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Geopolitics

Can Macron's "Creative" Diplomacy Fix The Rift Between The West And Global South?

French President Emmanuel Macron has called a unique summit that aims to reset relations between Western countries and the Global South. But the message from China and Russia will be not to trust such diplomatic maneuverings.

-Analysis-

PARIS“France has creative diplomacy.”

The admiration came from a European leader after last month's political community summit in Moldova that included Ukraine and a wide range of European countries — a gathering first proposed by Emmanuel Macron.

A different kind of summit is opening Thursday in Paris, bringing together 50 heads of state and government to form a new global financial pact. Some heavyweights present include Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Brazilian President Lula.

Readers who are not particularly impressed with this latest act of French diplomacy will be forgiven. To quote General Charles de Gaulle when he was criticizing the United Nations, "What are these 'things' for?"

The results of such high-level diplomatic events are not always glorious, or even entirely effective. The Paris Climate Agreement is one such example, but there are several others where words and displays of support have not been followed by any significant effects. And the current state of the world is not conducive to optimism.

But the stakes of each diplomatic event, given the current state of the world, are considerable. And rather than being ignored, they should be examined with the care with which one would treat someone seriously ill.

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How Rihanna Ripped Apart The Bland Victorian Rules Of Maternity Clothing

Barbadian singer and businesswoman Rihanna has proudly celebrated her pregnant belly in fun and revealing clothes. By doing so, she is breaking away from the unspoken rule that pregnant women should hide their baby bumps.

There is a stage in pregnancy where many women have to start thinking about switching out their clothes for maternity wear. Let’s be honest, the choices out there aren’t all too inspiring and women are often expected to give up on their sense of style in favour of comfort. Not singer Rihanna, though, whose refreshing approach to maternity fashion has rocked the world.

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Omicron Origins, Barbados Reborn, Messi’s 7th

👋 Tashi delek!*

Welcome to Tuesday, where Barbados is finally fully independent, we learn more about the origins of the Omicron variant and Santa gets a boyfriend in Norway. Chilean-based business magazine America Economia also looks at how airlines are reconfiguring cabins and enlarging seats in hopes of boosting a recovery in air travel.

[*TIbetan]

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Crisis Innovation: Business Exceptions That Prove The Rule

Throwback ideas and the next big thing are working for some, even as many other parts of the economy slide into recession.

The coronavirus pandemic is the largest economic disruption in memory, with millions of job losses and rising rates of poverty striking virtually everywhere. Still, the changes to the way we live and work have also been the spark for many innovative entrepreneurs, who are taking the unprecedented health crisis and its side-effects as an opportunity to offer new products and services.

Rise of the Work-cation: Tourist hotspots around the world have been hit particularly hard by the near total shutdown of leisure travel. What's the next best thing? Business travel for leisure.

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Economy
Anne Michel

Barbados, An "Ethical" Tax Haven?

The Caribbean island says its financial system is all aboveboard, yet it remains a gateway to less scrupulous offshore havens like the Cayman Islands.

BRIDGETOWN — Is there "dirty" money strewn across the pristine sands of Barbados? Does something sinister hide beneath the glistening coral reefs of this former pirate haunt, the small Caribbean outpost between Saint Lucia to the north and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the west?

Donville Inniss dismisses any doubts with a firm wave of the hand. "Here, you will find neither mailbox companies nor fiscal figureheads," says Inniss, the country's minister of industry and foreign commerce. "The businesses we attract are very real, with economic substance and real jobs on our territory."

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