Global Agenda articles from May 2006

Global Agenda archives from May 2006

Not singing the same tune.
May 3, 2006... America's Warner Music has rejected a $4.2 billion takeover offer from EMI, a British music company. An enlarged company could better compete with the world's two biggest music firms and withstand the troubles facing the industry. But differing...

Serbia out in the cold.(World War II affects)
May 3, 2006... The European Union, fed up with Serbia's failure to capture Ratko Mladic, a much-wanted war-crimes suspect, has cut off accession talks with Serbia. Though others in the Balkans are moving towards closer integration with Europe, Serbia looks...

Waiting for the verdict.(Jacob Zuma's cases)
May 5, 2006... A judge will rule on Monday May 8th at the end of a rape trial of one South Africa's most powerful politicians. Whatever the verdict, Jacob Zuma's troubles are not over IT HAS been a tough year for Jacob Zuma, formerly South Africa's...

Not singing the same tune.
May 5, 2006... America's Warner Music has rejected a $4.2 billion takeover offer from EMI, a British music company. An enlarged company could better compete with the world's two biggest music firms and withstand the troubles facing the industry. But differing...

Tony Blair's woes.
May 5, 2006... After Britain's ruling Labour party performed badly in local elections, Tony Blair reshuffled his cabinet in an effort to restore authority to his troubled government LOCAL elections in Britain are normally greeted with relative...

Acquitted.
May 8, 2006... A judge ruled on Monday May 8th that Jacob Zuma, one of South Africa's most powerful politicians, is not guilty of rape. But Mr Zuma's troubles are not over IT HAS been a tough year for Jacob Zuma, formerly South Africa's deputy president...

Defiant Tony Blair.
May 8, 2006... Britain's Tony Blair refused on Monday to give a timetable for his departure from office. Pressure on him from the ruling Labour party has grown following a poor local election result last week and a cabinet reshuffle LOCAL elections in...

Out in the cold?
May 8, 2006... General Michael Hayden has been nominated as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency, after Porter Goss left the job suddenly at the end of a short tenure. But the agency may not be so central to intelligence any more BURY bad...

Rip it up and start again.(Thailand political aspects)
May 8, 2006... Thailand's Constitutional Court has annulled the controversial general election held last month. Fresh polls and, perhaps, an end to Thailand's political crisis may follow. But it is unclear what Thaksin Shinawatra, the powerful former prime...

A golden handshake.
May 8, 2006... Wachovia's purchase of Golden West Financial for some $26 billion will cement its position as the fourth-largest bank in America. But the latter's big mortgage business makes success dependent on America's property market IN THE popular...

Out in the cold?
May 9, 2006... General Michael Hayden has been nominated as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency, after Porter Goss left the job suddenly at the end of a short tenure. But the agency may not be so central to intelligence any more BURY bad...

Rip it up and start again.(Thailand political aspects)
May 9, 2006... Thailand's Constitutional Court has annulled the controversial general election held last month. Fresh polls and, perhaps, an end to Thailand's political crisis may follow. But it is unclear what Thaksin Shinawatra, the powerful former prime...

A golden handshake.
May 9, 2006... Wachovia's purchase of Golden West Financial for some $26 billion will cement its position as the fourth-largest bank in America. But the latter's big mortgage business makes success dependent on America's property market IN THE popular...

The real test in Darfur.
May 9, 2006... A deal of sorts between rebels and the government in Sudan, over Darfur, is unlikely to produce peace unless an effective foreign force, under the UN's flag, is deployed on the ground AFTER two years and six rounds of abortive negotiations,...

Cracks in the masonry; The Buttonwood column: Cracks in the masonry; German property funds are still out of favour.
May 9, 2006... The lingering effects of German property funds' Black Tuesday WITH blossom bursting from every cherry tree and fresh leaves adorning Frankfurt's boulevards, it is an effort to think back to the chill and darkness of December 13th. On that...

Fluttering down.(economic aspects)
May 9, 2006... The greenback has been drifting down against other currencies but there seems no sign, yet, of a collapse. There are also reasons to be hopeful that economic growth--in America and elsewhere--will be robust for some time to come AS ANY...

Fluttering down.
May 10, 2006... The greenback has been drifting down against other currencies but there seems no sign, yet, of a collapse. There are also reasons to be hopeful that economic growth--in America and elsewhere--will be robust for some time to come AS ANY...

