Counting the Cost

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Claimed

At least 40 airlines have collapsed since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. After the worst year on record, the industry is likely to record losses of $52bn this year. Without government bailouts and furlough schemes, many airlines may not have survived but not all states have deep pocket…

Amid concerns the pandemic could cripple the finances of some of the world’s poorest countries, the G20 launched an initiative to suspend debt repayments. But not only are rich countries benefitting, private creditors are also refusing to take part. Tim Jones, head of policy at the Jubilee Debt Ca…

China has used its $1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative to expand its economic and diplomatic ties worldwide, including in Latin America - a region which the United States has long regarded as its back yard. Over the last 20 years, Beijing engagement has raised concerns in Washington about its inf…

Institutional investors have poured $1 trillion into companies operating in the coal industry. The United States accounts for 58 percent of that total. Now, the Asian Development Bank and British insurer Prudential plan to buy coal plants in Asia and shut them down over the next 10-15 years. Lucie…

In Germany, the Social Democrats won the most votes and now start the process of forming a government, ending 16 years of conservative-led rule under Angela Merkel. Whatever the make-up of the new government, it has a huge task ahead leading the world’s fourth biggest economy. Stefan Kooths, resea…

There is a little corner of the energy market that gets very little coverage. But after a cold winter in Europe last year, the continent has failed to fill its storage tanks for the next six months. That failure has sent gas prices surging. This is not just a problem for Europe; the rest of the wo…

Since President Xi Jinping became head of the Communist Party in 2012, he has launched an anti-corruption purge, interned millions of Uighurs and crushed the hopes of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Now, Xi has got his eye on a huge segment of the economy that has powered economic growth in…

Two decades ago, investment bank Goldman Sachs came up with an acronym that was supposed to shift the economic balance of power. The BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India and China (and South Africa, which was added later) - would, over time, come to dominate the rankings of the world’s richest economies.…

China's claims to the South China Sea have been well documented, but Beijing is extending its reach into other territories to protect what it considers its Maritime Silk Route. It is building ports that encircle India, raising concerns in New Delhi about its influence and China’s expansive foreign…