Global Agenda articles from February 2006

Global Agenda archives from February 2006

Hamas prepares for office; After the Palestinian elections; Hamas prepares for office, and the world thinks how to react.(Palestinian parliamentary elections)
February 1, 2006... The Islamist group Hamas won a victory beyond its dreams in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, taking 76 out of the 132 seats and sweeping aside the former ruling party, Fatah. Minds now turn to the question of who forms the new...

The Satanic sketches; Religion and freedom of expression; A growing furore over Denmark's Satanic sketches.
February 1, 2006... A diplomatic and trade row is raging after two Nordic newspapers published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that were deemed insulting by many Muslims. This week a French daily reprinted the cartoons. In Britain, meanwhile, parliamentarians...

World powers tighten the noose, but Iran may yet wriggle free; Iran's nuclear programme; World powers agree to report the case to the Security Council.
February 1, 2006... World powers have agreed to report Iran to the United Nations over its nuclear programme, which looks like bomb-making to Europe and America. The move should be confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday. But Iran will...

A charter in London, troops for the badlands.
February 2, 2006... Afghanistan's president and officials from 40 countries have announced a "charter" for the country's reconstruction. And, after years of painful prevarication, NATO is getting serious about peacekeeping in the country's troublesome south ...

Are Big Oil's tanks running dry? Energy giants' mega-profits; Big Oil rakes it in, but are the tanks running dry?
February 2, 2006... The world's big private oil companies are reporting record profits on the back of high oil prices. They should enjoy it while it lasts, for they are struggling to find new reserves to replace the stuff they are pumping OIL companies are...

The Satanic sketches; Religion and freedom of expression; A growing furore over Denmark's Satanic sketches.
February 2, 2006... A diplomatic and trade row is raging after several European newspapers--and a Jordanian tabloid--published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that were deemed insulting by many Muslims. In Britain, meanwhile, parliamentarians have defeated a...

Betting on Bernanke; Greenspan bows out with an interest-rate hike; Over to you, Ben, and good luck.(Ben Bernanke)
February 2, 2006... The Federal Reserve has raised its key interest rate by another quarter of a percentage point, to 4.5%, at Alan Greenspan's last meeting in charge. His successor, Ben Bernanke, is taking over at or near the end of a cycle of monetary...

A charter in London, troops for the badlands.
February 3, 2006... Afghanistan's president and officials from 40 countries have announced a "charter" for the country's reconstruction. And, after years of painful prevarication, NATO is getting serious about peacekeeping in the country's troublesome south ...

The Satanic sketches; Religion and freedom of expression; A growing furore over Denmark's Satanic sketches.
February 3, 2006... A diplomatic and trade row is raging after several European newspapers--and a Jordanian tabloid--published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that were deemed insulting by many Muslims. Western democracies are again struggling to reconcile the...

Betting on Bernanke; Greenspan bows out with an interest-rate hike; Over to you, Ben, and good luck.
February 3, 2006... The Federal Reserve has raised its key interest rate by another quarter of a percentage point, to 4.5%, at Alan Greenspan's last meeting in charge. His successor, Ben Bernanke, is taking over at or near the end of a cycle of monetary...

World powers tighten the noose, but Iran may yet wriggle free; Iran's nuclear programme; World powers agree to report the case to the Security Council.
February 3, 2006... World powers have agreed to report Iran to the United Nations over its nuclear programme, which looks like bomb-making to Europe and America. The move should be confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency later in the week. But Iran...

Africa's unending war on corruption; Fighting corruption in Africa; Kenya disappoints again, but bright spots emerge elsewhere.
February 3, 2006... Kenya's entire government is under pressure to resign after a report described corruption at the highest levels and forced the finance minister to quit. Liberia's new president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has dismissed all of the political...

World powers tighten the noose, but Iran may yet wriggle free; Iran's nuclear programme; The IAEA approves the move to report the case to the Security Council.
February 6, 2006... After world powers agreed to recommend that Iran be reported to the United Nations over its nuclear programme, the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed the move. But Iran will continue to try to wriggle free IRAN is finally...

Africa's unending war on corruption; Fighting corruption in Africa; The unending war on graft.
February 6, 2006... Kenya's entire government is under pressure to resign after a report described corruption at the highest levels and forced the finance minister to quit. Liberia's new president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has dismissed all of the political...

An unfunny row over cartoons blazes on.
February 6, 2006... Violent protests are spreading after European newspapers published cartoons depicting Muhammad that were considered blasphemous by many Muslims. Nordic embassies have been attacked in the Middle East and in Indonesia, and some protesters have...

