Petulant malevolence
Thirty years ago New Zealand had a prime minister called David Lange who was witty and sometimes caustic. Speaking at the dinner he hosted for retiring US ambassador H Monroe…
Curse of corruption
Criminals and terrorists evade detection, arrest and punishment by easily operating across international borders, taking full advantage of the reluctance of law-enforcement authorities to engage in complicated and expensive transnational…
Stability with growth
The stabilisation vs growth debate has been sparked by concerns that Pakistan is entering its sixth year of stagnating incomes and can no longer afford to tread the same path.…
Housing shortage threatens to sap resilience of Swedish economy
A housing shortage in Sweden is pushing up prices to levels close to those in central London and threatening to undermine one of Europe's most solid economies. For decades the…
Harsh realities
Until October 16, the whole world (especially China and Japan - America's biggest creditors) feared a likely default by the US on its debt repayment commitments. The last-minute deal between…
The message of Malala
Malala is barely 16 years old but she has experienced more physical and mental stress than most people several times her age. At 11 years, she had to leave home…
China’s pioneers to drive recovery in solar equipment demand
As China's solar panel makers venture into uncharted markets, the handful of companies that supply equipment for their plants are dusting off their orderbooks to meet a revival in demand.…
China deploys ‘charm diplomacy’ at ASEAN summit
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has been on a charm offensive at the annual leaders' summit at the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei, seizing on the absence of…
Cradle of power
It’s a good thing that the government has been forced to change its stance on the recent power tariff increases. The constant hikes in tariffs with no meaningful reforms have…
Washington gridlock may disrupt vital money markets
The fight over raising the US debt ceiling is starting to rattle the money markets and could eventually disrupt the flow of cash needed for banks to lend and companies…
