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Business Daily

Factual: Money

The daily drama of money and work from the BBC.

Business Daily: Is Italy bust? 

19/07/2012

Is Italy bust? 

BBC World Service - Business Daily, Is Italy bust?

Italy is back in the spotlight, with a bank ratings cut, and Sicily facing bankruptcy.

Italy back in the spotlight - with their banks' suffering another credit ratings cut, and the PM declaring Sicily bankrupt. Also, why bamboo could be the new miracle cash-crop.

The euro is back on our radar, as we look at  the biggest potential casualty of them all - Italy - which this week saw its banks' credit ratings cut yet again, and the Prime Minister Mario Monti declaring Sicily effectively bankrupt. 

Thoughts from Eric Jones, Director of the Bologna Institute for Policy Research of Johns Hopkins University, and the Director of Oxford Analytica.  

Also, is it time to buy bamboo? Evidence perhaps that this traditional "jungle weed" might just prove economic wonder-crop. We have a special report from Nicaragua. 

And our regular Ghanaian commentator, Bright Simons, asks whether Africa's recent minerals' boom is all it's cracked up to be.

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