Are Big Oil's tanks running dry? Energy giants' mega-profits; Big Oil rakes it in, but are the tanks running dry?
February 7, 2006... The world's big private oil companies are reporting record profits on the back of high oil prices. They should enjoy it while it lasts, for they are struggling to find new reserves to replace the stuff they are pumping OIL companies are...

An unfunny row over cartoons blazes on.
February 7, 2006... Violent protests are spreading around the world after newspapers published cartoons depicting Muhammad. European embassies have been attacked in the Middle East and in Indonesia, and in Afghanistan NATO soldiers have been forced to confront...

Bush's bulging deficits; Bush's budget proposal; It depends on what the meaning of "deficit" is.
February 7, 2006... President George Bush has proposed a $2.7 trillion budget for the 2007 fiscal year. After narrowing in 2005, America's budget deficit is once again expanding, thanks to heavy spending on disaster relief and the war in Iraq. With token spending...

The meaning of livedoor.
February 7, 2006... Livedoor is no Enron, yet its collapse underscores the problems that Japan's creaky financial infrastructure will have coping with a recovering economy. That might really start to matter JAPAN'S "Enron moment" it has increasingly been...

An unfunny row over cartoons blazes on.
February 8, 2006... Violent protests are spreading around the world after newspapers published cartoons depicting Muhammad. European embassies have been attacked in the Middle East and in Indonesia, and in Afghanistan western soldiers have been forced to confront...

Fortress Europe fights back; European protectionism; The fortress fights back.
February 8, 2006... A day after the European Union's trade commissioner attacked the continent's "populist" politicians and the world trade body ruled against Europe's restrictions on genetically modified crops, the European Commission has issued a report...

At last, a bridge of sorts to the future; Haiti's chaotic but largely successful election; A milestone in an ill-starred effort to create a democracy out of a failed state.
February 8, 2006... Haiti held a chaotic but mostly successful election on Tuesday February 7th. This marks a belated milestone in an ill-starred international effort to create a democracy out of a failed state SCENES of angry mobs at polling stations and the...

Shaking off Greenberg's shadow.
February 9, 2006... AIG's $1.6 billion settlement concludes its run-in with American regulators over a series of accounting irregularities that forced the resignation of Hank Greenberg, the firm's legendary boss. But Mr Greenberg's lengthy shadow still looms over...

Fortress Europe fights back; European protectionism; The fortress fights back.
February 9, 2006... A day after the European Union's trade commissioner attacked the continent's "populist" politicians and the world trade body ruled against Europe's restrictions on genetically modified crops, the European Commission has issued a report...

Food firms and fat-fighters; Food companies and obesity; It's all on the label, so don't blame us if it makes you fat.
February 9, 2006... Five leading food companies have introduced a labelling scheme for their products in the British market, in an attempt to assuage critics who say they encourage obesity. But consumer groups are unhappy all the same. Is the food industry, like...

Volkswagen looks for a higher gear; Carmakers; Volkswagen joins GM and Renault in a change of gear.
February 10, 2006... Volkswagen has announced that it will lay off 20,000 workers over the next three years, in the same week as General Motors took drastic action to stop the rot and Renault unveiled a revival plan. On top of having to grapple with overcapacity,...

Iraq's Shias stick with the devil they know; Jaafari nominated as Iraqi prime minister; The dominant Shias stick with the devil they know.
February 13, 2006... In a surprise move, Ibrahim al-Jaafari has again been nominated as Iraq's prime minister. More radical members of his Shia Islamist political group, the country's largest, may demand a high price for backing him. This will make it hard to...

Mercurial Merrill; The Buttonwood column: asset management; Merrill Lynch dumps its fund business and keeps everything else. Wrong way round?
February 14, 2006... Merrill Lynch is dumping its fund business and keeping everything else. Wrong way round? WHEN Merrill Lynch bought Mercury Asset Management for $5 billion in 1997, it was one of many brokerage firms trying to get into the asset-management...

Big Brother is looking after you; Civil liberties; Big Brother takes on smoking, identity theft and those who would "glorify" terror.
February 14, 2006... Contentious new laws on the introduction of identity cards, smoking and the glorification of terror are being considered this week in Britain's Parliament. Elsewhere, notably in America, concerns about wiretapping persist. Are individual...

Mercurial Merrill; The Buttonwood column: asset management; Merrill Lynch dumps its fund business and keeps everything else. Wrong way round?
February 15, 2006... Merrill Lynch is dumping its fund business and keeping everything else. Wrong way round? WHEN Merrill Lynch bought Mercury Asset Management for $5 billion in 1997, it was one of many brokerage firms trying to get into the asset-management...

