The fiscal deficit stands at 30% of GDP, and foreign reserves have slumped to $116m.The danger facing Mr Nasheed is that the global economic turmoil dents tourism and condemns the Maldives to hard economic times and divisive politics.
Although these can generate temporary excitement, the early loss of big names often dents interest in the important end of tournaments, and Mr Tiriac must be relieved no stars went out during the opening round (especially Mr Nadal, the home favourite).
Hence a dilemma for chief executives.Britain's biggest bank by far, HSBC, with oodles of deposits in Asia, Britain and America, has had the luxury of time, size and market capitalisation to buy abroad small- and medium-sized banks with potential, in a way that hardly dents its balance sheet.
The plunging oil price dents the prospects for electrification still further.Still, at the moment purchasing such a vehicle is so pricey that saving money is less the point than drawing attention to its owner's green credentials.
There are new claims that the sky ought to be ablaze with meteor-like displays; and that even delicate snowballs, when hitting the moon at several miles a second, should stamp visible dents on to its surface.Such debates, which depend on what Dr Frank's mini-comets would be like if they existed, can go on forever or rather, until there is more evidence on whether they exist at all.
According to Ben Uglow of Morgan Stanley, another bank, Siemens's contract losses, writedowns, restructuring and other charges have totalled $34.5 billion since 2001, knocking huge dents in profits (see chart).Those familiar with the firm say that when problems have surfaced, engineers have been afraid to report them to the higher-ups, instead continuing to throw time and money at them.
This makes pre-emptive investment to fill the market less worthwhile: since an incumbent has its own natural customer base, a rival's entry dents profits by only 5%.
That dents the church's image as a bastion of anti-communist resistance.
The weakening of Mr Calheiros dents the government's influence in the Senate, where its majority is slim.
That further dents growth prospects: estimates by Now-Casting, a forecasting firm, suggests that euro-zone GDP will contract by 0.2% in the second quarter.
Though the chance of their being used is very small, the mere idea dents Israel's once boundless self-confidence.So what to do? Diplomacy to halt Iran's nuclear plans has had little success.
