Escalating economic and employment woes, as well as serious rifts within his leftist majority and Cabinet, cast a dark shadow over French President François Hollande’s moment in the international sun as he addressed the U.N.
Economy
Must-Reads from Around the World
Today picks: years of poor management leave Vietnam’s banks in unhealthy shape, concern’s over whether Mongolia’s mining boom comes at the expense of its citizens, and the Royal Family’s latest scandal comes at the cruellest …
Spain’s Creative Protests: Flamenco Flash Mobs and Supermarket Robin Hoods
Angry demonstrations are one thing, but the irate in Spain are stomping their flamenco heels at banks and robbing supermarkets to give to the poor
Europe’s Good News: Economic Decline Is Bad, but Could Be Worse
A flurry of new economic data in Europe indicates that the slide of the euro zone toward recession isn’t as rapid as some had expected — though it is still steady enough to represent a major threat to the global economy
Open for Business? Why Indian Entrepreneurs Need a Hand
The environment for micro, small and medium-size enterprises — which together take up nearly 9% of India’s GDP in 2009 — needs to power up if the nation wants to continue to capitalize on its celebrated entrepreneurial spirit
$21 trillion
Austerity Bites: How the Remedy May Just Make Things Worse for Spain
The Rajoy government’s stringent new measures to bring down the country’s deficit may just suppress the economic forces that might propel growth
Italy’s Mario Monti: Dented Armor, but Still the Only Knight to the Rescue
The nonpolitician who became Prime Minister has been bogged down by — surprise — politics. But the pols know that if they don’t play nice, the economy will eventually get all of them
“Have you looked around here? The market is half-empty. And if a market like this is half-empty it means that business in general is going to pieces.”
Simmering Discontent: The Biggest Challenge to Social Harmony
The widening gap between China’s rich and poor is turning ever more numbers of ordinary citizens into social activists. To maintain stability, the government must address the root causes of growing protests, not just suppress them
A 12-Step Program for India’s Economic Recovery?
Indian industry leaders gathered on June 4 in New Delhi to unveil their solution to India’s unfolding fiscal crisis: a 12-step program to economic recovery. The dozen measures recommended by the Federation of Indian Chambers of …
India’s Petrol Hike: Gas Goes Up, and a City Melts Down
Traffic in New Delhi is bad at the best of times. During a run on fuel, it devolves into an unholy mess. On Wednesday evening, the wide arteries of India’s capital became a gnarled tangle of SUVs, Ambassadors, motorcycles and …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 18, 2012
Family Business – The New York Times explores at length how China’s so-called ‘Princeling’ generation — the descendants of Communist Party leaders — use family ties to gain jobs, wealth and influence. “Evidence is mounting…[they] have also amassed vast wealth, often playing central roles in businesses closely entwined with the …