March 17, 2023: Emmanuel Macron bypasses parliament to force through pension reform in France. Plus: Poland’s announcement that it will be the first Nato country to send fighter jets to Ukraine, Andrew Mueller’s irreverent round-up of the week’s events and the latest theatre news.
Rising interest rates have left banks exposed. Time to fix the system—again
Only ten days ago you might have thought that the banks had been fixed after the nightmare of the financial crisis in 2007-09. Now it is clear that they still have the power to cause a heart-stopping scare. A ferocious run at Silicon Valley Bank on March 9th saw $42bn in deposits flee in a day. svb was just one of three American lenders to collapse in the space of a week.
March 16, 2023: As the leaders of South Korea and Japan meet in Tokyo, are we entering a new era in relations? Plus: Ankara hints at ratifying Finland’s Nato bid, a flick through the day’s papers and the latest film news.
In his closing speech at China’s annual parliamentary meeting on Monday, Xi Jinping, the country’s most powerful leader in generations, had an ominous message for his people and for those listening beyond its borders. “After a century of struggle, our national humiliation has been erased … the Chinese nation’s great revival is on an irreversible path,” he warned.
The UK was gripped this week by a saga that started off about controversial government plans to deter migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, and ended with Gary Lineker, host of the BBC TV football highlights show Match of the Day, being taken off the air. We reflect on a furore that revealed much about the contradictions of modern Britain.
From the buzzer to the finish line, the finest sports photographyreveals human achievement and emotion at the extremes.In a feature special this week, Simon Hattenstone talks to award-winning Guardian sports photographer Tom Jenkins about capturing the perfect picture – followed by 20 of the most iconic sports pictures ever taken and the stories behind them.
March 15, 2023: Antony Blinken heads to Addis Ababa. Plus: violent clashes break out in Pakistan, Indonesia’s tourist motorbike ban, the latest business news and we head to Frankfurt for the world’s biggest bathroom gathering.
March 14, 2023: Following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, is Joe Biden facing a crisis of confidence in US financial institutions?
Plus: political turbulence in Moldova, Nicaragua’s decision to suspend relations with the Vatican and a special interview with Estonia’s former president Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
March 13, 2023: A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, how to avoid war over Taiwan, the mystery of 250,000 dead Britons (9:50) and the small consolations of office irritations (18:20).
Boomers Daily 