The fourth ICAN meeting: a new step toward the convergence of audit campaigns

by CADTM international

16 April

The International Citizen Audit Network (ICAN)held its fourth meeting in London on March 28th,30th,31st. The conference « life before debt » presented by Jubilee Debt Campaign on the 29th was also an occasion for the members of the network to gather together and discuss the deepening of their own (...)

IMF: a large scale production of cheap apologies

by Leonidas Vatikiotis

15 April

Reports released by the IMF Independent Evaluation Office on 18 March assessed projections for 103 countries over the period 1990-2011 and found, as its detractors had been telling them for decades, that the overall estimates were too optimistic. The Greek case was so blatant that together with (...)

The EU’s response to Tunisia and Ukraine: what help for what democracy?

by Renaud Vivien

14 April

On 16 April 2014 the EP will have the opportunity to change the EC’s loan project which is supposedly to help Tunisia overcome its increasing social and economic problems. MEPs should not miss this opportunity, especially since they did not have their say on the content of the EU’s ’help’ to (...)

Eurodad report shows how IMF lending often makes crisis countries’ situations worse

by Eurodad

11 April

As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prepares for its Spring meetings, new research reveals that the number of conditions it attaches to its loans are rising – and they continue to be linked to harsh austerity measures and interfere in sensitive policy areas. Conditionally Yours: An analysis (...)

What’s the alternative ? : Experts from across the world gather to discuss solutions to the debt crisis

par Eurodad

9 avril

As the lion’s share of the world’s nations suffer from austerity policies, politicians, financial experts and civil society activists came together this month for a three-day international conference to discuss alternative ways of tackling the debt crisis. he event – which took place in Brussels (...)

Rowan Williams calls for money lenders to be held responsible

by Jubilee Debt Campaign

9 April

Rowan Williams has criticised a “great deal” of lending by banks and other institutions for being unethical, both in the UK and across the world. Dr Williams was speaking at the Jubilee Debt Campaign conference, ‘Life Before Debt’, held in Central London on Saturday 29 March. The conference, (...)

Rwanda: A look back at the 1994 genocide

by Eric Toussaint

7 April

Starting on 7 April 1994, in less than three months, nearly one million Rwandans – the exact figure has not yet been determined - were exterminated because they were (or supposed to be) Tutsis. Tens of thousands of moderate Hutus were also slaughtered. This was indeed a genocide, that is, the (...)

Pakistan

Saudi ’gift’ violates pak law

by Abdul Khaliq

6 April

Foreign aid is not an odd thing, if there are no strings attached. Pakistan has been receiving tied and untied foreign aid; loans, and grants from various donors ever since its birth. However, the recent massive cash grant of $1.5 billion by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is unprecedented by (...)

Brazil: 50 years after the overthrow of democratically elected president Joao Goulart, Washington’s support to the coup must not be forgotten

by Eric Toussaint

4 April

Brazil: 50 years after the army staged a coup on 2 April 1964 and overthrew President Joao Goulart, there can be no doubt about the active support provided by the US government, the World Bank and the IMF. On 2 April 2014, a US NGO, the National Security Archive (NSA!) publicized an impressive (...)

Ireland

Blog: Ireland’s Financial Foe: the European Central Bank

A call to Patrick Honohan, the Governor of the Irish Central Bank to do the right thing

by Nessa Ní Chasaide

4 April

Last week it emerged external link that the European Central Bank (ECB) is not happy with the restructuring of Ireland’s most odious socialised banking debt – the debts of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society. The debts of Anglo et al – about € 30 billion – are worth nearly half (...)