Big Brother is looking after you; Civil liberties; Big Brother takes on smoking, identity theft and those who would "glorify" terror.
February 15, 2006... Contentious new laws on the introduction of identity cards, smoking and the glorification of terror were approved this week by Britain's Parliament. Elsewhere, notably in America, concerns about wiretapping persist. Are individual freedoms...

Inspecting the cargo; Suspected price-fixing in the air-cargo business; The world's competition authorities inspect the hold.
February 15, 2006... Some of the world's leading airlines are under investigation for alleged price-fixing by their cargo divisions. If collusion is proved, it would deal a blow to the aviation industry just as it is starting to take advantage of a boom in...

Incompetence, and maybe worse, in Haiti; Haiti's electoral aftermath; Incompetence, and maybe worse.
February 15, 2006... Haiti's crucial election has descended into confusion and mistrust, setting back hopes of a fresh start for the failed state of the Americas FOR a week after the presidential election, Rene Preval closeted himself at his farm in the north...

Iraq's Shias stick with the devil they know; Jaafari nominated as Iraqi prime minister; The dominant Shias stick with the devil they know.(political aspects)
February 16, 2006... In a surprise move, Ibrahim al-Jaafari has again been nominated as Iraq's prime minister. More radical members of his Shia Islamist political group, the country's largest, may demand a high price for backing him. This will make it hard to...

Mercurial Merrill; The Buttonwood column: asset management; Merrill Lynch dumps its fund business and keeps everything else. Wrong way round?
February 16, 2006... Merrill Lynch is dumping its fund business and keeping everything else. Wrong way round? WHEN Merrill Lynch bought Mercury Asset Management for $5 billion in 1997, it was one of many brokerage firms trying to get into the asset-management...

Iraq's Shias stick with the devil they know; Jaafari nominated as Iraqi prime minister; The dominant Shias stick with the devil they know.
February 17, 2006... In a surprise move, Ibrahim al-Jaafari has again been nominated as Iraq's prime minister. More radical members of his Shia Islamist political group, the country's largest, may demand a high price for backing him. This will make it hard to...

Icahn's rare retreat; Carl Icahn and Time Warner; The legendary investor sounds a rare retreat.
February 17, 2006... Carl Icahn has abandoned his efforts to take control of Time Warner, after his plans to split up the firm met with lacklustre support from other shareholders. But the veteran investor has already forced some important changes on the media giant...

Japan, land of the rising indicators; Japan's economy; Land of the rising indicators.
February 17, 2006... Japan's GDP grew at a surprisingly strong annualised rate of 5.5% in the fourth quarter of 2005. It looks like the economy may finally be leaving ten years of stagnation behind. But can its export-led growth last long enough to put domestic...

Icahn and Time Warner reach a truce; Carl Icahn and Time Warner; The legendary investor retreats, but only after winning some big concessions from the media giant.
February 20, 2006... Carl Icahn has abandoned his efforts to take control of Time Warner, after his plans to split up the media giant met with lacklustre support from other shareholders. But in a settlement announced on Friday the veteran investor secured a number...

Hamas prepares for government; The Palestinians' new government; Hamas prepares to take over.
February 20, 2006... Hamas is presenting Ismail Haniyeh, its nominee for prime minister, to President Mahmoud Abbas for approval, while inviting other Palestinian militant groups to join it in government. Israel, America and others are cutting the Palestinian...

A milestone on Kosovo's road to independence; Talks begin on Kosovo's future; Independence seems assured, but Serbia may then declare its former province "occupied territory".
February 20, 2006... Talks on the future of Kosovo began on Monday February 20th in Vienna. They are almost certain to lead to its independence. If that happens, Serbia may declare its former province "occupied territory"--a move that would probably end its bids to...

The new face of Palestine; The Palestinians' new government; Hamas prepares to take over, as one of its "pragmatists" is appointed as prime minister.
February 21, 2006... Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas "pragmatist", has been appointed as Palestinian prime minister. While Hamas is inviting other militant groups to join it in government, President Mahmoud Abbas is urging the new ruling party to swap armed struggle for...

E.ON's bolt from the blue; E.ON counter-bids for Spain's Endesa; A bolt from the blue.
February 21, 2006... Germany's E.ON has launched a [euro]29 billion offer for Endesa, Spain's biggest power firm, in the hope of scuppering an earlier bid by Gas Natural, also of Spain. If successful, it would create a European powerhouse. But the Spanish...

Whiter than white?
February 21, 2006... A new formula for bond-market transparency--as recommended by dentists WHO remembers the Belgian dentist, the legendary buyer (so market lore has it) of tax-efficient Eurobonds. Buttonwood can reveal that this dull but largely inoffensive...

