Topic: Economic Integration
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'Fiscal cliff' 101: 5 basic questions answered
President Obama and congressional leaders are working to stop the US from going over the “fiscal cliff,” a combination of higher taxes and lower spending set to take effect Jan. 1. Here are five steps to understanding what's going on.
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The 5 most educated countries in the world
The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development recently released its Education at a Glance 2012 report. Here are the five most educated countries in the world.
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Mexicans vote: 4 key reforms the next president must tackle
"Mexico has not lived up to [its] potential," says Lorenzo Lazo, a political analyst in Mexico City who served in several PRI administrations. And if it is going to, here are the key reforms the next leader must tackle, according to observers across the political spectrum:
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Briefing
Mexico's high-stakes presidential vote: 4 questions answered
The next Mexican president will inherit a country torn by drug violence. Tackling deep-seated democratic and economic challenges is key to progress.
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Focus
Recession in America? 10 questions assessing the threat.
Concerns about weak economies in Europe have already rattled global financial markets, and things are hardly rosy at home. Is America heading into a recession? Here are answers to 10 questions about that risk.
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Energy Voices US eases natural gas glut with second export terminal (+video)
The Energy Department authorizes a second US terminal to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), ending months of speculation. LNG exports boost the prospects for domestic natural gas drillers and should help key allies, but they're also likely to boost prices for US consumers and manufacturers and they raise environmental concerns.
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Japan's economy outpaces predictions
Global markets showed improvement, as optimism grows that work by governments around the world will have the desired effect of boosting the economy. In particular, Japan's economy beat expectations for growth in the first quarter of the year; some credited Abenomics.
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HSBC profits double after restructuring
HSBC saw its net profits more than double in the first quarter, jumping to $6.35 billion from $2.58 billion in the same period of 2012. HSBC has made important progress in increasing revenue and reducing costs, cutting some 40,000 jobs out of a workforce of 300,000 since 2011.
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Team of rivals: Italy, finally, forms new government (+video)
Center-left leader Enrico Letta will be Italy's new prime minister, after his party formed a coalition government with former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives.
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The Reformed Broker Is Europe backing away from austerity?
Europe's leaders may be revisiting austerity policies in the face of slow economic growth and weak public support. Will that lead to concrete changes?
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Asian shares dip amidst slowing economic recovery
Worries about trends in global growth, drove down U.S. and European equities, commodities and Asian markets on Wednesday. Earnings forecasts continue to be revised downward, say analysts.
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Auf wiedersehen, euro? New anti-euro party forms in Germany
The small protest party 'Alternative für Deutschland' could shake the political establishment by tapping into German resentment over its perceived propping up of Europe's south.
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Europe indicates it's sticking with austerity. But is that working?
Herman Van Rompuy said on Monday that Europe would hold the course on austerity, but experts say there has been too little focus on growth and a lack of actual reforms.
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Can Latin America resist a return to its populist past?
The interventionist role of the military has mostly disappeared in Latin America. But the temptation of populist politics is greater than ever in some countries, while others are resisting the short-term demands of voters in favor of the long-term sustainability of society. Here's a look at six countries.
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Bank of Cyprus: Big depositors may lose 60 percent
Bank of Cyprus depositors with more than 100,000 euros will get hit with an initial 37.5 percent penalty. Another tax of up to 22.5 percent could be imposed, depending on what the Bank of Cyprus needs to build up its reserves.
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The Monitor's View: Euro crisis: Why a Cyprus bailout must be seen as 'fair'
As Europe tackles its latest euro crisis, a Cyprus bailout deal must follow the path of being perceived as 'fair.' A tax on small-time savers isn't seen that way.
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Estonian austerity, Paul Krugman, and Twitter: All the elements of an opera?
An American expatriate writer and a Latvian economist-cum-composer have turned an online tiff between Estonia's president and Nobel-winning economist Krugman into high art.
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Global News Blog Now we can talk: Steaks raise stakes for Taiwan-US trade ties
Taiwanese officials let in US beef this summer after years of wrangling over health concerns. Now, Taiwan is getting what it wants: trade talks.
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Opinion: Advice for Secretary Kerry on International Women's Day
As he marks his first International Women's Day as America's secretary of State, here are three areas where John Kerry can advance Hillary Rodham Clinton's work over the past four years on behalf of women and girls.
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Hugo Chavez legacy: a wedge between US, Latin America (+video)
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, who died Tuesday, made it his mission to sway Latin American leaders away from the US and toward his brand of populist socialism. Chavez made strides, but his influence in the region had been waning.
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The Monitor's View: A global contest of values in EU-US-China trade
As China endorses a reformer as president and the EU and US plan a free-trade pact, the competition to set trade rules heats up. A EU-US pact would strengthen their economies and send a signal to China to take more responsibility for higher trade standards.
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The Monitor's View: In sequester's austerity, will US echo Europe's politics of fear?
The enforced austerity of the eurozone crisis has roused surprising public anger. European governments are falling. The US need not follow this path if Washington finds a consensus over fiscal issues like 'the sequester.'
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Italian political deadlock casts new uncertainty on eurozone recovery
Markets tumbled and the value of the euro dropped in response to Italy's election results and their unexpectedly loud rejection of German-imposed austerity policies.
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In State of the Union, Obama calls for free-trade pacts of historic scope
Obama's State of the Union bid to create vast free-trade areas with Europe and Asia signals that, by the end of his presidency, two pillars of a globalized trading system could be in place.
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Opinion: Why EU-US free trade agreement would benefit both sides
President Obama announced in his State of the Union speech that talks will start on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States. A pact would promote growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, writes the EU ambassador to the US.
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As euro strengthens, debate grows about setting a 'target' value
France has floated more intervention, which Germany rejects. The debate is framed by rising concerns over a 'currency war' if countries try to spur economic growth by devaluing their currencies.
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Sochi cha-ching: Putin defends most expensive Olympics ever (+video)
London 2012 cost $19 billion. Beijing 2008 clocked in at $40 billion. But Sochi's price may be more than $50 billion, sporting the world's most expensive road, amid allegations of corruption.
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Opinion: British Prime Minister David Cameron's audacious vision for Europe
British Prime Minister David Cameron's vision for the Europe Union is blatantly self-serving. His promise to let the Brits vote on EU membership is designed to ensure his own reelection. But his plan for a leaner and less intrusive union may also win some friends on the continent.
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When Britain talks Europe exit, who cares about 'euro crisis'?
'Brexit' replaces 'Grexit' even as last year's prophets of doom go in hiding: Greek, Italian, Spanish crises seem on auto-pilot as continent's glitterati ski at swanky Davos.
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Would a bailout for Cyprus mean underwriting dirty money?
Potential creditors in Europe are hesitant to bail out debt-ridden Cyprus as they suspect the country's banking industry may be a haven for money-laundering by Russian oligarchs.
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