Articles archive
Italy downgraded amid continuing eurozone fears
Italy's credit rating has been downgraded by the Egan-Jones agency as speculation continues that Spain will need a full bail-out and Greece will be forced out of the eurozone
Claims of trade union 'fat cats' and anti-austerity war chests
British taxpayers are suffering but union bosses are fighting reforms that would ease the pressure on them, while they sit on six-figure pay deals - suggests John O'Connell
Population growth driving up global carbon emissions
Even though the global energy share of solar, wind energy and biofuels quadrupled over the last two decades, it only amounted to about 2 per cent in 2011 – write Greet Janssens-Maenhout, Frank Dentener and Jos Olivier
Anglo-French agreement on military drones
Defence ministers from the United Kingdom and France agree to increase cooperation on unmanned aerial vehicles, following a bilateral meeting in London
Lambrinidis appointed EU's first human rights envoy
Former Greek foreign minister Stavros Lambrinidis has been chosen as the European Union's first special representative for human rights
EU proposes criminal sanctions for bank rate rigging
The European Commission has described the manipulation of inter-bank lending rates such as Libor as "a scam" and announced plans for criminal sanctions to prevent a repeat of the scandal
'Serious doubts' over MEPs' code of conduct
There are major concerns about the quality of data provided by members of the European Parliament to a code of conduct that was supposed to bring greater transparency, writes Natacha Cingotti
UK approach to tax avoidance 'flawed'
Tax avoidance has been described as "morally repugnant' by the British government, but the problem is a symptom of a complex and bloated tax system that needs reform – writes Stephanie Lis
'Cautious optimism' on Zimbabwe as EU eases sanctions
The EU showed in the case of Burma that democratic progress would be rewarded – and loosening restrictive measures on Zimbabwe could help speed up reforms there, writes Geoffrey Van Orden
Growth of private sector changing face of security
Governments must be careful to avoid the pitfalls of contracting out security to private firms that have grown spectacularly since the Cold War, a study says
How do European leaders rate? The end of year report
Wouldn't it be great if our EU and national political leaders were given end of year reports, like school children? Well, yes it would and here they are. Our secret columnist rates the likes of Angela Merkel, David Cameron, Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton. Enjoy
Seven days - a week in the life of Arancha Gonzalez
The World Trade Organisation's chief of staff marvels at a Spanish example of successful global logistics, considers how to improve links with universities, and speaks on a panel about new models for growth
The youngest MEP and Pirate Party member - in interview
Amelia Andersdotter, the European Parliament's youngest politician, thinks Nigel Farage and his Eurosceptic colleagues should do less shouting and channel their energies into more proactive work. She gives Justin Stares her unique perspective on the Brussels bubble
Germany's top credit rating under threat
Moody's says the top notch credit ratings of three eurozone countries are under threat as a result of the rising possibility of Greece leaving the currency bloc and the potential that Spain and Italy will require further aid
Threat of cyber-attack on UK during London 2012
The very real threat of high profile cyber-attacks during the Olympics, in London, should be taken seriously by government and businesses - says Paul Davis