World & Politics
Companies from developing countries are postponing investments until better days - 09/06/2016
This year, developing countries could raise a record amount in the global debt markets, reports Financial Times (FT). This is facilitated by extremely low interest rates in developed countries. Since the beginning of 2016, governments of developing countries have already issued bonds for $ 90 billion. JPMorgan Chase estimated that they will attract more than $ 125 billion of external loans by end...
Why coffee addicts should care about climate change - 09/05/2016
Today’s coffee market is estimated at around $ 19 billion. Every day, people in the world drink more than 2.25 billion cups of this beverage. However, it looks like coffee addicts will soon have to limit their appetites. Results of a recent study "A Brewing Storm" suggests that climate change would lead to a reduction in coffee production by 50% in the next decade. If the situation does not...
IMF: G20 failed to hit GDP target set two years ago - 09/02/2016
The IMF admitted that G20’s efforts to accelerate the global economy failed. The fund considered impossible a goal of increasing total GDP of the G20 by 2% by 2018. The target was set at a summit in 2014. Next meeting of G20 leaders will be held on September 4-5 in Hangzhou China. In preparation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) acknowledged that attempts to increase the world's GDP turned...
Why is Vestager hunting for corporate tax dodgers? - 09/01/2016
A fine of 13 billion euros ($ 14.5 billion), imposed on Apple for not paying taxes in Ireland, may become a precedent for further expansion of the list of large high-tech companies at fault. This week, the European Commission (EC)competition authority demanded that Apple pays tax of 13 billion euros ($ 14.5 billion) in Ireland. Report of the European Commission states that Ireland has allowed the...
Spain: 300 days without government, still goes strong - 08/29/2016
Growing consumer spending and exports lifted Spain's economy by 0.8% in the II quarter in the annual comparison, the country's statistics agency reported. According to estimates of its experts, the economy could grow by about 3% by the end of 2016. Since December last year, the country has been running virtually without a government, yet the economy is still showing a steady growth. Despite the...
Hit by falling oil prices, Venezuela gets on with gold and diamond mining - 08/29/2016
Venezuela has attracted more than $ 5.5 billion investments in mining projects located at the southern end of the country, said President Nicolas Maduro. "Today we are signing an agreement on investments and liabilities of 5.5 billion dollars" – Maduro’s statement at a meeting with foreign investors quoted by Mexican Portal El Economista. The main investors are Canadian Barrick Gold Corp, the...
France is losing out on its reputation of the world's first winemaker - 08/26/2016
Bad weather would reduce the grape harvest in France in 2016. This was reported by the French Ministry of Agriculture, which also noted that the regions of Champagne, Burgundy and Charente are going to be affected particularly badly. Last year, the total production of wine in France was 47,8 million hectoliters. This year is expected to bring only 42.9 million hectoliters, which is 7% below...
Why is success at Olympics tied to success in economics? - 08/24/2016
British athletes won 27 gold Olympic medals and became a sensation of Rio 2016. This success looks particularly impressive on a background of the United Kingdom’s extremely unfortunate results at the Olympics in 1990 and in the early 2000's. In recent years, according to experts, government agency UK Sport has been working much better to select potential winners and provide them with the most...
Are Olympics worth the expense? - 08/19/2016
In September last year, the International Olympic Committee announced five applicants to host Olympics 2024. These were European Rome, Hamburg, Paris and Budapest, as well as the American Los Angeles. Great deal of choice, wasn’t it? Especially given the fact that even less expensive Winter Games 2022 had only two bidders – Kazakh Alma-Ata and Beijing, which eventually become the winner. Later,...
Would ex-convicts save the world's economy? - 08/18/2016
Governments of developed countries are trying to diminish number of convicts in prisons. For the first time in decades, America and Europe now release more convicts than commit to prison. After-care can help ex-convicts stay away from prison. However, economists warn support in employment, popular in recent years, leads to a completely opposite result. Now job applicants are bound to declare...
