Global Agenda articles from November 2005

Global Agenda archives from November 2005

Delhi, and the Indo-Pakistani peace process, under attack; Delhi under attack; And so is India's peace process with Pakistan.
November 1, 2005... Three bombs that exploded in Delhi within 30 minutes of each other have killed more than 60 people and put 200 in hospital. Police say their prime suspects for the terrorist attack are groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, where India and...

Delhi, and the Indo-Pakistani peace process, under attack; Delhi under attack; And so is India's peace process with Pakistan.
November 2, 2005... Three bombs that exploded in Delhi within 30 minutes of each other have killed more than 60 people and put 200 in hospital. Police say their prime suspects for the terrorist attack are groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, where India and...

Telefonica looks to Europe; Telefonica agrees to buy Britain's O2; Changing tack--and, perhaps, helping to inflate another bubble.
November 2, 2005... Telefonica, Spain's leading telecoms firm, has agreed to buy O2, a big British mobile operator. As Europe's phone companies replenish their stocks of cash after some trying times, a new telecoms bubble looks increasingly likely SPAIN has...

After his toughest week, Bush comes out fighting; Bush picks a staunch conservative for the Supreme Court; After his toughest week, the president comes out fighting.
November 2, 2005... George Bush has nominated a staunch conservative, Samuel Alito, to the Supreme Court. He does so immediately after the toughest political week of his presidency, with his approval ratings at their lowest level in five years. Will seeking a...

Waking the dogs.(financial markets )
November 2, 2005... Financial markets have been eerily calm for most of the past two years. No longer IT'S not easy sleeping in the Buttonwood family home. The problem is not so much the traffic as the dogs: two affectionate spaniels who begin the night with...

Cracks appear in Germany's grand coalition; Germany's grand coalition; The edifice wobbles, but will it collapse?
November 2, 2005... A key member of Germany's nascent grand coalition has resigned as chairman of his party, while another has decided to stay in Bavaria rather than serve as a minister. If the Christian Democrats' Angela Merkel cannot hold things together, new...

Delhi, and the Indo-Pakistani peace process, under attack; Delhi under attack; And so is India's peace process with Pakistan.
November 3, 2005... Three bombs that exploded in Delhi within 30 minutes of each other have killed more than 60 people and put 200 in hospital. Police say their prime suspects for the terrorist attack are groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, where India and...

Telefonica looks to Europe; Telefonica agrees to buy Britain's O2; Changing tack--and, perhaps, helping to inflate another bubble.
November 3, 2005... Telefonica, Spain's leading telecoms firm, has agreed to buy O2, a big British mobile operator. As Europe's phone companies replenish their stocks of cash after some trying times, a new telecoms bubble looks increasingly likely SPAIN has...

After his toughest week, Bush comes out fighting; Bush picks a staunch conservative for the Supreme Court; After his toughest week, the president comes out fighting.
November 3, 2005... George Bush has nominated a staunch conservative, Samuel Alito, to the Supreme Court. He does so immediately after the toughest political week of his presidency, with his approval ratings at their lowest level in five years. Will seeking a...

Cracks appear in Germany's grand coalition; Germany's grand coalition; The edifice wobbles, but will it collapse?
November 3, 2005... A key member of Germany's nascent grand coalition has resigned as chairman of his party, while another has decided to stay in Bavaria rather than serve as a minister. If the Christian Democrats' Angela Merkel cannot hold things together, new...

Uncle Sam visits his restive neighbours.(Hugo Chavez will attend the Summit of the Americas)
November 3, 2005... The fourth Summit of the Americas comes at a time when Latin America's relations with the United States are not as good as they were, but not as bad as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez would like THE heads of government of the 34 countries in the...

Cracks appear in Germany's grand coalition; Germany's grand coalition; The edifice wobbles, but will it collapse?
November 4, 2005... A key member of Germany's nascent grand coalition has resigned as chairman of his party, while another has decided to stay in Bavaria rather than serve as a minister. If the Christian Democrats' Angela Merkel cannot hold things together, new...

The two faces of Azerbaijan and its president; Azerbaijan's elections; The two faces of a key Caucasian state and its president.(Ilham Aliev)
November 4, 2005... There are serious doubts over the fairness of this weekend's elections in Azerbaijan, a rising oil producer in the troubled Caucasus. For all their reformist talk, President Ilham Aliev and his government stand accused of attacking and...

