World

“The Romans had a god named Janus – deity of thresholds, beginnings, and transitions, famously depicted with two faces, one looking back, the other forward. Debt management demands that same duality. Like that ancient god, we too must look in two directions at once: backward at the debts we’ve accumulated, and forward to the futures they will shape,” said UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) chief Rebeca Grynspan in her opening remarks at UN organised 14th International Debt Management Conference last week in Geneva. A perfect illustration showcasing that debt management requires countries to balance their past borrowings with the impact they will have on the future. Several developing nations are currently struggling with a severe debt crisis. UNCTAD Report indicates that in 2023, their ...

Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year after his appointment amid a faltering economy and a growing number of migrants arriving from countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Maddouri was replaced by Sara Zaafarani, who is an engineer and has been minister of equipment and housing since 2021. She is Tunisia's third prime minister in less than two years. In recent months, Saied has sharply criticised the performance of ministers, saying many have not met the required standards and that the expectations of the Tunisian people are high. Last month, he sacked Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri. In a meeting broadcast on the presidency's Facebook page, Saied called on Zaafarani "to further coordinate government action and overcome obstacles to meet th...

The eurozone, also called the euro area, is a union of 20 European Union member states that have officially adopted the euro as their primary currency and sole legal tender. These member states exist under one monetary authority, the Eurosystem. At the beginning of 2018, Italy was the third-largest economy in the currency bloc. When Italy entered into a deep political and economic crisis, it was a concern for the European Union (EU) and the global markets. At the time, Italy accounted for 11% of the EU's gross domestic product (GDP). At the end of September 2018, the ruling coalition comprising the Five Star Movement (M5S)—a political party that espoused a populist, anti-establishment view (and was critical of the EU)—and the Lega Nord—also a political party in Italy—submitted their...