10 events and trends that were overlooked this year, but may be leading the headlines in 2012 Foreignpolicy.com: What events and trends flew under the radar in 2011 but could erupt into massive headline-grabbers in 2012? Foreign Policy rounds up the top 10 “stories you missed” this year. 1. India’s military buildup China’s new aircraft ...

, a deadlocked negotiation that has caused a crisis of confidence ...

We are still stuck in the winter of our discontent! By Jude Fernando Groundviews.org: “Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was that by means of such organisations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against ...

with Afghanistan has complicated U.S. attempts to ease a crisis in relations with Islamabad and ...

PM’s and United Russia’s ratings falling Putin draws parallels with turmoil in Europe Says parliament majority needed to deal with crisis NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (Reuters): Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that if his party lost dominance of parliament in the Dec. 4 election, as a poll

Fitch Ratings says in a newly published special report that credit growth in emerging markets (EMs) is likely to slow in 2012 due to the weaker global economic outlook, policy moves by EM authorities to prevent overheating and base effects. Banking systems in most EMs which experienced rapid credit growth in 2010-H111 remain sound. However, ...

BANGKOK (Reuters): Thailand’s worst floods in 50 years have hit tourism at the start of the high season, but the country has recovered quickly in the recent past from all sorts of scourges and some tour operators are hopeful a recovery might start next month. Floodwater in some areas of the capital, Bangkok, and other ...

Reuters: Asia Pacific countries pressed Europe on Thursday to act more forcefully to quell its debt crisis, setting the tone for a summit overshadowed by growing alarm over the fallout from euro zone upheaval. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other APEC finance ministers agreed to shore

The Group of 20 heads of state met in France in early November launching an annual group meeting of the heads of State. The G20 is made up of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the EU, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK and the US. ...

Reuters) – The head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that Europe’s debt crisis risked plunging the global economy into a “lost decade” and said it was up to rich nations to shoulder the burden of restoring growth and confidence. Christine Lagarde told

Global business activity grew in October at the slowest rate since the end of the last global recession in August 2009, thanks to sagging output and new business, according to a new business survey. JPMorgan’s Global All-Industry Output index, a measure of global private sector activity, fell to 51.4 in October from 52 the previous ...

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Russia, holder of the world’s third largest foreign reserves, gave a vote of no confidence on Monday in Europe’s handling of its debt crisis as the head of the International Monetary Fund visited Moscow to seek support. Prime Minister

MILAN (Reuters): Agricultural commodity markets are set to remain tight with high and volatile prices despite improved supply and weakening demand, the United Nations’ food agency said on Thursday, raising its estimates of global grain output this year. Food prices grabbed the attention of world policy makers after hitting record highs in February and helped ...

U.S. presidential election all about the economy First bin Laden, now Iraq Obama shows he can answer the “3 a.m. call” WASHINGTON  (Reuters): President Barack Obama delivered on another foreign policy promise on Friday with plans to pull the last U.S. troops from Iraq. But in a re-election campaign all about the weak U.S. economy, ...

GENEVA (Reuters): Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is slowing sharply in the second half of 2011, with M&A and greenfield projects both declining after a relatively optimistic start to the year, according to a UN report published on Tuesday. “The sudden worsening of the debt crisis

Reuters: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin laid out his case for a return to Russia’s top office in a televised interview on Monday, casting himself as the best guarantor of a bright future in a country haunted by upheaval in the recent past. Putin also offered hints of the foreign policy he might pursue during his ...

Reuters: Arab foreign ministers stopped short of suspending Syria from their regional organisation on Sunday over its military crackdown on dissent, instead urging the government and opposition to negotiate an end to the violence. “We will call all of the parties of the opposition and government to hold a dialogue within 15 days,” the League’s ...

Putin hails France, Germany euro bank support plan as “positive signal” Says US is taking “parasitic” advantage of dollar dominance By Gleb Bryanski BEIJING (Reuters): Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the crisis-hit euro zone had enough resources

UNITED NATIONS AP: Russia and China vetoed a European-backed U.N. Security Council resolution Tuesday that threatened sanctions against Syria if it didn’t immediately halt its military crackdown against civilians. It would have been the first legally binding resolution adopted by the Security Council since President Bashar Assad’s military began using tanks and soldiers against protest...

By Uditha Jayasinghe Brewed by external demand reductions and local policies, Sri Lanka’s value-added tea exports are declining while bulk shipments are increasing, resulting in a possible drop in earnings, industry experts warned yesterday.  Terming the reduction in value-added tea as a “disturbing trend,” Asia Siyaka Commodities said in a review report that Sri Lanka’...

In the latest figures available, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) last week reported that the preliminary figures for international visitor arrivals into Asia/Pacific destinations1 for July 2011 show a year-on-year increase of 7%. Director of the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre John Koldowski PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre notes that the growth rate has become more ...

LONDON(Reuters): World stock markets will recover next year from a nightmarish 2011 that has wiped trillions of dollars off share prices, according to a Reuters poll that showed almost all major stock indexes ending 2011 in the red. Darkening economic prospects and fears the euro zone debt crisis

Industry wants promotions in Russia and Far East to fill vacuum from recession-hit West Demand from Middle Eastern markets, which accounts for 55% of tea exports, is still low, according to a report released by a broker recently. The Lanka Commodity Brokers tea market report noted that demand from Middle Eastern countries for Colombo Tea ...

Developing countries, having recovered pre-crisis growth trends, could now be affected by recession in developed economiesEconomic recovery may come to an end in developed economies because private domestic demand remains weak and supportive macroeconomic policies are being replaced by austerity

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) has launched a new campaign with a budget of 19 million euros ($26.7 million) designed to boost international tourism to Cyprus this year. According to Alecos Orountiotis, CTO chairman, the “Cyprus in Your Heart” campaign will promote Cyprus’ history and culture, friendliness and hospitality, its mix of modern and contemporary ...