A library at your fingertips.
November 4, 2005... Big technology companies have pledged to make many thousands of books available online. The commercial prospects look shaky, but this new front in the battle between the world's leading internet portals will yield a valuable resource for all...

Uncle Sam visits his restive neighbours.
November 7, 2005... The fourth Summit of the Americas showed that Latin America's relations with the United States are not as good as they were, but not as bad as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez would like THE heads of government of the 34 countries in the Americas...

The two faces of Azerbaijan and its president; Azerbaijan's elections; The two faces of a key Caucasian state and its president.
November 7, 2005... European observers have condemned the lack of fairness in the weekend election in Azerbaijan, a rising oil producer in the troubled Caucasus. For all their reformist talk, President Ilham Aliev and his government stand accused of attacking and...

Unrest spreads from Paris to the provinces.(erruption of riots)
November 7, 2005... Rioting that began almost two weeks ago in run-down suburbs of Paris intensified and spread to other French cities at the weekend. The unrest, led by the disaffected children of immigrants, could be the biggest challenge to the government's...

Uncle Sam visits his restive neighbours.
November 8, 2005... The fourth Summit of the Americas showed that Latin America's relations with the United States are not as good as they were, but not as bad as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez would like THE heads of government of the 34 countries in the Americas...

Unrest spreads from Paris to the provinces.
November 8, 2005... Rioting that began almost two weeks ago in run-down suburbs of Paris intensified and spread to other French cities at the weekend. The unrest, led by the disaffected children of immigrants, could be the biggest challenge to the government's...

With a pfffffffft or a fizzle.
November 8, 2005... The air is coming out of America's property-price bubble. Will it pop or go quietly? ON CHESTNUT STREET in a leafy, middle-class suburb of Baltimore, signs declaring that "War is NOT the Answer" outnumber the For Sale notices. But local...

Bringing in curfews to stop the unrest; France in turmoil; Will curfews stop the spreading unrest?
November 8, 2005... Rioting has spread from suburbs of Paris to other French cities, forcing the government to dust off a decades-old law on curfews. The unrest, led by the disaffected children of immigrants, is the biggest challenge to the state's authority since...

Liberty versus security equals controversy; Anti-terror measures; As governments seek the right balance between liberty and security, Blair suffers a stunning defeat.
November 9, 2005... British lawmakers have handed Tony Blair a stinging defeat, opposing a government proposal to extend to 90 days the period for which police can hold terror suspects without charging them. In America and Australia too, anti-terror measures are...

With a pfffffffft or a fizzle.
November 9, 2005... The air is coming out of America's property-price bubble. Will it pop or go quietly? ON CHESTNUT AVENUE in a leafy, middle-class suburb of Baltimore, signs declaring that "War is NOT the Answer" outnumber the For Sale notices. But local...

Calls for more money as the threat looms ever larger.
November 9, 2005... At a meeting in Geneva, development banks and health agencies have called for much more money to respond to the outbreak of bird flu and the threat of a human pandemic. Rich countries are working on their own plans in case the co-ordinated...

A wounded nation resorts to extreme measures; France in turmoil; A wounded nation brings in curfews to stop the rot.
November 9, 2005... Rioting across France has forced the government to dust off a decades-old law on curfews, but the emergency measures have been widely criticised. The unrest, led by the disaffected children of immigrants, is the biggest challenge to the state's...

Liberty versus security equals controversy; Anti-terror measures; As governments seek the right balance between liberty and security, Blair suffers a stunning defeat.
November 10, 2005... British lawmakers have handed Tony Blair a stinging defeat, opposing a government proposal to extend to 90 days the period for which police can hold terror suspects without charging them. In America and Australia too, anti-terror measures are...

Calls for more money as the threat looms ever larger.
November 10, 2005... At a meeting in Geneva, development banks and health agencies have called for much more money to respond to the outbreak of bird flu and the threat of a human pandemic. Rich countries are working on their own plans in case the co-ordinated...

Dark clouds over Doha; A tough week for trade; Doha in the dumps, but not yet dead.
November 10, 2005... Trade negotiators have been forced to admit they are unlikely to reach substantial agreement at a supposedly crucial meeting in Hong Kong next month. The quest for liberalisation seems to be stalling everywhere, thanks largely to quarrels over...

Liberty versus security equals controversy; Anti-terror measures; As governments seek the right balance between liberty and security, Blair suffers a stunning defeat.(Tony Blair)
November 11, 2005... British lawmakers have handed Tony Blair a stinging defeat, opposing a government proposal to extend to 90 days the period for which police can hold terror suspects without charging them. In America and Australia too, anti-terror measures are...

