Biden pledges to tackle monopolies, supply shortages as prices rise
President Joe Biden pledged on Thursday toroot out anti-competitive business practices and ease construction materials shortages andtransportation backups that are causing price hikes across the country.
Analysis: If not now, when? COVID-19 spurs global push to tackle wealth gap
Governments worldwide, facing strong evidence that fallout from COVID-19 has widened wealth gaps as well as wrecking economies, have expanded social safety nets and in some cases begun exploring bolder ways of tackling the imbalances.
The pandemic’s impact on government budgets calls for renewed commitment to the SDGs
By Hyun H. Son, Véronique Salze-Lozac’h COVID-19 has brought unprecedented economic and development challenges but it also offers opportunities for financing solutions to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. As countries continue to battle COVID-19, massive fiscal stimulus packages have helped save lives and protect livelihoods in many economies. However, they have come with a hefty price […]
Why have bankruptcies fallen during the pandemic?
By Paul Vandenberg Government assistance programs, and relaxed insolvency procedures, have helped keep businesses afloat during the pandemic. The number of bankruptcies fell in 2020 in many countries. At first glance, this is a strange occurrence as 2020 was the year of the COVID-19 outbreak that caused lockdowns, a sharp decline in business activity, and negative economic […]
Samoa set to appoint first female prime minister
Fiame Naomi Mataafa is poised to become Samoa’s first female prime minister, after the Pacific nation’s top court on Monday helped break a month-long political impasse that followed a tightly contested April election. Samoa’s Supreme Court on Monday afternoon overruled an attempt by the head of state Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II to void the election […]
Germany’s 2021 election and why it matters to markets
It’s rare for German elections to be exciting, market-moving events but the one on Sept. 26 may prove the exception if its outcome completes the transformation of a nation long wedded to austerity into a big spender. The election will end Angela Merkel’s 16-year stint at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy, and the Greens […]
UK government lowers NatWest stake with $1.5 bln share sale
The British government has completed the sale of 1.1 billion pounds ($1.55 billion) in shares of NatWest (NWG.L), lowering its stake in the lender it bailed out over a decade ago to below 55%.
UK’s Gove refuses to say how London will handle Scottish independence drive
Senior British minister Michael Gove refused to say on Sunday how the government would react if the Scottish parliament were to pass a bill calling for a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom. Pro-independence parties won an overall majority in the Scottish parliament in elections held on Thursday. First Minister and Scottish National Party […]
Japan faces longer state of emergency, casting doubt on Olympics
The Japanese government is considering extending a coronavirus spurred state of emergency in Tokyo and other major urban areas, a move that could cast doubt on the planned Summer Olympics. Officials were leaning toward an extension of the measures in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures beyond May 11 as the country battles a surge […]
Madrid voters queue at polls in COVID-influenced crunch election
Voters formed long queues at polling stations in Madrid on Tuesday to maintain social distancing in a regional election centred around unorthodox COVID-19 policies that could shake the nation’s political landscape. The unusual mid-week vote in Spain’s wealthiest region is poised to return Isabel Diaz Ayuso, from the conservative Popular Party (PP), to power as […]
