Ireland set to exit EU-IMF bailout on December 15: PM

DUBLIN: Ireland is on track to exit its strict international bail-out programme in December, Prime Minister Enda Kenny announced, although he warned the country still had a way to go to recover from the global economic crisis.

Global economic crisis threatens UK, says Balls

The UK economy faces a lost decade of economic stagnation due to the ‘deepening crisis’ in the world economy, shadow chancellor Ed Balls warned the Labour Party conference today.

He called on the government to implement a five-point plan to boost demand in the economy, including reversing January’s VAT rise and bringing forward more infrastructure development.

Japanese PM vows to tackle fiscal mess, revitalize quake-hit regions

TOKYO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Tuesday his government's primary focus is on revitalizing regions devastated by the March disasters and rescuing the nation from its dire financial predicament.

In his first major policy speech given at a special session of the Diet in Tokyo, Noda, Japan's third prime minister in two years, struck an emotional chord, vowing to deliver a watertight strategy by the end of this year to kick start the nation's sluggish economy and enhance restoration efforts in the wake of the March disasters that pummeled key infrastructures and left 20,000 people dead or unaccounted for.

Global arms exports track global economy's double dip

by Thomas P. M. Barnett

It's interesting to think back to the start of the global economic crisis, when there were a lot of assumptions voiced about how a rising quotient of international tension would inevitably morph into more conflicts and thus more traditionally focused defense spending – i.e., great powers hedging against one another versus, say, non-state actors or state failure. If we were on the verge of the second Great Depression, then certainly we'd find ourselves in a 1930s-like march toward significant great-power struggles, yes? With the Arab Spring providing the tinder for a great-power free-for-all?

Biden in China: Ties are key to global economic stability

By Keith B. Richburg

BEIJING — Vice President Biden on Thursday began a four-day get-to-know-you mission here as the guest of his Chinese counterpart, stressing the importance of the two countries working together to combat the global economic crisis.

But the trip, carefully choreographed by Chinese leaders, got off to an awkward start when Chinese security officials forcibly shoved foreign journalists out of the conference room before Biden had finished making his prepared remarks in his meeting with Vice President Xi Jinping.

Many countries globally are facing same economic woes as Uganda

THERE are people who do not want to hear that the economic challenge Uganda is facing is actually part and parcel of a global phenomenon. No surprise here; for they might as well deny that the sun does not shine at night.

The reality is that no country in the world had fully recovered from the global economic crisis that hit in 2008. As I write this, the richest economy in the world, the United States has lost its top notch ‘Triple A’ credit rating from Standard and Poor’s in a dramatic reversal.

Dr. Alexander Mirtchev Discusses the U.S. Government's Measures to Deal With the Global Economic Crisis and Stresses the Imperative for Viable Exit Strategy on the Riz Khan Show

Dr. Alexander Mirtchev, founder and president of Krull Corporation, discussed the U.S. government's actions in response to the crisis in the economy on Al-Jazeera's Riz Khan Show. The complexities created by the precarious economic and financial situation are exacerbated by what is perceived as a "failure of the reigning 'social contract'" between Main Street, Wall Street and the U.S. government. "To put it simply, Main Street was relying on Wall Street to go about its business, with the government perceived as the arbiter and even guarantor of sure returns. Presently, the collapse of this 'contract' is giving rise to calls from different quarters for overhauling the whole system," according to Dr. Mirtchev.

Opportunities for Africa from the global economic crisis

The recent global economic crisis has provided us in Africa with an opportunity to review how we do business and think about the future, a future that needs to be grounded in fairness, integrity and sustainable development as opposed to greed and cronyism that has all too often been the case in the past. I believe that a key factor for the future will be the role played by the private sector on the one hand and how Governments set the playing field for investment on the other. This latter point requires strong political leadership.

UN Secretary-General Ban announces to seek second term

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced his intention to run for a second term as UN chief and said he would be "deeply honored."

"It has been an enormous privilege to lead this great Organization. If supported by the Member States, I would be deeply honored to serve once more," said the UN Secretary-General

French growth accelerates, but deficit widens

PARIS: France’s growth accelerated to one percent in the first quarter of the year but its public deficit nevertheless widened slightly, the national statistics institute said on Friday. According to the INSEE agency, between January and March the economy grew at the strongest rate since the second quarter of 2006, before the credit crunch triggered a global economic crisis, hitting one percent. And the state body forecast that GDP growth for the year would be no less than 1.6 percent.

Stratfor: China and the end of the Deng dynasty

Beijing has become noticeably more anxious than usual in recent months, launching one of the more high-profile security campaigns to suppress political dissent since the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.

Journalists, bloggers, artists, Christians and others have been arrested or have disappeared in a crackdown prompted by fears that foreign forces and domestic dissidents have hatched any number of "Jasmine" gatherings inspired by recent events in the Middle East. More remarkable than the small, foreign-coordinated protests, however, has been the state's aggressive and erratic reaction to them.

How we'll meet our 5m jobs goal - Jacob Zuma

Let me extend a warm welcome to all of you to this Presidential Labour Summit on Job Creation. In the State of the Nation Address in February this year, I laid out the broad outline of government's programme of action, which places the creation of decent work as the central priority for this year.

I was pleased that the labour movement responded positively to the programme. During the reply to the State of the Nation debate, I undertook to consult with the leaders of organised labour and business regarding government's programme.

US lacks credibility on debt, says IMF

The US lacks a “credible strategy” to stabilise its mounting public debt, posing a small but significant risk of a new global economic crisis, says the c.

In an unusually stern rebuke to its largest shareholder, the IMF said the US was the only advanced economy to be increasing its underlying budget deficit in 2011, at a time when its economy was growing fast enough to reduce borrowing.

US lacks credibility on debt, says IMF

The US lacks a “credible strategy” to stabilise its mounting public debt posing a small but significant risk of a new global economic crisis, says the International Monetary Fund.

In an unusually stern rebuke to its largest shareholder, the IMF said the US was the only advanced economy to be increasing its underlying budget deficit in 2011 at a time when its economy was growing fast enough to reduce borrowing.