For the first time in a very long time, central bankers are coming under friendly fire as they lose control over some of the economic forces they themselves have helped to generate.More
Spain Faces Energy Blowback, As Its Largest Natural Gas Provider, Algeria, Breaks Commercial Ties
“Seldom in the history of Spanish diplomacy… has a foreign policy initiative had such disastrous results,” as Spain loses its grip on diplomatic relations with Algeria at the worst possible moment.More
Recent Payment Outage in Germany Underscores One of the Dangers of a Cashless Economy: System Fragility
As recent payment outages in Germany (and elsewhere) have shown, even strong proponents of a cashless economy have an interest in safeguarding the future of cash, if only for the sake of financial stability. More
Blame Game Begins As Chaos Reigns At Airports in UK (and Other Parts of Europe)
Neither airports nor airlines in the UK have restored enough capacity into their operations to handle the predictable surge in passenger numbers as the skies reopen.More
Europe Braces for Stagflation After EU Bans, At Least Officially, Two-Thirds of Russian Oil
The EU’s latest hare-brained gambit is likely to put further downward pressure on economic activity while exerting further upward pressure on inflation, making stagflation all but inevitable.More
How to Lose Influence and Alienate Neighbors in Latin America, the US Way
“If the US assumes that it has staunch allies [in Latin America], it is making a big mistake.”More
Costa Rica, A Country Without an Army, Is At War With (Mainly) Russian Hackers
The Russia-based hacker group Conti’s cyberattack on Costa Rica continues to metastasize, spreading to 27 government institutions.More
Mastercard Pushes Biometrics Even Harder on Consumers in Increasingly Cashless UK
The roll-out of biometric-authenticated payments is merely the latest example of the accelerating encroachment of biometrics into everyday life. But a global push back is gathering.More
Peru Sues Spanish Oil Giant Repsol for Billions After “Worst Ever” Oil Spill
Peru’s prime minister, Mirtha Vásquez, claims that Repsol “apparently” did not even have a contingency plan in place for an oil spill.More
Washington Faces Ultimate Snub, As Latin American Heads of State Threaten to Boycott Summit of Americas
“The real risk is that — after nearly three decades of summitry — this year’s [Summit of Americas] may be interpreted as a gravestone on U.S. influence in the region.”More
Nick Corbishley 