Calls for more money as the threat looms ever larger.
November 11, 2005... At a meeting in Geneva, development banks and health agencies have called for much more money to respond to the outbreak of bird flu and the threat of a human pandemic. Rich countries are working on their own plans in case the co-ordinated...

Freeing the airways; Transatlantic aviation talks; Another chance for Europe and America to free the airways.
November 11, 2005... European and American negotiators are set to begin a new round of talks about liberalising air travel across the Atlantic. These may result in a deal of sorts but barriers to truly open skies are likely to remain, to the detriment of many...

A milestone, perhaps, for Liberia and Africa; Liberia's election; The footballer cries foul, but Africa still looks set to get its first elected female leader.
November 11, 2005... Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is claiming victory in Liberia's presidential election and looks set to become the first elected female leader in Africa. Her opponent in the run-off, George Weah, has cried foul but is unlikely to succeed in getting the...

Caught in the middle, as usual.
November 11, 2005... A co-ordinated terrorist attack on three hotels in Amman shows that Jordan is not the oasis of calm it claims to be THE vaunted tranquillity of Jordan amid the seemingly permanent instability afflicting its neighbours was bloodily...

An underclass rebellion; France's riots; An underclass rebellion fuelled by unemployment, hardline policing and failed integration.
November 11, 2005... The unrest in France's cities shows that social and policing policy has failed, as well as integration THEY rammed a car into the local McDonald's, set it alight, and scarpered. In the daylight, the charred skeleton of the roof now hangs...

Calls for more money as the threat looms ever larger.
November 13, 2005... At a meeting in Geneva, development banks and health agencies have called for much more money to respond to the outbreak of bird flu and the threat of a human pandemic. Rich countries are working on their own plans in case the co-ordinated...

A milestone, perhaps, for Liberia and Africa; Liberia's election; The footballer cries foul, but Africa still looks set to get its first elected female leader.
November 13, 2005... Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is claiming victory in Liberia's presidential election and looks set to become the first elected female leader in Africa. Her opponent in the run-off, George Weah, has cried foul but is unlikely to succeed in getting the...

Merkel's marriage of inconvenience.(Angela Merkel)
November 14, 2005... Almost two months after Germany's inconclusive election, the proposed "grand coalition", with Angela Merkel as chancellor, has been approved by the country's three main parties. But their agreed programme of government is an awkward compromise...

An underclass rebellion; France's riots; An underclass rebellion fuelled by unemployment, hardline policing and failed integration.
November 14, 2005... The unrest in France's cities shows that social and policing policy has failed, as well as integration THEY rammed a car into the local McDonald's, set it alight, and scarpered. In the daylight, the charred skeleton of the roof now hangs...

A tussle over America's internet hegemony.
November 15, 2005... At the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia, discussions on bridging the "digital divide" between rich and poor countries are likely to be overshadowed by a squabble over who controls the internet. Many countries are unhappy that...

Living well is the best revenge.
November 15, 2005... Your columnist signs off, with some thoughts for the coming months on private equity, interest rates--and happiness DO THEY really still call those things Dixie cups? The news that Georgia-Pacific, which makes them, has agreed to be...

China's copper crisis; A bad bet in the copper market; A Chinese crisis as the price hits new highs.(Industry Overview)
November 16, 2005... Soaring copper prices have caught China's government out on trades made by an employee of the organisation that stockpiles commodities for the nation's needs. The market has grown restless as China has frantically tried to cool the price of the...

Internet hegemony and the digital divide.
November 16, 2005... A squabble over who controls the internet had threatened to overshadow the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia. But a "compromise" deal was reached just before the meeting opened, under which America will retain its hegemony for...

China's copper crisis; Bad bets in the copper market; A Chinese crisis as the price hits new highs.(Industry Overview)
November 17, 2005... Soaring copper prices have caught China's government out on trades made by an employee of the organisation that stockpiles commodities for the nation's needs. The market has grown restless as China has frantically tried to cool the price of the...

Internet hegemony and the digital divide; The UN's global information summit; America holds on to its internet hegemony, and talk turns to the digital divide.
November 17, 2005... A squabble over who controls the internet had threatened to overshadow the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia. But a "compromise" deal was reached just before the meeting opened, under which America will retain its hegemony for...

