Sick of Eurozone crisis? Come over to BRICS

Greece is having unprecedented economic problems and so is Spain which is seeing the rise of a new party Podemos. France too is in economic trouble and Germany is facing flattening out of exports and slower growth prospects.

On the other side of Eurozone, the BRICS are facing acute problems so much so that its existence is becoming fragile and is threatened by the emergence of new groupings. What is happening to Eurozone in terms of economic decline is also happening to some members of the BRICS.

«Καμία λύση χωρίς εμάς» λένε οι Αλβανοί για το όνομα της ΠΓΔΜ

Την αποκατάσταση του πολιτικού διαλόγου μεταξύ κυβέρνησης και αντιπολίτευσης στην ΠΓΔΜ, με τη διαμεσολάβηση της διεθνούς κοινότητας και την ενεργό συμμετοχή σε αυτόν του αλβανικού παράγοντα της χώρας, ώστε να επιλυθεί η πολιτική κρίση στην ΠΓΔΜ, ζήτησε ο αρχηγός του συγκυβερνώντος αλβανικού κόμματος DUI, Aλί Αχμέτι.

Παράλληλα ο κ. Αχμέτι διαμήνυσε ότι μέσω του διαλόγου αυτού πρέπει να προκύψει και μία ευρύτερη συναίνεση για την επίλυση του ζητήματος της ονομασίας.

Ghana, the rising star: progress in political voice, health and education

Ghana has achieved remarkable progress in human development over the past 20 years while undergoing one of the most successful transitions to multi-party democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. As such, it provides a compelling example to explore the factors that have contributed to progress in both the provision of basic services (notably in health and education) and greater political voice for citizens.

Since the 1990s, Ghana has experienced a ‘golden age’ of political voice as it emerged from more than 30 years of alternating military and civilian rule. The space for political debate and expression has increased, and this has included a framework of formal rights, largely peaceful elections with two alternations in political power, and the rapid growth of civil society.

Can Argentina Capitalize On Its Vast Shale Reserves?

Argentina, once a regional energy leader, is now better known for financial busts and bombastic politicians than hydrocarbons prospects. Still, with a resource potential both vast and untapped, the nation has never been far from energy investors’ minds. The question today is just how much Argentina is willing to change and how this plays into a low oil price environment that is already negatively impacting investment elsewhere.

Argentina’s deliberate efforts to appease some of its international creditors, combined with an overhaul of the nation’s hydrocarbons framework have the potential to lure foreign investors back. The promise of a change of government– and potentially a more market-friendly approach – later this year should add to the country’s appeal.

A Ray of Light for Africa’s Dam of Discord

The mounting security concerns that have Egypt poised to send ground troops into Yemen also seem to have pushed Cairo into making nice with Ethiopia after years of tensions over the construction of a massive dam on the Nile River.

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reached a preliminary deal this week that could help whisk away the bad blood over Ethiopia’s plans to build the $5 billion Grand Renaissance Dam project. On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi — who as defense chief in 2013 appeared to threaten to use Egyptian troops to stop the dam’s construction — had a kumbaya moment in his address to the Ethiopian parliament, promising a new era of trust and friendship between the two nations.