Another arranged marriage in Europe.
May 10, 2006... A merger between two of Austria's leading energy companies is the latest setback for competition and open trade in Europe's energy market LIKE parents content that their offspring have chosen partners well, Austria's leaders have expressed...

The Fed's latest rise.
May 11, 2006... The greenback has been drifting down against other currencies but there seems no sign, yet, of a collapse. On Wednesday Ben Bernanke showed his hand, as the Fed raised rates for the 16th straight time, to 5% AS ANY American abroad will...

Sinking.(naval battle off Sri Lanka)
May 11, 2006... A naval battle off Sri Lanka's coast on Thursday May 11th has killed at least 15 people--and perhaps as many as 45. A ceasefire between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government, which was already falling apart, looks all but wrecked ALTHOUGH...

Sinking.(naval battle of Sri Lanka)
May 12, 2006... A naval battle off Sri Lanka's coast on Thursday May 11th has killed at least 15 people--and perhaps as many as 45. A ceasefire between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government, which was already falling apart, looks all but wrecked ALTHOUGH...

Flaring again.
May 12, 2006... Battles in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, are proving to be the most deadly in years. Islamist militias and American-backed forces that oppose them threaten to complicate an already dreadful situation THIS week's street-fighting in...

Joining the union.( Romania and Bulgaria joining Europen Union)
May 15, 2006... On Tuesday May 16th, Olli Rehn, the commissioner in charge of European Union enlargement reports on whether Romania and Bulgaria will join soon. They can expect a tentative nod of agreement IT WILL be a green light, but a rather dim one....

Anger at the pump.
May 15, 2006... The high price of petrol is riling consumers and politicians alike. But blaming oil companies will do little to benefit anyone WITH the average price of petrol near $3 a gallon, Americans are finally growing uneasy about their relationship...

A curious business.(football world cup)
May 16, 2006... Football is as popular as ever and continues to generate a great deal of cash, though most clubs still struggle to make profits. But the biggest sides are hoping to grab a bigger share of the pot MILLIONS of fans will switch on their sets...

Joining the union.
May 16, 2006... The European Commission says that Bulgaria and Romania should join the European Union early next year, as planned, but only if both countries meet certain conditions IT IS a green light, but a rather dim one. On Tuesday May 16th Bulgaria...

Violence in Brazil.
May 16, 2006... Prison riots and street violence in Sao Paulo, in Brazil, have caused the deaths of over 80 people, half of them police officers. The killings cast sudden doubt on whether this important state will be ruled by laws or by criminals RIO DE...

Jittery markets.
May 16, 2006... Markets continued to be nervous on Tuesday, as the dollar slid after news of relatively weak housing figures in America. Commodities, including oil, have fallen below their peak prices THE American economy is in a nervous state, and the...

The China conundrum; Buttonwood: The China conundrum; With America nervous, what of Asian markets?
May 16, 2006... With an inflation scare in America, what of the prospects for Asian markets? OH, WHAT a happy few days it has been for the miserable little commentating class. Too wise to have thrown their own money with the hedge funds' at Turkish lira,...

A curious business.(football world cup)
May 17, 2006... Football is as popular as ever and continues to generate a great deal of cash, though most clubs still struggle to make profits. But the biggest sides are hoping to grab a bigger share of the pot MILLIONS of fans will switch on their sets...

Violence in Brazil.
May 17, 2006... Prison riots, street violence and police shootings in Sao Paulo, in Brazil, have caused the deaths of over 137 people. The killings cast sudden doubt on whether this important state will be ruled by laws or by criminals RIO DE JANEIRO is...

Jittery markets.
May 17, 2006... Markets wobbled this week, as traders worried about America's economic health and the dollar continued to drift downwards THE American economy is in a nervous state, and the news seems to have trickled through to investors. The Fed...

Taming the chaebol.
May 17, 2006... The chairman of Hyundai Motor has been charged with embezzling funds apparently to buy political influence. It is the latest blow to South Korea's chaebol as sentiment turns against the vast industrial conglomerates AN ODDITY of the law...

A curious business.(football world cup)
May 18, 2006... Football is as popular as ever and continues to generate a great deal of cash, though most clubs still struggle to make profits. But the biggest sides are hoping to grab a bigger share of the pot MILLIONS of fans will switch on their sets...

Jittery markets.
May 18, 2006... Markets wobbled this week, as traders worried about America's economic health and the dollar continued to drift downwards THE American economy is in a nervous state, and the news seems to have trickled through to investors. The Fed...

