Latest update: 10/08/2012 

- euro - Europe - financial crisis - USA


Five years of financial woes

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August 9th 2007 is widely accepted as being the day the global financial crisis really got under way. That was the day when French bank BNP Paribas expressed its fears over the subprime mortgage market in the US, starting domino effect of economic misery that is still casting a shadow over most Western countries. Five years on, the Eurozone is still in major trouble and there's little sign of things improving in the near future.

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Food prices rise as drought affects harvest
08/08/2012 - UNITED STATES, RUSSIA

Food prices rise as drought affects harvest

An international food crisis could be on the way as the United States suffers its worst drought in half a century. Scorched crops mean that the cost of corn and soya have already doubled in the US, pushing up the prices of other foodstuffs, such as meat. With America being one of the biggest exporters of corn and wheat, the price rise is likely to hit poorer countries who import heavily. Their situation has been made worse as Russian wheat, the cheapest in the world, has also been affected.
Availability of weapons fuels violence against soldiers
07/08/2012 - IVORY COAST

Availability of weapons fuels violence against soldiers

Ivory Coast has been celebrating the anniversary of independence from France. Life there has been calmer since the violent tug-of-war over the presidency between Laurence Gbagbo loyalists and Alessane Ouattara supporters. Yet weapons are too easily available in the country, meaning that potential attacks are never too far away.
Curiouser and curiouser: NASA lands robot on the Red Planet
06/08/2012 - MARS

Curiouser and curiouser: NASA lands robot on the Red Planet

It's taken years of research, billions of dollars and many millions of miles. But on Monday, US space agancy NASA announced that it has managed to land a robot, known as Curiosity, on Mars. The machine will analyse the ground on Earth's second nearest neighbour and send information back to base on whether life could, or could have, existed on Mars.
When coming out can put you inside
02/08/2012 - CAMEROON

When coming out can put you inside

Cameroon is one of 76 countries in the world where it's illegal to be homosexual. It's not one of the few where being gay is punishable by death, yet Amnesty International reports that the government wants to increase prison sentences and fines for people convicted of having same-sex relations.
Energy vs economy: how India's power sector can't keep up
01/08/2012 - INDIA

Energy vs economy: how India's power sector can't keep up

India was hit by huge power cuts this week that left 620 million without electricity. It was hugely embarrassing for the government, demonstrating just how the energy sector has failed to keep up with the rapidly growing Indian economy. India is the sixth biggest consumer of energy in the world and demand is constantly increasing. Yet, given the size of its 1.2 billion population, energy consumption per capita remains among the lowest in the world.

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