Conservative Brits are convinced that the French and Germans want to rein in their power base in financial services, as the Brits say almost 80% of EU financial transactions are currently executed in London.

FORBES: The Financial Transaction Tax Is Bad Business For Europe

After being named in the 10-man team four weeks ago, Caldwell headed back to his collegiate base in Alabama for almost a fortnight.

BBC: McIlroy magnetism

Even in the renewable energy sector, which starts from a much lower base, there has been an almost eight-fold increase in installed capacity over the past decade.

FORBES: We Live In An Age Of Energy Abundance

But in a country with an unreliable power supply and a base of almost no electric vehicles, that goal may be elusive.

FORBES: The Bottom Three Billion: How One Clean Tech Company Serves The Poor

The soldiers, who have been sleeping in their vehicles for almost a week, are relived to get to their base, although the comforts of home are long gone.

CNN: Troops in Bosnia

Mr Panetta took the opportunity to announce a delayed timeframe for planned cuts to the Lajes Air Base in Portugal's Azores, a group of nine volcanic islands located almost 1, 000 miles (1, 600km) west of the Iberian peninsula.

BBC: Leon Panetta makes final international trip to Europe

It is almost three years to the day since Bank slashed the official base rate - by 1.5 percentage points - in response to the banking crisis.

BBC: QE looms: Now or next month?