The dragon and the eagle try to get along; Bush goes to Beijing; The superpower and its growing rival look for common ground.
November 17, 2005... When George Bush visits China this weekend, he and his counterpart, Hu Jintao, will stress their common ground. But the two countries continue nervously to appraise each other's intentions HU JINTAO, China's president, has a favourite...

China's copper crisis; Bad bets in the copper market; A Chinese crisis as the price hits new highs.(Industry Overview)
November 18, 2005... Soaring copper prices have caught China's government out on trades made by an employee of the organisation that stockpiles commodities for the nation's needs. The market has grown restless as China has frantically tried to cool the price of the...

Rajapakse's perilous victory; Sri Lanka's elections; Rajapakse's narrow victory is a setback for the peace process.
November 18, 2005... Sri Lanka's prime minister, Mahinda Rajapakse, has emerged as the narrow winner of the island's presidential elections. During the campaign, Mr Rajapakse said he would renegotiate the ceasefire the government signed in 2002 with Tamil...

The dragon and the eagle try to get along; Bush goes to Beijing; The superpower and its growing rival look for common ground.
November 21, 2005... In China last weekend, George Bush and his counterpart, Hu Jintao, made friendly noises but little progress. The two countries continue nervously to appraise each other's intentions HU JINTAO, China's president, has a favourite phrase these...

The "bulldozer" sends tremors through Israeli politics; Israeli politics; The bulldozer shakes things up.
November 21, 2005... Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has abandoned his own party in the hope of holding on to power ISRAEL-WATCHERS are now scrambling for new geological metaphors. If Amir Peretz's victory over Israel's elder statesman, Shimon Peres,...

The "bulldozer" sends tremors through Israeli politics; Sharon shakes up Israeli politics; The "bulldozer" abandons his party in the hope of holding on to power.
November 22, 2005... Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has abandoned his own party in the hope of holding on to power. Opinion polls put his new party, known for now as National Responsibility, ahead of both Likud and Labour ISRAEL-WATCHERS are now...

The Xbox factor; Video gaming; Microsoft opens a new front in the console wars.
November 22, 2005... Microsoft's release of its Xbox 360 video-games console begins a new phase in the battle to remove Sony's PlayStation from the top spot. If it succeeds, the software giant may be tempted to make more incursions into the competitive market for...

The end of constructive ambiguity, Mr Trichet?(Jean-Claude Trichet)
November 22, 2005... Bond markets barely reacted to the European Central Bank's recent signal on sovereign debt ratings. Odd, that MARKETS have short memories. Of catastrophic events in the euro area, they have none at all: the past six years, all things...

Calling for the troops to go; Foreign forces in Iraq; In a rare moment of unity, the country's factions join the chorus calling for the troops to go.
November 22, 2005... A broad group of Iraqis, meeting in Cairo, has recognised a right to "national resistance" and demanded a timetable for foreign forces' withdrawal from their country. The declaration comes as Americans are debating the war in Iraq more fiercely...

The "bulldozer" sends tremors through Israeli politics; Sharon shakes up Israeli politics; The "bulldozer" abandons his party in the hope of holding on to power.
November 23, 2005... Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has abandoned his own party in the hope of holding on to power. Opinion polls put his new party, known for now as National Responsibility, ahead of both Likud and Labour ISRAEL-WATCHERS are now...

Calling for the troops to go; Foreign forces in Iraq; In a rare moment of unity, the country's factions join the chorus calling for the troops to go.
November 23, 2005... A broad group of Iraqis, meeting in Cairo, has recognised a right to "national resistance" and demanded a timetable for foreign forces' withdrawal from their country. The declaration comes as Americans are debating the war in Iraq more fiercely...

Ahmadinejad embarrassed again; Iran's president rebuffed; Another setback for Ahmadinejad's plans to shake up the Islamic Republic.
November 23, 2005... For a third time, Iran's parliament has rejected the nominee for oil minister put forward by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This marks a serious setback for the new president's plans to shake up the Islamic Republic. It may also end up hurting the...

Bosnia, rebuilt but still divided; Bosnia ten years on; Peaceful, rebuilt but still divided.
November 23, 2005... Ten years after the Dayton accords, the testing ambition is to bring Bosnia and the rest of ex-Yugoslavia into the European Union IT IS a beautiful, sunny Sunday. The church door is open to all comers and the abbot of the little monastery...

The "bulldozer" sends tremors through Israeli politics; Sharon shakes up Israeli politics; The "bulldozer" abandons his party in the hope of holding on to power.
November 24, 2005... Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has abandoned his own party in the hope of holding on to power. Opinion polls put his new party, Kadima, ahead of both Likud and Labour ISRAEL-WATCHERS are now scrambling for new geological metaphors....

