After the chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilian population, the US launched its first military strike against the Assad regime sending a clearer message to Syria and North Korea. However, it is still early to know whether this is a tactical message or part of a broader strategy. Europe and Asia kept with low conflict levels, while in North Africa, instability rose.

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The Chairman of the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) has completed a round of meetings in the City of London to explain the measures adopted to facilitate the arrival of international firms to Spain. Also, the supervisory body of the Spanish financial markets recently announced four strategic lines for the next two years. The plan is aimed at yielding a more efficient, transparent, responsive and modern supervisor, a more attractive and appealing Spanish market, and better informed, educated and protected investors.

The debates about potential impact of ageing for institutions and economies, the fiscal sustainability of the pension and welfare systems are based on a convention that was established one century ago: the definition of 65 years as the fixed threshold at which old age and economic dependency begins.

Today we celebrate International Mobile Phone Day in commemoration of the device that has become an essential part of our lives, profoundly changing society and the way we communicate.

We live with cell phones, but… Do we really know how to coexist with cell phones? Are we aware of all the information we put in our cell phones? Are we prepared to use them without compromising our security?

After a years of steep deterioration, Uruguay has managed to partially recover some of the ground lost after a historic fall in productivity.  Despite this, a person working in Uruguay today reaches an average productivity slightly above 40% of the level they would achieve working in an advanced economy.  How is this possible?  What can be done?  This paper sets out a potential explanation and suggests a line of action for further progress.

The European Central Bank (ECB) yesterday has announced the outcome of the final auction of TLTRO-2 (targeted long-term refinancing operations).  These long-term financing operations aim to stimulate lending in the euro zone. The demand for additional liquidity has reached 233.47 billion euros, far above the amount from previous auctions and market expectations.