those who first gathered under the tree that gave this column its name...

Lean and mean, but not very popular; Wrangles over the European Union budget; Britain's lean, unpopular proposal.
December 7, 2005... Britain has proposed cuts to the European Union budget in an effort to save the rebate it has enjoyed since the mid-1980s. But deep rifts over farm policy and competition will make it hard for Tony Blair, Britain's prime minister and current EU...

Not yet a democracy; Egypt's elections; A poll offering more choice, but still marred by thuggery and fraud.
December 7, 2005... Egypt's general election offered voters more choice than past polls, but was still marred by thuggery and fraud EGYPT'S state radio declared the general election a "splendid pageant of democracy", yet the voting, staggered over three...

So, what's all the fuss? "Renditions" of terrorist suspects; America seeks, but fails, to quell the uproar over CIA shenanigans in Europe.
December 7, 2005... America seeks, but fails, to quell the uproar over CIA shenanigans in Europe STORIES have long circulated of people being snatched off streets by American secret agents and whisked off to covert CIA prisons around the world for harsh...

Good times rarely last; Financial exchanges; Let the good times roll, for now.
December 7, 2005... Financial exchanges are booming, but this is no time for complacency TWO hundred and thirteen years ago, a group of brokers and merchants signed an agreement under a buttonwood tree in lower Manhattan. They thereby created a...

Not yet a democracy; Egypt's elections; A poll offering more choice, but still marred by thuggery and fraud.
December 8, 2005... Egypt's general election offered voters more choice than past polls, but was still marred by thuggery and fraud EGYPT'S state radio declared the general election a "splendid pageant of democracy", yet the voting, staggered over three...

So, what's all the fuss? "Renditions" of terrorist suspects; America seeks, but fails, to quell the uproar over CIA shenanigans in Europe.
December 8, 2005... America seeks, but fails, to quell the uproar in Europe over CIA shenanigans THE European left has long treasured the myth that CIA agents snatch people off the streets and whisk them off to covert prisons around the world for harsh...

Justice catches up with Gotovina.
December 8, 2005... One of the world's most wanted war-crimes suspects, Ante Gotovina, has been arrested and will join Slobodan Milosevic and others in the dock at a UN tribunal in The Hague. But two other "big fish" wanted over atrocities during the 1990s Balkan...

Chavez's clean sweep; Venezuelan elections; A clean sweep for Chavez and his allies, thanks to an opposition boycott.(Hugo Chavez)
December 9, 2005... In an unusual election victory, Hugo Chavez's party and its allies have won all the seats in Venezuela's national assembly, thanks to a boycott by most of the opposition parties. While some of Venezuela's neighbours are warming to the fiery,...

Gotovina in the dock.
December 12, 2005... One of the world's most wanted war-crimes suspects, Ante Gotovina, has appeared before a UN tribunal in The Hague and pleaded not guilty. As he joins Slobodan Milosevic and others being tried over atrocities committed in the 1990s Balkan...

Trouble in Chinatown; Social unrest in China; How not to deal with the unpleasant side-effects of the economic boom.
December 12, 2005... After a violent protest about land confiscation, followed by a police crackdown that left several people dead, authorities in China have arrested the military officer responsible. What may be the worst shooting of protesters since Tiananmen...

Dark deeds in Lebanon; Lebanon and Syria; Another assassination casts a dark shadow.
December 13, 2005... The killing of another prominent anti-Syrian leader in Lebanon--just as a UN investigator reports more details of Syria's alleged involvement in the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister--further undermines Lebanon's stability and...

As the economy booms, so does unrest; Social unrest in China; How not to deal with the unpleasant side-effects of the economic boom.
December 13, 2005... After a violent protest about land confiscation, followed by a police crackdown that left several people dead, authorities in China have arrested the military officer responsible. What may be the worst shooting of protesters since Tiananmen...

Yuletide investments, ho ho ho.
December 13, 2005... Structured bonds for retail investors, all the rage in Germany, can often turn out to be Santa's little joke at their expense AT THE Weihnachtsmarkt, Frankfurt's bustling Christmas fair, as the whiff of pine, gingerbread and Gluhwein...

Drilling on Wall Street; Oil mergers; ConocoPhillips joins the drilling on Wall Street.
December 13, 2005... ConocoPhillips, one of the world's leading privately owned oil firms, is paying almost $36 billion to acquire Burlington Resources, a smaller American producer. As profits boom and access to new reserves dwindles, energy firms are likely to pay...