The Xbox factor; Launch of the new Xbox games console; Microsoft opens a new front in the home-entertainment wars.
November 24, 2005... Microsoft's release of its Xbox 360 video-games console begins a new phase in the battle to remove Sony's PlayStation from the top spot. If it succeeds, the software giant may be tempted to make more incursions into the competitive market for...

Ahmadinejad embarrassed again; Iran's president rebuffed; Another setback for Ahmadinejad's plans to shake up the Islamic Republic.
November 24, 2005... For a third time, Iran's parliament has rejected the nominee for oil minister put forward by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This marks a serious setback for the new president's plans to shake up the Islamic Republic. It may also end up hurting the...

Bosnia, rebuilt but still divided; Bosnia ten years on; Peaceful, rebuilt but still divided.
November 24, 2005... Ten years after the Dayton accords, the testing ambition is to bring Bosnia and the rest of ex-Yugoslavia into the European Union IT IS a beautiful, sunny Sunday. The church door is open to all comers and the abbot of the little monastery...

Giving thanks, despite the monetary murk.
November 24, 2005... The past week has brought signals of a shift in monetary policy from both the European and American central banks, sending the euro up against the dollar as traders anticipate higher rates in the euro area and a levelling-off across the...

Giving thanks, despite the monetary murk.
November 25, 2005... The past week has brought signals of a shift in monetary policy in both Europe and America, leaving traders anticipating higher rates in the euro area and a levelling-off across the Atlantic. Monetary guardians are struggling to read the...

Steelmakers on a roll, until the next glut; The steel industry; On a roll, until the next glut.
November 25, 2005... China's appetite for steel has provided the rest of the world's big producers with a rare period of boom and helped to finance a buying spree, of which Arcelor's hostile bid for Dofasco is just the latest example. But burgeoning Chinese steel...

Steelmakers on a roll, until the next glut; The steel industry; On a roll, until the next glut.
November 28, 2005... China's appetite for steel has provided the rest of the world's big producers with a rare period of boom and helped to finance a buying spree, of which the past week's bids for Dofasco are just the latest example. But burgeoning Chinese steel...

China's reluctance to come clean; China's toxic spill; An enduring reluctance to come clean over health scares.
November 28, 2005... China has ordered a probe into the toxic river spill that led to millions of people having their water supplies cut for several days. The government has also apologised to Moscow for the pollution, which is heading towards the Russian border...

Merck's hard choices; Merck's restructuring; One hard choice made, many more to come.
November 28, 2005... Merck's boss, Richard Clark, has announced heavy job cuts in an effort to revive profitability. But the American drug giant faces not only the same travails as its rivals but potentially huge liabilities over Vioxx, an anti-inflammatory drug it...

China's reluctance to come clean; China's toxic spill; An enduring reluctance to come clean over health scares.
November 29, 2005... China has ordered a probe into the toxic river spill that led to millions of people having their water supplies cut for several days. The government has also apologised to Moscow for the pollution, which is heading towards the Russian border...

No confidence, no alternative? Canadian politics; The government falls but may bounce back before long.
November 29, 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 CANADA'S...

The Bank of Japan discomfited.
November 29, 2005... A spat between Japan's government and its central bank, curiously, will be an encouragement to investors AFTER more than seven years of grinding deflation, the moment when prices in Japan finally stopped falling was meant to be the occasion...

No confidence, no alternative? Canadian politics; The government falls but may bounce back before long.
November 30, 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 CANADA'S...

The Bank of Japan discomfited.
November 30, 2005... A spat between Japan's government and its central bank, curiously, will be an encouragement to investors AFTER more than seven years of grinding deflation, the moment when prices in Japan finally stopped falling was meant to be the occasion...

New thinking on old age; Pension reform; New thinking on old age from Britain's Turner Commission and others.
November 30, 2005... Britain's Turner Commission has recommended raising the retirement age to 68 and introducing a new type of savings scheme. Across the rich world, governments are searching for ways to ensure that their citizens are taken care of in their old...

The silent tsunami; The AIDS epidemic; Few victories to cheer, but ever more victims to mourn, on World AIDS Day.
November 30, 2005... As the world marks AIDS Day, there are few victories to cheer, but ever more victims to mourn. Ambitious targets for spreading treatment have been missed by a mile THE death toll of this disaster is now ten times larger than that of last...