Britain’s economy sank further into recession in the second quarter of 2012. Some blame this on an extra day’s holiday and bad weather, but Britain is also reeling from spending cuts and the fallout from the crisis in the euro area, where another recession looms too. According to Maplecroft, a research firm, Britain is the most exposed country to the euro crisis, given its close economic integration with the region, which is its main trading partner. Britain’s banks are also heavily exposed to euro-area debt. Some African nations are among those most at risk because of their trade dependence on the region. The BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) fare better, but are still far from immune to the area’s woes.