The China conundrum; Buttonwood: The China conundrum; With America nervous, what of Asian markets?
May 18, 2006... With an inflation scare in America, what of the prospects for Asian markets? OH, WHAT a happy few days it has been for the miserable little commentating class. Too wise to have thrown their own money with the hedge funds' at Turkish lira,...

Taming the chaebol.
May 18, 2006... The chairman of Hyundai Motor has been charged with embezzling funds apparently to buy political influence. It is the latest blow to South Korea's chaebol as sentiment turns against the vast industrial conglomerates AN ODDITY of the law...

A victory for democracy.
May 18, 2006... Nigeria's president, Olusegun Obasanjo, says he will not try to change the constitution to run for a third term in office. For the first time, a civilian leader may now hand power to another THE end, when it came, was mercifully short. On...

Floating a balloon.(Montenegro)
May 19, 2006... Europe will get two new countries if Montenegrins vote for independence on Sunday May 21st. But if only a slender majority opt for it, the Balkans could see a new period of instability BY THE standards of tiny Montenegro, the rally was...

Iraq is promised a new government.
May 19, 2006... Iraq may finally get a national unity government under the prime minister-designate, Nuri al-Maliki. Most closely watched will be the appointment of the ministers of defence and the interior SIX months after a general election which was...

Floating a balloon.(Montenegrins )
May 22, 2006... With a few votes still to count, Montenegrins favoured independence in a referendum on Sunday May 21st, ending their loose federation with Serbia Montenegrins finally got a chance on Sunday to say whether their tiny republic should stay in...

The split from Serbia.
May 22, 2006... With a few votes still to count, Montenegro favoured independence in a referendum on Sunday May 21st, ending the loose federation with Serbia Soon Europe will have two new states. With 95% of the votes counted from Sunday's referendum in...

NYSEly does it.
May 22, 2006... An [euro]8 billion bid by the New York Stock Exchange for Euronext marks the latest attempt among big stock exchanges to team up, after years of failed approaches. In theory consolidation makes good sense. But the devil is in the detail ...

Tense Turkey.
May 22, 2006... The assassination of a secular judge by an Islamist gunman in Ankara last week troubles Turkey's delicate political balance THE Turkish lira dropped 3.3% on Monday to a 20-month low, as the financial markets worried over the political...

Iraq assembles a new government.
May 22, 2006... Six months after a general election, a new prime minister-designate, Nuri al-Maliki, has finally assembled a new government that will strive to pull the country back from the brink of all-out civil war AS EXPECTED, the new government...

The split from Serbia.
May 23, 2006... Montenegro favoured independence in a referendum on Sunday May 21st, ending the loose federation with Serbia Soon Europe will have two new states. In a referendum on Sunday in Montenegro on independence from Serbia, 55.5% of voters were in...

NYSEly does it.
May 23, 2006... An [euro]8 billion bid by the New York Stock Exchange for Euronext marks the latest attempt among big stock exchanges to team up, after years of failed approaches. In theory consolidation makes good sense. But the devil is in the detail ...

Houses and hedges.
May 23, 2006... A timely new market in property futures AT A banking conference last week the chairman of America's Federal Reserve finally said out loud what nervous homeowners from Manhattan to Los Angeles have been muttering edgily for months. Ben...

Ballad of the bond market; Buttonwood: Ballad of the bond market; Vigilantes may offer salutary lessons to markets--for now.
May 23, 2006... The vigilantes may offer salutary lessons to stockmarkets--for now ONE of the sad things about today's financial markets is that their ebb and flow no longer inspire wordsmiths as they used to do. In library records, there are 22 poems and...

An encore for Uribe.(Colombia politics)
May 24, 2006... Colombia prepares to re-elect its president HE CAME to power four years ago when Colombia was riven by armed conflict and its economy was struggling out of its first recession in seven decades. In the eyes of most Colombians, Alvaro Uribe...

Down with the flu.
May 24, 2006... News of human-to-human transmission of bird flu weighted heavily on financial markets this week despite reassurance that the virus has not mutated into even more dangerous forms CONTAGION has taken on a new meaning in the financial markets,...

An encore for Uribe.(Alvaro Uribe )
May 25, 2006... Colombia prepares to re-elect its president HE CAME to power four years ago when Colombia was riven by armed conflict and its economy was struggling out of its first recession in seven decades. In the eyes of most Colombians, Alvaro Uribe...

