Nobody, not the EU, the IMF nor the markets had any concerns about the Irish fiscal position prior to 2008.
The European Central Bank left interest rates on hold on Thursday, pausing to assess the impact of back-to-back cuts and a slew of other measures it unleashed late last year that are showing some signs of helping fight the euro zone debt crisis.
In Greece a blind and unemployed person receives 700 euros ($896) in monthly disability.
Germany and France warned Greece on Monday it will get no more bailout funds until it agrees with creditor banks on a bond swap and pressed for an early deal to avert a potential default in the Eurozone's most debt-stricken nation.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Greece on Monday it would not be possible to give further aid without rapid progress on its second rescue package, including a voluntary write-down on Greek debt held by private creditors.
The German and French leaders meet on Monday to discuss ways to boost growth in euro zone states struggling to overcome the sovereign debt crisis and rising unemployment, and finalise a deal to increase fiscal coordination within the currency union.
Hungary is willing to discuss any issues at talks with the International Monetary Fund from which it wants to secure a funding deal, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Sunday.
Has the U.S. stock market's gyrations left you feeling a little perplexed? Then consider the stocks of large-capitalization companies with demonstrated business models. And here are five.
Fitch Ratings has downgraded the sovereign credit rating of Hungary to “junk” status, making it the third rating agency to do so.
A rating downgrade on Friday left Hungary's debt rated junk across the board, underscoring investors' doubts about the government's willingness to change its controversial policies in return for aid to stave off a financial crisis.
The euro is likely to survive 2012 despite the debt crisis in the euro currency zone, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Friday.
Malawi in East Africa is one of the poorest nations on earth, with more than 50 percent of the population living in poverty.
Out with the old year, in with the new and for investors uncertainty is likely to be the only certainty once more.
BBC is under fire for naming Sweetie the Panda Miss December 2011 in Faces of the Year: The Women, with everyone from Parliament to Twitter users slamming BBC for causing pandagate less than month after it was criticized for ignoring women's achievements. See the full list here, and find out why BBC is defending its decision.
Opinion polls suggest that JLP and PNP are running neck-and- neck.
Tom Cruise's latest adventure as Agent Ethan Hunt - Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - released by Paramount Pictures, topped the weekend box office collections, having grossed more than $26 million during the Christmas holiday weekend (Dec. 23 - Dec. 25), according to Rentrak.
The Egyptian economy, battered after months of uncertainty and violence that has followed the political upheaval in that country, is hovering dangerously close to crisis status.
The incredible events of 2011 will likely influence global history for decades to come.
In a sign that Canada's resistance to paying into an IMF bailout fund for Europe might be fading, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Thursday the idea would be generally supported if all the Group of 20 nations agreed to pay in more.
The outlook for Europe looks gloomy especially after the European Central Bank (ECB) warning that risks to euro area financial stability increased considerably in the second half of 2011, as the sovereign risk crisis and its interplay with the banking sector worsened in an environment of weakening macroeconomic growth prospects.
Asian stocks and the euro edged up on Tuesday, but sentiment remained fragile on concerns that efforts to contain the euro zone debt crisis were faltering and tougher rules to strengthen banks' capital would further undermine their profits.
Despite vast oil reserves, Nigeria has been plagued by poor infrastructure, decades of official corruption and mismanagement of its economy.
