Global Agenda articles from June 2003

Global Agenda archives from June 2003

The solidarite summit.(developing nations not given chance to present case at G8 summit)
June 2, 2003... Leaders from the world's poorer countries were invited to press their case for more aid, trade, investment and debt relief at the rich countries' summit in Evian, France. But they have come away disappointed FRANCE'S president, Jacques...

Mending fences, mending economies.(Group of 8 meets in France)
June 2, 2003... The leaders of the world's richest nations are in Evian, France, for their annual summit. They must quickly patch up their differences over the war in Iraq and get to work on a long list of economic worries HOW awkward that it is France's...

Warning shots.(protests against Mugabe lead to arrests in Zimbabwe)
June 2, 2003... Demonstrations against the misrule of Robert Mugabe have begun in Zimbabwean cities. The regime is moving quickly to crush them, starting with the arrest of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Bloodshed seems likely THE opposition are...

Crackdown.(Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi in custody)
June 3, 2003... Myanmar's opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been taken into custody as the military regime cracks down again SINCE Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest a year ago, there have been plenty of doubts about the promise by...

It's the bond market, stupid!(analysis of capital and bond markets)(Column)
June 3, 2003... This week we are introducing an online column on the trends that lie behind the daily ups and downs of financial markets. A magnum of champagne will go to the reader who can think up a suitable historical name*. In this first column, we look at...

Inspecting the case for war.(investigating the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq)
June 3, 2003... Demand for proof that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction is growing, especially in Britain IT WOULD all be so much easier if just a few litres of anthrax were to be found. A month after President George Bush declared victory in...

Testing Raffarin's resolve.(French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin)
June 3, 2003... France has been brought to a near halt by its second general strike in three weeks, over the government's proposed pension reforms. But the prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, insists the strikers will not defeat him THE French unions...

A cautious start to peace.(President Bush leads summit meeting on Israeli peace initiatives)
June 3, 2003... At his meeting with Arab leaders, President Bush has put his weight behind the efforts of Mahmoud Abbas, the new Palestinian prime minister, to make peace with Israel BLESSED finally by the presence of President George Bush, the summit...

Time for a cut; European interest rates; Time to cut.
June 4, 2003... The European Central Bank meets on June 5th to decide whether to cut interest rates. Have the central bankers left it too late to help Europe's struggling economies? ONE thing is certain: the European Central Bank (ECB) could never be...

First steps on the road to peace; Middle East; On the road to peace.(President Bush's summit with Israeli and Palestinian leaders)
June 4, 2003... President George Bush's summit with the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers ended on a cautiously optimistic note THE first cautious steps have been taken along the "road map" that is supposed to lead to a lasting peace between Israelis...

Stalemate; European interest rates; What, no cut?
June 5, 2003... The European Central Bank has again decided against cutting interest rates, in spite of Europe's deteriorating economic outlook. Why are the world's central banks so reluctant to ease monetary policy? PERHAPS it is something in the...

Warning shots.(Zimbabwean Movement for Democratic Change steps up protests)
June 5, 2003... Demonstrations against the misrule of Robert Mugabe have been taking place all week in Zimbabwean cities. The regime has responded with violence but the opposition says the protests will continue THE opposition are calling it the "final...

Better late than never.(European interest rates cut to 2%)
June 5, 2003... The European Central Bank has announced a cut in European interest rates, to 2%. Is it too little, too late? SEVEN cuts in just over two years, bringing interest rates to below half what they were at the start of 2001. It sounds like a...

Help needed.
June 5, 2003... A special UN envoy calls for the backing of world leaders in his efforts to visit Myanmar's detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi THE United Nations' special envoy to Myanmar has pleaded with other nations to support his efforts to...

Inspecting the case for war; Iraq's weapons; Intelligence under fire.
June 6, 2003... Demands for proof that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction are growing, especially in Britain IT WOULD all be so much easier if just a few litres of anthrax were to be found. A month after President George Bush declared victory...

Showdown.(international pressure grows on military junta in Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi from "protective custody")(Editorial)
June 6, 2003... Countries back the demand by a special UN envoy to free Myanmar's detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi THE United Nations' special envoy to Myanmar arrived in the capital, Yangon, on Friday June 6th, as international pressure grew...

