17 h. ago Rising inequality is turning US into an autocratic state, billionaire warns

Ray Dalio says business leaders scared to criticise Donald Trump as he warns of debt-induced crisis for the economyOne of the world’s most prominent hedge fund billionaires has warned that rising inequality is turning the US into an autocratic state and condemned business leaders for failing to speak out against Donald Trump’s policies.Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, said “gaps in wealth” and a collapse in trust were driving “more extreme” policies in the US. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Reeves warned she will have to break manifesto commitment on tax to deal with economic black hole

Leading economists have questioned strategy of ‘fiddling around’ with new small taxes – such as the mansion and gambling taxes – to avoid economic crisis

Economics

6 d. ago France on the brink: how a budget deficit became a political crisis

With the government facing defeat in a confidence vote, the nation’s economic problems will still need to tackledFrance is stuck in economic limbo, without a budget and soon, possibly, without a government. The prime minister, François Bayrou, has called for parliament to hold a confidence vote on 8 September and, now that parties of the left and far right have pledged to bring down the government, on paper he doesn’t have the numbers to win.On Tuesday, the Socialist party (PS) added its voice to the dissenters, allying it with the Greens and the far-right National Rally. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Takeaways from AP's reporting on Venezuelans' daily struggles to access food

Venezuelans are facing severe food insecurity amid a prolonged crisis

Politics

6 d. ago PHOTO ESSAY: Millions of Venezuelans struggle with food insecurity

Millions of Venezuelans are struggling to access food as the country faces its latest economic collapse.

Events

6 d. ago For many families, every meal is a struggle in Venezuela's economic crisis

Millions of Venezuelans are struggling to buy food as the economy unravels

Economics

9 d. ago Don’t let Donald Trump undermine your faith in the climate fight | Gina McCarthy

The president’s fossil-fuel obsession can’t stop global progress, writes the former Environmental Protection Agency headOver the past decade, the United States has turned technologies into tools that strengthened our economy, delivered good-paying union jobs, cleaned up our air and water, conserved our precious natural resources, and saved families money all across our country. Yet now the country is choosing to cede that leadership, letting China dominate and control the clean-energy market across the world. It’s no surprise that people are scratching their heads, wondering what happened.Our president is obsessed with fossil fuels. He wants to resuscitate what everyone knows is a dying coal sector while turning a blind eye to the health, environmental, and economic downsides of the climate crisis. Coupled with inconsistent threats of increased tariffs against virtually all our allies, he has isolated the US and amplified threats to global security.Gina McCarthy is the managing co-c...

Politics

2 w. ago Two decades of leftwing dominance end in Bolivia as rightwingers head to election runoff

Movimiento al Socialismo’s time runs out as economic crisis grips countryBolivia’s presidential election will go to a runoff for the first time, with two rightwing candidates competing for the presidency – marking the end of nearly 20 years of dominance by the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).The candidate with the most votes, however, turned out to be a surprise: centre-right senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira, 57, who had started the campaign with just 3% support in opinion polls. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Bolivia presidential election: preliminary results put two rightwing candidates in run

First-round result marks the end of nearly 20 years of dominance by the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo as economic crisis grips the countryBolivia’s presidential election will go to a run-off for the first time, with two rightwing candidates competing for the presidency – marking the end of nearly 20 years of dominance by the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).The candidate with the most votes, however, turned out to be a surprise: centre-right senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira, 57, who had started the campaign with just 3% support in opinion polls. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Bolivians go to polls in election that could end 20 years of leftist rule

Rightwing candidates lead polling ahead of fragmented left amid country’s worst economic crisis in four decadesBolivians are going to the polls in an election that could mark a shift to the right and the end of nearly 20 years of rule by the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).The party, which came to power with the first election of Evo Morales in 2005, risks losing its legal status if it fails to reach 3% of the vote – a threshold it has not hit in polls. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Bolivians go to polls in election that could end 20 years of socialism

Rightwing candidates lead polling ahead of fragmented left amid country’s worst economic crisis in four decadesBolivians are going to the polls in an election that could mark a shift to the right – and the end of nearly 20 years of rule by the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).The party, which came to power with the first election of Evo Morales in 2005, risks losing its legal status if it fails to reach 3% – a threshold it has not hit in polls. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Photos of Bolivia’s road to the polls under the shadow of an economic crisis

Bolivia is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by high inflation and severe fuel shortages, as voters prepare for the Aug. 17 general election, where they will choose a new president and legislators in both chambers.

Economics

3 w. ago Migrants returning to Venezuela face debt and harsh living conditions

Yosbelin Pérez is starting over with nothing in her name after trying to escape Venezuela's political, social and economic crisis

Events

3 w. ago Cats and dogs abandoned in tourist hotspot as economic crisis worsens

For years, Nélida Pérez has fed street cats, but Cuba's worsening economic crisis is making it increasingly difficult

Economics

3 w. ago Cuban animal lovers struggle to feed stray cats and dogs as economic crisis bites

Nélida Pérez feeds street cats in Old Havana, but Cuba's worsening economic crisis is making it increasingly difficult

Economics

3 w. ago Women behind the lens: ‘In Venezuela, the culture of pageants goes far beyond beauty’

Photographer Fabiola Ferrero explores her country’s obsession with beauty competitions and how they they are intertwined with politics and oilVenezuela holds two world records: the most international beauty crowns and the largest proven oil reserves in the world – two apparently unrelated titles that in fact are closely aligned. In the minds of Venezuelans, beauty and oil are tied to the idea of progress, modernity and our relationship with power, especially since the oil boom of the mid 20th century transformed us from a rural country to the richest nation in Latin America in the 1970s.During this time Miss Venezuela epitomised the nation’s aspirations. Even in the midst of the hardest economic and political crisis in our history, the pageants continue. Continue reading...

Politics