Global Agenda articles from January 2002

Global Agenda archives from January 2002

A new way to fly; Airlines: More changes in view.
January 3, 2002... After one of its worst-ever years, the airline industry is hoping for a recovery in air travel. There are already signs that passengers are returning, but airlines and the markets they operate in are undergoing enormous change AFTER one of...

The show goes on; Car making: Soaring sales, slumping profits.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Despite the start of America's recession, car makers had their second-best sales year last year. But at this week's Detroit motor show, no one is celebrating. Instead, cutbacks and tumbling profits are the talk of auto executives IT MAY...

An Italian Euro-Spat.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Renato Ruggiero has resigned as Italy's foreign minister, in protest at the Eurosceptic sentiments of his cabinet colleagues, raising questions about the European credentials of Italy's centre-right government ITALIANS generally do...

Sales, losses and electric cars.(automobile industry forecasts)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Despite the start of America's recession, car makers had their second-best sales year in 2001. But at this week's Detroit motor show, there are worries of cutbacks and tumbling profits. And after a major shift in policy by the Bush...

Electric blues in Motown; Detroit: Electric blues and fuel cells.
January 7, 2002... In an attempt to wean itself from a reliance on imported oil, the American government has announced a new initiative to help car makers produce electric vehicles which are powered by fuel cells. If successful, this would mean the end for the...

Winds of change; African democracy: Mugabe's true foe.(Robert Mugabe)(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, behaves more despotically by the day. But democracy is not a lost cause in Africa. On the contrary, the continent is growing steadily freer. Mr Mugabe's desperate rearguard action will not hold back the tide...

Monitors, not sanctions; Zimbabwe: Getting rid of Mugabe.(Brief Article)
January 9, 2002... Outsiders can help, but in the end it is up to Zimbabweans to shake off their awful government ON MONDAY, January 28th, European Union foreign ministers threatened to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe's ruling clique. But not immediately....

Financial fall-out; Financial services: Job cuts and falling profits.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2002... Many in financial services have never had it so bad. Or so they think. After a decade of defying gravity with unprecedented growth and prosperity, the industry has come to earth with a bump. But the pain may not be over yet SUCH is the...

Japan's tough choice; Japan: To devalue or not to devalue?(Brief Article)
January 11, 2002... Japan is mired in a deflationary spiral. Having spent billions on an apparently fruitless fiscal stimulus, a devaluation of the yen seems to be one of the few tools left to stimulate the economy. However, China and South Korea are both warning...

Bush and Enron's collapse; Bush and Enron: Who said what to whom?(George W. Bush)
January 11, 2002... A wave of controversy stirred up by the collapse of America's energy giant, Enron, has washed up at the front door of the White House. Amid a series of potentially embarrassing revelations, the Bush administration faces a new test BIG...

The androids' nightmare; Enron: Auditing the auditors.(Andersen L.L.C.)
January 11, 2002... The aftershocks from the collapse of Enron, a Texan energy-trading firm, in history's biggest corporate bankruptcy, may yet destroy the firm's auditors, Andersen, reducing the Big Five of global accountancy to the Big Four. The survivors might...

Regulating failure; Enron: The fall-out.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2002... The shock-waves from the collapse of Enron, a Texas-based energy-trading giant, are continuing to be felt by banks and their regulators, the accountancy profession and credit-rating agencies, as well as by politicians who benefited from the...

The fall-out from Enron; Enron: The fall-out.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2002... The shock waves from the collapse of Enron, a Texas-based energy-trading giant, are continuing to be felt by banks and their regulators, the accountancy profession and credit-rating agencies, as well as by politicians who benefited from the...

The spreading Enron mess; Enron: The spreading mess.
January 11, 2002... As revelations in the Enron affair continue to tumble out, employees and investors are furious at the way senior executives seem to have behaved and at how auditors, analysts, banks, rating agencies and regulators turned a blind eye to what was...

[0] The spreading Enron mess; Enron: The spreading mess.
January 11, 2002... As revelations in the Enron affair continue to tumble out, employees and investors are furious at the way senior executives seem to have behaved and at how auditors, analysts, banks, rating agencies and regulators turned a blind eye to what was...

[0] The spreading Enron mess; Enron: The spreading mess.
January 11, 2002... As revelations in the Enron affair continue to tumble out, employees and investors are furious at the way senior executives seem to have behaved and at how auditors, analysts, banks, rating agencies and regulators turned a blind eye to what was...

[0] The spreading Enron mess; Enron: The spreading mess.
January 11, 2002... As revelations in the Enron affair continue to tumble out, employees and investors are furious at the way senior executives seem to have behaved and at how auditors, analysts, banks, rating agencies and regulators turned a blind eye to what was...