A shaky start.(Middle East peace plan)(Editorial)
June 6, 2003... With a militant group ending talks with the Palestinian prime minister and the Israeli leader facing the wrath of Jewish settlers, the Middle East peace plan is off to a shaky start DELIVERING on their commitments was always going to be the...

Opening skies.(European Union to act as bloc in negotiating aviation deals with America)(Editorial)
June 6, 2003... The European Commission has just gained the power to act as a bloc in negotiating aviation deals with America. This should pave the way for increased competition for transatlantic flight routes that will benefit consumers CREATING a single...

Endgame?(Editorial)
June 9, 2003... Rebels in Liberia's three-year civil war are on the outskirts of the capital, Monrovia. President Charles Taylor, who is also facing war-crimes charges, may soon be toppled COULD the end finally be near for Charles Taylor, Liberia's...

AIDS about-turn; AIDS; Hope for poor South Africans.(Editorial)
June 9, 2003... The government of Thabo Mbeki may this week soften its controversial stance against the use of anti-retroviral drugs for treating AIDS. There is growing pressure to improve access to such drugs for the nearly 5m South Africans who are infected...

It's the bond market, stupid! Financial-markets comment; The strange relationship between the bond and equity markets.
June 10, 2003... This week we are introducing an online column on the trends that lie behind the daily ups and downs of financial markets. A magnum of champagne will go to the reader who can think up a suitable historical name*. In this first column, we look at...

A fading prospect?
June 10, 2003... Tony Blair has promised a change of gear in his government's attitude to joining the euro. For now, though, he says the conditions are not right for Britain to join "WHEN I am dead and opened, you shall find 'Calais' lying in my heart."...

Back to earth.
June 10, 2003... New violence in the Middle East, including an Israeli helicopter strike that wounded a top Hamas leader, shows that a peace plan for the Middle East has far to go NEARLY a week after the landmark summit between President George Bush and...

More nuclear threats.
June 10, 2003... On Monday North Korea made its most explicit admission so far of its plans to develop nuclear weapons. At a weekend summit, the leaders of Japan and South Korea agreed that their troublesome neighbour must be contained, but disagreed on how...

Short memories, deep pockets.
June 10, 2003... Investors desperate for high yields are piling into high-risk bonds. Here we go again ANONYMOUS--for that is this columnist's lot for now--likes to be rewarded for risk-taking. In the autumn of 1998, the purchaser of Russian debt (the...

A fading prospect?
June 11, 2003... Tony Blair has promised a change of gear in his government's attitude to joining the euro. For now, though, he says the conditions are not right for Britain to join "WHEN I am dead and opened, you shall find 'Calais' lying in my heart."...

Back to earth.
June 11, 2003... New violence in the Middle East, including a suicide bombing of an Israeli bus and helicopter strikes on Hamas leaders, has put the peace plan under threat ONE week after the landmark summit between President George Bush and the Israeli...

World on the move.
June 11, 2003... A new report shows a sharp rise in the numbers of migrants worldwide. In many cases, it makes economic sense for richer countries to accept workers from poorer ones. But even countries that traditionally welcome immigrants are having doubts ...

Going round in circles?
June 12, 2003... President George Bush has reminded the world that he is serious about ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Now for the hard part TAKING a brief time out from Iraq, on April 8th President George Bush reaffirmed his commitment to...

The Beckham bracket.
June 12, 2003... Despite the fantastic sums reportedly on offer as Europe's most famous footballer, David Beckham, goes up for sale, many clubs across the continent are facing financial hardship AMID all the media hype about a possible transfer of David...

A tested theocracy; America and Iran; Stirring up trouble.
June 13, 2003... More unrest on the streets of Tehran. Is America pulling the strings? IRANIANS are once again taking to the streets to criticise their clerical rulers. On June 11th and 12th, thousands of people demonstrated in Tehran, the capital, in the...

On hold; Farm trade; Progress postponed, again.
June 13, 2003... Europe's agriculture ministers have broken off their attempts to reform the common agricultural policy. They will try again next week HAVE the French won again? For weeks now, nationwide strikes have regularly caused chaos in the country's...

A bloodstained road map.
June 13, 2003... George Bush dispatches a top envoy to the Middle East as a wave of violence threatens to destroy the American-backed peace plan LITTLE over a week after President George Bush got Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas, the Israeli and Palestinian...