Annan and after.(Kofi Annan)(United Nations)
May 25, 2006... The United Nations searches for a secretary-general who can be a secretary to some and a general to others THE corridors of the United Nations building in New York echo with gossip about the succession to Kofi Annan, the secretary-general,...

Gas and hot air.(Ukraine)
May 25, 2006... Ukraine's political squabbling continues A NEW parliament holds its first session in Ukraine today, two months after an election in March. But the politicians are still lost in their selfish haggling, meaning that the country has no new...

The fraudsters that brought down Enron.
May 25, 2006... The trial of Enron's former bosses ended with the conviction of Kenneth Lay and Jeff Skilling for conspiracy and fraud at the once mighty energy-trading firm. This is a huge relief for prosecutors who have expended great efforts to secure...

An encore for Uribe.(Alvaro Uribe Velez)
May 26, 2006... Colombia prepares to re-elect its president HE CAME to power four years ago when Colombia was riven by armed conflict and its economy was struggling out of its first recession in seven decades. In the eyes of most Colombians, Alvaro Uribe...

Gas and hot air.(in Ukraine)
May 26, 2006... Ukraine's political squabbling continues A NEW parliament held its first session in Ukraine on May 25th, two months after an election in March. But the politicians are still lost in their selfish haggling, meaning that the country has no...

The fraudsters that brought down Enron.
May 26, 2006... The trial of Enron's former bosses ended with the conviction of Kenneth Lay and Jeff Skilling for conspiracy and fraud at the once mighty energy-trading firm. This is a huge relief for prosecutors, who made great efforts to secure guilty...

Sell in May and go away.(economy in May in America)
May 26, 2006... America's goldilocks economy meets the bears AT LEAST until the markets lurched, America's economy seemed to be ambling along so easily that you might have thought Bill Clinton was back in charge. The government released a first-quarter GDP...

The fraudsters that brought down Enron.
May 29, 2006... The trial of Enron's former bosses ended with the conviction of Kenneth Lay and Jeff Skilling for conspiracy and fraud at the once mighty energy-trading firm. This is a huge relief for prosecutors, who made great efforts to secure guilty...

Cabin fever.
May 29, 2006... The bitter commercial battle between Boeing and Airbus enters a critical phase BUSINESS has never been better for Boeing and Airbus. The two companies that make all the world's big passenger jets are experiencing the biggest boom ever in...

Uribe's second term.(Alvaro Uribe)
May 29, 2006... Colombia has re-elected its president by a hefty margin. He faces a tricky challenge to match the achievements of his first term in office IT WAS a resounding endorsement of his first four years in office. On May 28th Alvaro Uribe was...

Cabin fever.
May 30, 2006... The bitter commercial battle between Boeing and Airbus enters a critical phase BUSINESS has never been better for Boeing and Airbus. The two companies that make all the world's big passenger jets are experiencing the biggest boom ever in...

Violence returns to Timor-Leste.
May 30, 2006... Asia's youngest, poorest nation faces collapse as a UN-backed peacekeeping force struggles to restore calm THE birth of Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) four years ago, after 400 years of rule by Portugal and then Indonesia, was seen as a...

Paulson's progress.
May 30, 2006... A new treasury secretary is nominated in America, as Henry Paulson agrees to move from Goldman Sachs. He takes over at a delicate time AFTER months of speculation, the death watch for John Snow's lacklustre stint as America's treasury...

Violence returns to Timor-Leste.(East Timor)
May 31, 2006... Asia's youngest, poorest nation faces collapse as a UN-backed peacekeeping force struggles to restore calm THE birth of Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) four years ago, after 400 years of rule by Portugal and then Indonesia, was seen as a...

Taking on the epidemic.
May 31, 2006... A quarter of a century after the first AIDS cases were diagnosed, and after 25m deaths, a UN report shows limited progress made against the disease. But, too often, politics continue to get in the way A GOOD measure of commitment to a cause...

Paulson's progress.
May 31, 2006... A new treasury secretary is nominated in America, as Henry Paulson agrees to move from Goldman Sachs. He takes over at a delicate time AFTER months of speculation, the death watch for John Snow's lacklustre stint as America's treasury...

Time and money; Buttonwood: Time and money; Backdated options backfire.(Column)
May 31, 2006... Backdated options may be the rare compensation scheme for chief executives that is not only wrong but also illegal SINCE one of the primary tasks of health insurance companies is to ration health care on the basis of cost, they are not...