The spreading Enron mess; Enron: The spreading mess.
January 11, 2002... As revelations in the Enron affair continue to tumble out, employees and investors are furious at the way senior executives seem to have behaved and at how auditors, analysts, banks, rating agencies and regulators turned a blind eye to what was...

Cooking the books; Enron: More damning details.(Enron Corp. bankruptcy and auditors Andersen L.L.C)(Brief Article)
January 11, 2002... A report from Enron's own board has outlined the widespread failures that led to the collapse of the energy-trading giant in America's biggest corporate bankruptcy last December. It blames management and Andersen, Enron's auditors, and even the...

Cooking the books; Enron: More damning details.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2002... A former chief executive of Enron, the collapsed energy-trading giant, has testified to Congress that he was unaware that the firm was in peril when he left it last August. Yet a report from Enron's own board has outlined the widespread...

Cooking the books; Enron: More damning details.
January 11, 2002... American congressmen have dismissed claims by a former chief executive of Enron, the collapsed energy-trading giant, that he was unaware that the firm was in peril when he left it last August. A report from Enron's own board has outlined the...

A politician's dream; Enron: Congress investigates.
January 11, 2002... American lawmakers are vigorously pursuing the investigation into the collapse of Enron, the world's biggest energy trader. They have castigated its senior managers, who have protested their innocence. And congressmen are proposing much more...

A politician's dream; Enron: Congress investigates.
January 11, 2002... American law makers are vigorously pursuing the investigation into the collapse of Enron, the world's biggest energy trader. They have castigated its senior managers, who have protested their innocence. And congressmen are proposing much more...

Regulators' delight; <em class="bold">Enron: </em>; The legislative consequences.
January 11, 2002... The collapse of Enron has raised a number of questions about America's supposedly world-beating brand of capitalism. Senior managers enriched themselves at the expense of the energy trader. Other managers were either complicit or turned a blind...

[0] Regulators' delight; <em class="bold">Enron: </em>; The legislative consequences.
January 11, 2002... The collapse of Enron has raised a number of questions about America's supposedly world-beating brand of capitalism. Senior managers enriched themselves at the expense of the energy trader. Other managers were either complicit or turned a blind...

Cooking the books; Enron: More damning details.(investigations into Enron Corp.)
January 11, 2002... A report from Enron's own board has outlined the widespread failures that led to the collapse of the energy-trading giant in America's biggest corporate bankruptcy last December. It blames management and Andersen, Enron's auditors, and even the...

A politician's dream; Enron: Congress investigates.
January 11, 2002... American lawmakers are vigorously pursuing the investigation into the collapse of Enron, the world's biggest energy trader. They have castigated its senior managers, who have protested their innocence. And congressmen are proposing much more...

[0] A politician's dream; Enron: Congress investigates.
January 11, 2002... American law makers are vigorously pursuing the investigation into the collapse of Enron, the world's biggest energy trader. They have castigated its senior managers, who have protested their innocence. And congressmen are proposing much more...

Andersen unravelling; Andersen: A question of survival.(top accounting firm's reputation tumbles after Enron scandal)(Brief Article)
January 11, 2002... Andersen, Enron's auditor and once the world's leading accounting firm, is up for sale. Following the revelations of the Enron scandal, the firm's reputation is in tatters. Auditing clients are heading for the door and the company could yet...

Andersen unravelling; Andersen: A question of survival.(Arthur Andersen up for sale)(Company Profile)
January 11, 2002... Andersen, Enron's auditor and once the world's leading accounting firm, is up for sale. Following the revelations of the Enron scandal, the firm's reputation is in tatters. Auditing clients are heading for the door and the company could yet...

[0] Andersen unravelling; Andersen: A question of survival.(Arthur Andersen up for sale)(Company Profile)
January 11, 2002... Andersen, Enron's auditor and once the world's leading accounting firm, is facing criminal prosecution and is up for sale. Following the revelations of the Enron scandal, auditing clients are heading for the door and the firm's reputation is in...

Under indictment.(Arthur Andersen and Co. obstruction of justice)
January 11, 2002... America's Department of Justice has confirmed that Andersen, Enron's auditor, and once the world's leading accounting firm, has been indicted for the obstruction of justice in the Enron investigation. The firm allegedly spent a month shredding...

[0] Under indictment.(Arthur Andersen and Co. obstruction of justice)
January 11, 2002... Andersen, Enron's auditor, and once the world's leading accounting firm, seems unlikely to survive the Enron investigation. The American government has suspended new business dealing with the firm, which has been indicted for the obstruction of...

