由十六个成员国组成的欧元区理应促进欧洲经济繁荣发展,但希腊的债务危机却揭示了整个链条中的脆弱环节也可能导致苦难的传播。欧盟成员国手忙脚乱地向希腊推出了救援计划,因为他们认为拥有一千万人口的希腊“倘若失败,则后果不堪设想”。与此同时,希腊人却走上街头,焚烧欧盟旗帜,抗议紧缩政策,据报道,抗议事件已造成三人死亡。任何救援计划都有道德风险,会在目标国家希腊,以及其他国家、银行或相关商务部门引发不负责任的冒险行为。在以下关于希腊危机的两篇文章中,上篇作者乔纳森•芬比(Jonathan Fenby)指出,具有全球影响的危机——从美国的次贷危机到希腊的大肆挥霍——都让投资者对债券的发行更加谨慎....
欧盟的中年危机:希腊退休者抗议援助计划中所要求的大幅削减开支的措施。
伦敦:希腊不会成为欧元区的雷曼兄弟公司。虽然希腊的财政糟糕,债券贬值到一文不值,并且它修改资产负债表的行为也是记录在案,但要放弃这样一个大国,任其失败,后果将不堪设想。
希腊必须为它的肆意挥霍付出代价,虽然说起肆意挥霍,人们通常会联想到美国消费者和次贷购房者。欧洲同伴和国际货币基金组织决定,为希腊提供1200亿欧元(合1470亿美元)的救助资金,这可能会使希腊通货紧缩和国内政局紧张,...
Recent studies have suggested that rapid changes in the environment can speed evolutionary responses. Increasing reliance on Caesarean sections contributed to more mothers requiring surgery to deliver infants, suggests theoretical biologist Philipp Mitteröcker at the University of Vienna. Helen...
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Read about the “Cliff-Edge Model of Obstetric Selection in Humans" from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Aid is an essential tool for foreign policy, diplomacy and security. “The State Department is withholding $65 million it planned to send to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, calling for reforms and for other nations to step up their support — especially those that criticize the Trump...
Climate change threatens all industries with storms, wildfires, droughts, heat waves and rising seas, and the energy industry has no special standing. “Together, these risks can lead to power outages, increased electricity prices and increased maintenance, and capital costs – along with damaging...
Climate challenge to power: The Pacific Gas & Electricity utility declares bankruptcy after a devastating wildfire in northern California, and Bangladesh wrestles with power needs and safety concerns as construction begins on its Rooppur...
Plastic sachets are the plastic bags used to package and redistribute bulk supplies of all types of food and other small items. The Philippines, an economy that participates in such repackaging, uses about 60 billion plastic sachets each year, suggests the Global Alliance for Incinerator...
The Covid-19 pandemic underscores society’s reliance on infrastructure, including the internet for communication and data exchanges as well as health-care systems. Malevolent forces target social media with disinformation and hospitals and laboratories with ransomware, phishing and other malicious...
The United States and Vietnam are rapidly building a partnership based on trade and security agreements. US President Obama visited Vietnam on his way to the G7 meeting in Japan. During the visit, Obama lifted a ban on the sale of weapons to the country of 90 million and Vietnam will welcome US...
Security vs human rights: On his first visit to Vietnam, US President Obama underlines support for human rights by meeting civil-society representatives, top; accompanying the welcome are worries about China's expansionism, including use of a water...
Longtime adversaries – the United States and Iran, Kurds and Turks – are teaming up to defeat the self-declared Islamic State. Iraqis who once insisted on complete US withdrawal from Iraq now plead for swift intervention. Not one nation recognizes IS, also known as ISIS and ISIL, as a state, but...
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