Dark deeds in Lebanon; Lebanon and Syria; Another assassination casts a dark shadow.
December 14, 2005... The killing of another prominent anti-Syrian leader in Lebanon--just as a UN investigator reports more details of Syria's alleged involvement in the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister--further undermines Lebanon's stability and...

At best, Iraq takes another step down a long, hard road; Iraq's general election; Just one more step down a long, hard road.
December 14, 2005... Iraqis vote this week for their first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Even if the election is peaceful, it will be hard to construct a government that Shias, Sunnis and Kurds can all accept, and harder still to defeat the...

Can America keep it up? The American economy; As the trade deficit hits a record high, the economy continues to confound the sceptics.
December 14, 2005... As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates again and the trade deficit breaks another record, the American economy continues to confound the sceptics. Thanks for that go largely to resilient consumers and booming productivity FOR several...

Dark deeds in Lebanon; Lebanon and Syria; Another assassination casts a dark shadow.
December 15, 2005... The killing of another prominent anti-Syrian leader in Lebanon--just as a UN investigator reports more details of Syria's alleged involvement in the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister--further undermines Lebanon's stability and...

Iraq takes another step down a long, hard road; Iraq's general election; Just one more step down a long, hard road.
December 15, 2005... Iraqis voted on Thursday for their first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Encouragingly, the election was free of large-scale violence. But it will be hard to construct a government that Shias, Sunnis and Kurds can all...

Macquarie plays for time; A "derisory" bid for the London Stock Exchange; Australia's Macquarie plays for time.
December 15, 2005... Macquarie Bank, an acquisitive Australian investment firm, has launched a hostile bid for the London Stock Exchange. The offer could yet persuade the exchange's many other suitors to enter the fray, and the LSE may at last find a partner as the...

Iraq takes another step down a long, hard road; Iraq's general election; Just one more step down a long, hard road.
December 16, 2005... Votes were being counted on Friday after an encouraging turnout in the previous day's election in Iraq. The poll was free of large-scale violence and saw wide participation by Sunnis. But it will be hard to construct a government that all can...

A ray of hope in the heart of Africa.
December 16, 2005... A referendum on Sunday marks the first democratic, nationwide vote in Congo in four decades. If endorsed, a new constitution should allow for general elections in 2006 and might help establish democracy after years of war and dictatorship. The...

Bush arm-twisted into a torture ban; Bush, under duress, accepts a torture ban; Arm-twisted into doing the decent thing.
December 16, 2005... After overwhelming votes in both houses of Congress, President Bush has backed down and agreed to Senator John McCain's proposed ban on the torture of terrorism detainees by American government personnel. The move shows Mr Bush's weakening grip...

Bush arm-twisted into a torture ban; Bush, under duress, accepts a torture ban; Arm-twisted into doing the decent thing.
December 17, 2005... After overwhelming votes in both houses of Congress, President Bush has backed down and agreed to Senator John McCain's proposed ban on the torture of terrorism detainees by American government personnel. The move shows Mr Bush's weakening grip...

Iraq takes another step down a long, hard road; Iraq's general election; Just one more step down a long, hard road.
December 19, 2005... Votes were being counted on Friday after an encouraging turnout in the previous day's election in Iraq. The poll was free of large-scale violence and saw wide participation by Sunnis. But it will be hard to construct a government that all can...

A ray of hope in the heart of Africa.
December 19, 2005... Voting has been extended in a referendum that marks the first democratic, nationwide vote in Congo in four decades. If endorsed, a new constitution should allow for general elections in 2006 and might help establish democracy after years of war...

Another splendid compromise forged in Brussels; At last, a deal on the EU budget; It'll do for now, but what about the long term?
December 19, 2005... Heads of state finally struck a deal on the European Union budget in the early hours of Saturday. Britain has agreed to give up a bit more of its contentious rebate; in return, the EU will review its spending, including the common agricultural...

Hard truths in Hong Kong; World trade; After Hong Kong the Doha round is still alive, but hardly healthy.
December 19, 2005... Despite haggling for six days, negotiators at the World Trade Organisation's Hong Kong ministerial made almost no progress on the issues at the heart of the Doha round of trade talks: cutting farm tariffs, freeing trade in industrial goods and...