Andersen unravelling; Andersen: KPMG deal unravels.(proposed merger of its Spanish arm with KPMG firm ends)(Brief Article)
January 11, 2002... The demise of the famous--and huge--accounting firm of Andersen has become more imminent, with the collapse of a proposed merger of its non-American partnerships with another of the "Big Five" of global accountancy, KPMG. Facing a criminal...

The costs of safer flights; Airline safety: Hassles, costs and loopholes.
January 16, 2002... This weekend, airlines in America have to meet a deadline for installing new security arrangements. But shortages of equipment and staff, and fears of massive delays, have already emerged in the plan to inspect the checked baggage of every...

What to do with al-Qaeda prisoners; Al-Qaeda prisoners: America's options.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2002... The United States sees the al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners whom it has in custody as important tools in its effort to root out and shut down Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. But international concern about how America is dealing with these...

[0] What to do with al-Qaeda prisoners; Al-Qaeda prisoners: America's options.
January 16, 2002... The United States sees the al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners whom it has in custody as important tools in its effort to root out and shut down Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. But international concern about how America is dealing with these...

[0] What to do with al-Qaeda prisoners; Al-Qaeda prisoners: America's options.
January 16, 2002... The United States sees the al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners whom it has in custody as important tools in its effort to root out and shut down Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. But international concern about how America is dealing with these...

[0] What to do with al-Qaeda prisoners; Al-Qaeda prisoners: America's options.
January 16, 2002... The United States sees the al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners whom it has in custody as important tools in its effort to root out and shut down Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. But international concern about how America is dealing with these...

Reluctant donors; Afghanistan: Paying for reconstruction.
January 17, 2002... Experts reckon that it will cost $15 billion over ten years to rebuild Afghanistan. So far donors have pledged $3 billion at a conference this week. Raising the rest, collecting what has been pledged so far, and spending it wisely will be...

Afghanistan's elusive peace; Afghanistan: An elusive peace.
January 17, 2002... Fierce fighting this week in the Afghan town of Gardez has cast doubt on the stability of the interim government of Hamid Karzai. But visiting America and Britain, Mr Karzai has found little support for strengthening the international...

Afghanistan's elusive peace; Afghanistan: An elusive peace.
January 17, 2002... An uneasy truce has ended last week's fierce fighting in the Afghan town of Gardez. The violence cast doubt on the stability of the interim government of Hamid Karzai. But Mr Karzai has found little international support for strengthening the...

[0] Portrait of an artist; Fashion: Global brands v art.(Brief Article)
January 18, 2002... Yves Saint Laurent retired from the fashion business at this week's Paris fashion show, declaring the end of haute couture. Despite this, big business will ensure his brand lives on. And the luxury-goods industry is less concerned about the...

Kmart's check-out woes; Kmart: Bankruptcy at the check-out.(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... Kmart has become the biggest American retailer to go bust, in part because of collateral damage from the collapse of Enron. But Kmart's troubles go back more than a decade, and show that there is much more to a discounter's business than simply...

Who's afraid of AOL Time Warner? AOL Time Warner: Not so mighty?
January 23, 2002... AOL Time Warner has become a colossus, but it has failed to redefine the media business as its merger promised to do. Even its decision this week to sue Microsoft over the software giant's alleged illegal tactics to crush Netscape, which AOL...

Militant complacency; Japan's economy: Government complacency.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 25, 2002... Japan remains mired in recession. Prices have fallen for the third year in a row and even the most optimistic forecasts predict no economic growth in the coming months. Yet the Japanese government, despite prodding from the United States and...

Greed, fear and Saddam Hussein; Iraq: America's next target?(Brief Article)
January 25, 2002... More than a decade after the end of the Gulf war, America would still like to see the end of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Fearing it may become a target in the American war against terrorism, Iraq is trying to mend fences in the region,...

Great Satan v axis of evil; Iran-US relations: Trading accusations.
January 25, 2002... Iran's officials have reacted angrily to American accusations that their government is developing weapons of mass destruction and sponsoring terrorism. But President George Bush and his colleagues show no sign of backing down, raising questions...

Alienating Iran; Iran: America boosts the hardliners.(Brief Article)
January 25, 2002... Iran has reacted with predictable fury to the accusation, by President George Bush in his state-of-the-union speech, that it is part of an "axis of evil" with Iraq and North Korea. Reform-minded Iranians detect the work of their own hardliners,...

Alienating Iran; Iran: America boosts the hardliners.(Brief Article)
January 25, 2002... Iran's rejection of Britain's choice of a new ambassador is a setback to efforts to coax the Islamic state into more co-operative relations with the West. It follows the accusation by President George Bush that Iran is part of an "axis of...

