Al Jazeera Blogs

<P>Al Jazeera's&nbsp;business editor examines some of the intricacies behind the "Afghan behemoth" created by the United States.</P>

<p>It sounds like the start of a joke. But these are the thoughts of Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of low-cost airline Ryanair.</p>

<p>Kabul Bank is the topic of the moment in Afghanistan.&nbsp;The bank had apparently over-loaned to its own shareholders, who in turn, invested millions of dollars in property in Dubai.</p>

<P>With banks on the mend and stocks in London and New York bouncing, could the global economic recovery be in full flow?</P>

<p>In stepping down as the chief executive of BP, Tony Hayward will cushion the blow with a 1.6 million dollar pay-off, and that does not include his pension pot of 900,000 dollars a year.</p>

<P>BP is being battered over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but some analysts are arguing the US government should look closer to home.&nbsp;</P>

<P>Billions of dollars of deals are being done at the Farnborough air show, but does this mean a recovery in the airline industry?</P>

<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">The “great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity” agreed to pay $550 million to settle fraud charges.</span></p>

<P>Chinese credit rating agency downgrades Western&nbsp;sovereign credit ratings.</P>

<P>With his emergency budget, the UK's<A></A>&nbsp;finance minister has made a&nbsp;start in the task of scaling back the country's&nbsp;welfare state&nbsp;- but he just didn't cut deep enough!</P>