Elusive WMD and an embarrassing leak.(weapons of mass destruction)
June 13, 2003... As Congress hears that no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq (yet), Washington also hums with speculation about allegations that White House officials leaked a CIA agent's name WHERE are Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass...

Short memories, deep pockets; Financial-markets comment; Investors desperate for high yields are piling in high-risk bonds. Here we go again.
June 23, 2003... Investors desperate for high yields are piling into high-risk bonds. Here we go again ANONYMOUS--for that is this columnist's lot for now--likes to be rewarded for risk-taking. In the autumn of 1998, the purchaser of Russian debt (the...

A tested theocracy; America and Iran; Stirring up trouble.
June 23, 2003... More unrest on the streets of Tehran. Is America pulling the strings? IRANIANS are once again taking to the streets to criticise their clerical rulers. On June 11th and 12th, thousands of people demonstrated in Tehran, the capital, in the...

On hold; Farm trade; Progress postponed, again.
June 23, 2003... Europe's agriculture ministers have broken off their attempts to reform the common agricultural policy. They will try again next week HAVE the French won again? For weeks now, nationwide strikes have regularly caused chaos in the country's...

A bloodstained road map.
June 23, 2003... George Bush dispatches a top envoy to the Middle East as a wave of violence threatens to destroy the American-backed peace plan LITTLE over a week after President George Bush got Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas, the Israeli and Palestinian...

The Iraq factor; The oil market; Harder times for OPEC.
June 23, 2003... The first contracts for the sale of Iraqi oil since the end of the war have been concluded. Will exports from Iraq complicate OPEC's efforts to control the price of oil? ARE OPEC's days numbered? Some oil-market watchers have been...

Still fighting; Post-war Iraq; No end to the fighting.
June 23, 2003... The capture of Saddam Hussein's secretary and bodyguard, together with the discovery of millions of dollars worth of booty, are big victories for American troops in Iraq. However, they have come at a cost of more American casualties and...

Calling for a ceasefire.
June 23, 2003... An international effort is under way to save the Middle East peace plan, with pressure on Palestinian militants to cease fire in return for an Israeli pullback THE American-backed "road map" to Middle East peace, which President George...

Still on the streets.
June 23, 2003... The pro-reform protests in the Iranian capital have spread to other cities. Can the centre hold? IT IS clearly more than a flash in the pan. Almost a week after the first of them took to the streets, Iranian protesters were on Monday June...

Regaining altitude? Aircraft makers; Down but not out in Paris.
June 23, 2003... Airline-industry representatives gathered at this week's Paris Air Show have plenty to worry about. But the news is not all bad for makers of commercial planes WHEN the first Paris Air Show opened in 1909, six years after the Wright...

Dimes in front of a freight train.
June 23, 2003... Our two-week-old financial column has a name. Congratulations to David Wineberg and John Meek, both of whom suggested Buttonwood, which we felt was right on the button--the name of the 1792 agreement that regulated the informal group of brokers...

A pause for breath; The SARS outbreak; On the wane but still no cure.
June 23, 2003... The World Health Organisation has just held a two-day conference to assess the public-health response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and scientific progress in understanding and treating the fatal virus. Though a cure still seems...

The lawsuits of Madison County.
June 23, 2003... A campaign backed by President George Bush to curtail extravagant lawsuits is making progress despite opposition from (surprise) lawyers HEAR about the nudist who tried firewalking and sued because he got singed? Or the couple who demanded...

Trichet in the clear.
June 23, 2003... Jean-Claude Trichet, the governor of the Bank of France, has been cleared of involvement in the accounting scandal at Credit Lyonnais in the early 1990s. The way now seems clear for him to succeed Wim Duisenberg as head of the European Central...

Spam in the dock; The war on spam; Microsoft calls in the lawyers.
June 23, 2003... Microsoft has filed lawsuits against 15 junk e-mail companies in America and Britain. The move marks an escalation in the fight against spam COULD the days of inboxes stuffed with messages about penis enlargements, low-cost university...

Confronting the enemies of peace.
June 23, 2003... America's secretary of state, Colin Powell, has met the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to save the Middle East peace plan, calling for tougher action against Palestinian militants VOWING to "blast through" those Palestinian militant...