Running for cover; Stem-cell research; Public outcry over a possible scientific fraud.
December 19, 2005... The work of Hwang Woo-suk, a stem-cell pioneer and a hero in his native South Korea, has been called into doubt KOREANS are sometimes accused of suffering from a "bali, bali" or "quick, quick" complex; of sacrificing quality and...

Fazio shamed out of office at last; Italy's embattled central banker quits; Fazio finally shamed out.
December 19, 2005... The governor of Italy's central bank, Antonio Fazio, has resigned following the arrest of his friend, the former BPI chief Gianpiero Fiorani, and the revelation that Mr Fazio himself was being investigated for suspected insider trading. His...

Fazio shamed out of office at last; Italy's embattled central banker quits; Fazio finally shamed out.
December 20, 2005... The governor of Italy's central bank, Antonio Fazio, has resigned following the arrest of his friend, the former BPI chief Gianpiero Fiorani, and the revelation that Mr Fazio himself was being investigated for suspected insider trading. His...

Sweet spot.
December 20, 2005... It'll have its scares, but Japan is still the best story in town AN ACQUAINTANCE of Buttonwood's, an economist at a great investment house, is just back from a round-the-world road show to charm clients about Japan. Everywhere he went, he...

Miraculous recovery or last gasp?
December 21, 2005... After soaring for years, housing markets throughout the rich world have been looking wobbly for some time. But surprisingly strong data on mortgages and house-building released this week in America and Britain seem to signal at least a...

Josef's uncomfortable Christmas.
December 21, 2005... Germany's federal court has ordered a retrial of Josef Ackermann, the boss of Deutsche Bank, for his role in awarding bonuses after Vodafone's takeover of Mannesmann. The ruling is likely to hasten his departure from the bank, just as he...

Josef's uncomfortable Christmas.
December 22, 2005... Germany's federal court has ordered a retrial of Josef Ackermann, the boss of Deutsche Bank, for his role in awarding bonuses after Vodafone's takeover of Mannesmann. The ruling is likely to hasten his departure from the bank, just as he...

Sri Lanka's Tigers on the loose; Sri Lanka's conflict; Tigers on the loose.
December 28, 2005... An upsurge of attacks by the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels has raised fears that Sri Lanka is sliding back towards civil war. The country's new president, Mahinda Rajapakse, is urging donor countries to pressure the rebels to return to...

Enron's beancounter seeks a deal; The case against Enron's former bosses; A key defendant seeks a deal.
December 28, 2005... Enron's former chief accounting officer is set to accept a plea-bargain deal and testify against his erstwhile bosses at the bust energy firm, Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay. This will give prosecutors an important new ally, but the outcome...

Sri Lanka's Tigers on the loose; Sri Lanka's conflict; Tigers on the loose.
December 29, 2005... An upsurge of attacks by the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels has raised fears that Sri Lanka is sliding back towards civil war. The country's new president, Mahinda Rajapakse, is urging donor countries to pressure the rebels to return to...

Enron's beancounter seeks a deal; The case against Enron's former bosses; A key defendant seeks a deal.
December 29, 2005... Enron's former chief accounting officer has accepted a plea-bargain deal to testify against his erstwhile bosses at the bust energy firm, Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay. This will give prosecutors an important new ally, but the outcome of the...

A system to make Jove proud; Satellite-navigation systems; Europe's Galileo takes a big leap forward, challenging America's GPS.(global positioning system)
December 29, 2005... Europe has launched the first of the satellites of its Galileo navigation system. Will it be a huge waste of money, a boost for the economy or a friend to Big Brother? BY GIOVE, they've done it. On Wednesday December 28th, the Giove-A...

Sri Lanka's Tigers on the loose; Sri Lanka's conflict; Tigers on the loose, raising fears of a return to civil war.
December 30, 2005... An upsurge of attacks by the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels has raised fears that Sri Lanka is sliding back towards civil war. The country's new president, Mahinda Rajapakse, is urging donor countries to pressure the rebels to return to...

Gaza slides closer to chaos; Turmoil among the Palestinians; Further chaos in Gaza as disgruntled police storm the Rafah crossing.
December 30, 2005... In the latest sign that the Palestinian government is failing to assert its authority over the Gaza Strip after Israel's withdrawal, dozens of policemen stormed the Rafah border crossing on Friday, causing it to be closed for several hours. The...