Alienating Iran; Iran: Anti-American fury.
January 25, 2002... Big anti-American demonstrations have taken place in Tehran and other Iranian cities on the anniversary of the revolution in 1979. They follow the accusation by President George Bush that Iran is part of an "axis of evil". Reform-minded...

Great Satan v axis of evil; Iran-US relations: Trading accusations.
January 25, 2002... Iran's officials have reacted angrily to American accusations that their government is developing weapons of mass destruction and sponsoring terrorism. But President George Bush and his colleagues show no sign of backing down, raising questions...

Alienating Iran; Iran: America boosts the hardliners.(article discusses Iran's response to confrontation issues with United States)
January 25, 2002... Iran has reacted with predictable fury to the accusation, by President George Bush in his state-of-the-union speech, that it is part of an "axis of evil" with Iraq and North Korea. Reform-minded Iranians detect the work of their own hardliners,...

Alienating Iran; Iran: America boosts the hardliners.(article examines United Kingdom's relations with Iran)
January 25, 2002... Iran's rejection of Britain's choice of a new ambassador is a setback to efforts to coax the Islamic state into more co-operative relations with the West. It follows the accusation by President George Bush that Iran is part of an "axis of...

Alienating Iran; Iran: Anti-American fury.
January 25, 2002... Big anti-American demonstrations have taken place in Tehran and other Iranian cities on the anniversary of the revolution in 1979. They follow the accusation by President George Bush that Iran is part of an "axis of evil". Reform-minded...

Hunting terrorists: The South-East Asian connection; Hunting terrorists: In South-East Asia.
January 29, 2002... Joint exercises involving American and Philippine soldiers are due to start in the southern Philippines this week. They provide evidence of the mounting American interest in South-East Asia as a potential terrorist base GLORIA...

Pterodactyls across the Atlantic.(European Union to negotiate bilateral air treaties)
January 29, 2002... This week, the European Union expects to win backing from the courts for its plan to negotiate future bilateral air treaties on behalf of member governments. It will mark another step towards opening up transatlantic services to more...

[0] Pterodactyls across the Atlantic.
January 29, 2002... The European Union has won legal backing for its plan to negotiate future bilateral air treaties on behalf of member governments. This marks another step towards opening up transatlantic services to more competition EVOLUTION can move in...

[0] Pterodactyls across the Atlantic.(European Union)(to negotiate future bilateral air treaties on behalf of member governments)
January 29, 2002... The European Union has won legal backing for its plan to negotiate future bilateral air treaties on behalf of member governments. This marks another step towards opening up transatlantic services to more competition EVOLUTION can move in...

[0] Hunting terrorists: The South-East Asian connection; Hunting terrorists: In South-East Asia.
January 29, 2002... Joint exercises involving American and Philippine soldiers have begun in the southern Philippines. They provide evidence of the mounting American interest in South-East Asia as a potential terrorist base GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, the...

Back to old tricks.(Swiss international airline formed by Crossair)(Brief Article)
January 29, 2002... Amid signs of a recovery in air travel, the launch of a new international airline on March 31st might look like a welcome sign of an industry getting back to normal. Unfortunately, the new carrier is heavily state-backed and is the re-branded...

Going global; Going global: The protesters bounce back.(World Economic Forum)
January 30, 2002... The 32nd meeting of the World Economic Forum is being held in New York this week. But the annual schmoozing session favoured by politicians and businessmen has a new rival: the second meeting of the anti-globalisation movement in Porto Alegre...

The euro's nuclear option.
January 30, 2002... The European Commission has, for the first time, issued warnings to member states about the dangers of their breaching the fiscal deficit rules laid down by the growth and stability pact. Is it credible that the commission would, if necessary,...

Bush takes on the "axis of evil".
January 30, 2002... A triumphant President George Bush, riding high in the polls, used his first state-of-the-union speech to declare that America's war on terror has only just begun, and to warn North Korea, Iran and Iraq--an "axis of evil" in his words--that the...

Bush takes on the "axis of evil"; Bush's speech: America's reach.
January 30, 2002... President George Bush used his first state-of-the-union speech to declare that America's war on terror has only just begun, and to warn North Korea, Iran and Iraq--an "axis of evil" in his words--that the United States will do what is necessary...

Bush takes on the "axis of evil"; Bush's speech: America's reach.(President George Bush's first state-of-the-union speech)
January 30, 2002... President George Bush used his first state-of-the-union speech to declare that America's war on terror has only just begun, and to warn North Korea, Iran and Iraq--an "axis of evil" in his words--that the United States will do what is necessary...