In search of privacy; Taking companies private; The stockmarket's fading allure.
June 23, 2003... An increasing number of publicly quoted companies are being taken into private ownership. Why are they deserting the stockmarkets? And will they ever return? IT WAS a modern-day Viking raid. Last week Bauger, Iceland's biggest retailer,...

India's fear of China; India and China; Two systems, one grand rivalry.
June 24, 2003... As India's prime minister goes to China, Indians should learn that they have less to fear from their giant neighbour than they think SOME comparisons are stark enough to generate a national inferiority complex. In 1980, India had about 687m...

Still striving for peace; Middle East peace process; Struggling on towards a ceasefire.
June 24, 2003... Israel's shooting of a Hamas leader and its arrest of around 150 suspected Palestinian militants will not help attempts to reach a ceasefire. But international mediators are still trying THE recent round of tit-for-tat attacks by...

How low can they go?
June 24, 2003... The Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest rates yet again this week. But this time preventing deflation is more important than stimulating the economy IT SEEMS incredible. Since January 2001, the Federal Reserve, America's...

Off their rockers?
June 24, 2003... Shares are even more expensive now, relative to profits, than they were at their peak. For that, partly thank (or blame) the money managers who are scared of losing the cash they fail to invest OFF their highs they may be, but equity...

Where did it all go? Slumping foreign investment; Rich-world blues.
June 25, 2003... Foreign direct investment, from cross-border mergers to the building of new factories, has been battered by global economic uncertainty and changing attitudes towards corporate marriages. Will it revive any time soon? EVEN in the best of...

Why can't we just get along? The American-EU summit; Bridging the Atlantic gulf.
June 25, 2003... European Union leaders meet President George Bush at the White House on Wednesday, hoping to smooth over their recent deep disagreements on Iraq. But how much willingness is there on either side to improve relations? TWO and a half hours...

So near and yet so far.
June 25, 2003... Palestinian militant leaders have denied reports that they were about to announce a three-month ceasefire. Talks continue but the prospects of a truce are not being helped by the continuing round of attacks and counter-attacks between Israelis...

Bridging the Atlantic gulf; The American-EU summit; Trying to get along.
June 26, 2003... European Union leaders met President George Bush at the White House on Wednesday, attempting to smooth over their recent deep disagreements on Iraq. But how much willingness is there on either side to improve relations? TWO and a half...

So near and yet so far.
June 26, 2003... Palestinian militant leaders have indicated that they may announce a ceasefire in the next few days. But the prospects of a truce are not being helped by the continuing round of attacks and counter-attacks between Israelis and Palestinians ...

Greenspan goes for broke; American interest rates; Will one more snip be enough?
June 26, 2003... The Federal Reserve has cut American interest rates to 1%, their lowest level for 45 years. Will the latest cut have the desired effect? A BOLD move? Just a few weeks ago, the prospect of yet another cut in American interest rates would...

The devil in the details; Reforming Europe's agricultural policy; A genuine breakthrough?
June 26, 2003... European farm ministers have ended three weeks of negotiations with a deal which they claim represents genuine reform of the common agricultural policy. Will it be enough to kickstart the Doha world trade negotiations? "THE beginning of a...

Can it be saved? Fiat's latest rescue plan; Too little, too late.
June 26, 2003... Italy's car giant has announced drastic job cuts and plans to raise euro1.8 billion through a share issue, as it struggles to avoid going bust. But with even Italians spurning its models, the firm's third rescue plan in two years is unlikely to...

The shakedown continues; Wall Street's misdeeds; A first billion from the IPO circus.
June 27, 2003... The Wall Street legal saga has taken another turn, with investors settling a class-action lawsuit against more than 300 companies that issued initial public offerings during the high-tech bubble. The $1 billion payout does not mark the end of...

More pills, bigger bills.
June 27, 2003... The health reforms approved by America's Congress on Friday, with President George Bush's backing, are good news for the elderly but will add to a looming budget crunch AMERICA spends much more on health care than other countries--around...

Still striving for peace; Middle East peace process; Struggling on towards a ceasefire.
June 30, 2003... Israel's shooting of a Hamas leader and its arrest of around 150 suspected Palestinian militants will not help attempts to reach a ceasefire. But international mediators are still trying THE recent round of tit-for-tat attacks by...