International Monetary Fund (IMF)

ROME

Austerity is Dismantling the European Dream

By Roberto Savio
The European Union (EU) has asked its citizens to brace for further economic misery. In a report on European economic prospects released on May 3, the European Commission said that further deterioration is expected to last at least until 2015. But, as every such report says, things will then get better.

World Bank Urged to Include Human Rights in Safeguards Review

By Carey L. Biron
Backed by the German government and prominent civil society voices, United Nations experts are calling for the World Bank to explicitly incorporate international human right standards into its "safeguards" to minimise negative impacts of bank financing on vulnerable communities and environments.

High Stakes for Engaging Morsi’s Egypt

By Joe Hitchon
Women and minorities should be a top priority in U.S. policy toward Egypt and its Muslim Brotherhood government leaders, experts here said on Friday, despite increasingly unfavourable public views towards Egypt.
An eatery in Lisbon offers cheap "troika" lunches to weather the crisis. Credit: Katalin Muharay /IPS

Portugal’s Disappearing Middle Class

By Mario Queiroz
Poverty in Portugal has risen to levels that were unimaginable a year ago despite the bleak outlook forecasted by the harsh measures imposed by the troika of creditors in exchange for the country's financial bailout.