The rich world’s farmers are still reaping handsome subsidies FARMERS are getting by with fewer subsidies in many countries around the world compared with 20 years ago. Yet subsidies still accounted for more than three-quarters of farmers’ incomes in Norway, Switzerland and Iceland between 2007 and 2009. And farm subsidies in the EU made up a slightly greater proportion of farmers’... (more...)
Banks with the biggest profits and losses EVERY year the Banker magazine publishes a ranking of the world’s banks by profits, assets, losses and the like. The latest ranking confirms a shift in power towards banks based in emerging markets. Three Chinese banks make it on to the list of the 20 biggest banks. Agricultural Bank of China, which is about to embark on the world’s biggest IPO,... (more...)
Health-care spending in rich countries BETWEEN 2000 and 2008 health spending per person increased by 4.2% a year on average, according to the latest data from the OECD, a rich countries’ club. Average spending over the same period was 8.4% of GDP; last decade the average was 7.3%. Technological change, population expectations and ageing populations, say the OECD, will continue to drive costs... (more...)
A long way from anywhere, researchers are plugged into everywhere NY ALESUND, a village devoted to scientific research on the island of Spitsbergen, in the high Arctic, seems about as isolated as it is possible to get. Beyond the confines of the village and its outstations, there is no sign of human beings; just snow, water, rock and scrawny soil. To the north, it’s a straight trip to the pole.... (more...)
Gilad Shalit’s imprisonment compared with other long-held hostages FOUR years after he was taken hostage, the family of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier being held by Hamas in Gaza, are showing their frustration by staging a sit-in outside the house of Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. Mr Shalit’s sojourn with his captors has been lengthy but past hostages in the Middle... (more...)
A trade pact will draw China and Taiwan closer togther • IMPROVING relations between China and Taiwan will get another boost with the signing of a groundbreaking free-trade pact by the end of June. Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s president, was elected in 2008 on a platform that called for better ties with China. A free-trade pact with the mainland is the cornerstone of his cross-strait policies.... (more...)
Christie’s and Sotheby’s face buyer resistance THE two leading auction houses, Sotheby’s and Christie’s, have come a long way since the dark days of late 2008, when the sudden collapse of the art market caused their revenues to plummet. At the time, they were forced to pay out nearly $200m in guarantees to honour contracts on works that had been consigned to auction, yet failed... (more...)
A few weeks back, I was at the 2010 Fordyce Conference in Las Vegas. It was held at The M Resort. Check it out! Great spot and first class!!! While this was my maiden voyage attending their annual conference, I have attended many recruiting/executive search conferences since the market went south. At this year’s conference I was asked to speak on the topic of business development. My talk was... (more...)
Losing popularity, the Labor Party ditches its leader LESS than a year ago Kevin Rudd rode high as one of Australia’s most successful prime ministers. Suddenly, his spectacular career has come to a crashing end. With his rating in the opinion polls sliding disastrously, and a federal election due soon, a panicked ruling Labor Party on June 24th dumped Mr Rudd as leader. They replaced him with... (more...)
Which chief executives will be out of their jobs by next year? IT SEEMS only a matter of time before Tony Hayward is granted his wish to get his life back. William Hill, a bookmaker, is giving short odds on the BP boss’s survival beyond the end of the year after his dismal handling of a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He is not the only chief executive apparently destined for the... (more...)