The aves, and ave nots; Bird flu; As the disease spreads to many new countries, migrating wild birds may not be the only culprits.
February 22, 2006... Avian influenza is spreading to many new countries. But migrating wild birds may not be the only culprits IN AROUND a month, bird flu has appeared in a seemingly alarming number of new countries. The disease is already endemic in the...

E.ON's bolt from the blue; E.ON counter-bids for Spain's Endesa; A bolt from the blue in the power business.
February 22, 2006... Germany's E.ON has launched a [euro]29 billion offer for Endesa, Spain's biggest power firm, in the hope of scuppering an earlier bid by Gas Natural, also of Spain. If successful, it would create a European powerhouse. But the Spanish...

A brewing storm over America's ports.
February 22, 2006... A row has broken out over the purchase by a Dubai-based company of the rights to operate several big American ports. Senior politicians--Republicans as well as Democrats--want to block the deal on security grounds. George Bush is defending it...

A brewing storm over America's ports.
February 23, 2006... A row has broken out over the purchase by a Dubai-based company of the rights to operate several big American ports. Senior politicians--Republicans as well as Democrats--want to block the deal on security grounds. George Bush is defending it...

Iraq grows ever more sectarian; Iraq after the shrine bombing; The Sunnis pull out of talks on forming a unity government as sectarian tensions rise.
February 23, 2006... There have been bloody reprisals and mass demonstrations across Iraq following the bombing of a Shia Muslim shrine in the city of Samarra, and the main Sunni political bloc has pulled out of talks on forming a new unity government. The chances...

The aves, and ave nots; Bird flu; As the disease spreads to many new countries, migrating wild birds may not be the only culprits.
February 27, 2006... Avian influenza is spreading to many new countries. But migrating wild birds may not be the only culprits IN AROUND a month, bird flu has appeared in a seemingly alarming number of new countries. The disease is already endemic in the...

E.ON's bolt from the blue; E.ON counter-bids for Spain's Endesa; A bolt from the blue in the power business.
February 27, 2006... Germany's E.ON has launched a [euro]29 billion offer for Endesa, Spain's biggest power firm, in the hope of scuppering an earlier bid by Gas Natural, also of Spain. If successful, it would create a European powerhouse. But the Spanish...

A brewing storm over America's ports; Political opposition to Dubai's takeover of P&O; Bush is caught in a storm over America's ports.
February 27, 2006... A row has broken out over the purchase by a Dubai-based company of the rights to operate several big American ports. Senior politicians--Republicans as well as Democrats--want to stop the deal on security grounds. George Bush is defending it...

Iraq grows ever more sectarian; Iraq after the shrine bombing; The Sunnis rejoin coalition talks, but the threat of civil war remains.
February 27, 2006... There have been bloody reprisals and mass demonstrations across Iraq following the bombing of a Shia Muslim shrine in the city of Samarra. A weekend curfew has calmed things somewhat, and Sunni leaders have said they will re-enter talks on...

Storms amid South-East Asia's relative calm.
February 27, 2006... The Philippines' president, Gloria Arroyo, has declared an emergency after uncovering an alleged coup plot, while Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, has called elections to head off huge anti-government protests. The travails of two...

Closing the borders to business; Economic nationalism; France and others close their borders to business on "strategic" grounds.
February 27, 2006... A wave of cross-border mergers is sweeping across Europe. But as globalisation and no-holds-barred capitalism gather strength on the continent, France and others are trying to stiffen the barriers to economic integration on "strategic" grounds....

Iraq grows ever more sectarian; Iraq after the shrine bombing; The Sunnis rejoin coalition talks, but the threat of civil war remains.
February 28, 2006... There have been bloody reprisals and mass demonstrations across Iraq following the bombing of a Shia Muslim shrine in the city of Samarra. A weekend curfew calmed things somewhat, and Sunni leaders have said they will re-enter talks on joining...

Closing the borders to business; Economic nationalism; France and others close their borders to business on "strategic" grounds.
February 28, 2006... A wave of cross-border mergers is sweeping across Europe. But as globalisation and no-holds-barred capitalism gather strength on the continent, France and others are trying to stiffen the barriers to economic integration on "strategic" grounds....

Fowl times for poultry farmers; Avian flu; France's poultry industry shudders as the virus continues to spread.
February 28, 2006... Avian flu is popping up in new countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, renewing worries about the possibility of a global pandemic. Though much attention is focused on France, where the first European case of the deadly H5N1 strain on a poultry...

The third wave.
February 28, 2006... This time, emerging markets are for real HERE is an arresting little flake from this week's blizzard of news: Hugo Chavez--president of Venezuela, self-styled leader of the Bolivarian populist revolution, scourge of American imperialism and...