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Economy & Business
United Nations
UN General Assembly 2023: More progress urgently needed on Sustainable Development Goals
The 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) kicked off in New York as planned on September 18, with global attention focused on the so-called...
Economy & Business
Central Asia’s leaders get into specifics on trade-boosting initiatives
In the collective daydreams of Central Asian presidents, there is no end to the possibilities for regional integration.The ideas came thick and fast at...
Energy
European aviation industry embraces new jet fuel regulation
The European Parliament on September 13 approved a new law to increase the uptake of sustainable fuels, such as advanced biofuels or hydrogen, in...
Development Assistance
US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery announced
President Joe Biden announced on September 14 the appointment of Penny Pritzker as the US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery.In this role, she...
Africa
Nairobi Declaration calls for global tax on fossil fuel trade, maritime transport, aviation
As the curtains came down at the Africa Climate Summit (ACS23), heads of state and government adopted the Nairobi Declaration, calling on world leaders...
Asia & Pacific
US-ASEAN establish a research center in Washington, D.C.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was in Jakarta for a US-ASEAN Summit on September 6, announced Washington’s decision to establish a joint center with...
Economy & Business
Uzbekistan’s remarkable resurgence is a tale of growth, reform, potential
In an era characterized by global turbulence and uncertainty, there are few stories as compelling as that of Uzbekistan. A country that has weathered...
Global Energy Insider
Mongolia to expand its economic and trade partnerships
Mongolia, the landlocked mineral-rich country bordered by Russia and China - the world's two preeminent authoritarian-run nations, is looking to expand its economic, trade,...
China
Can Central Asia escape China’s debt trap?
While Washington focuses on the war in Ukraine, Russia and China seek to expand their influence in regions where the US is not sufficiently...
Agriculture & Food Security
Possible new solutions to Ukraine’s grain export challenge emerge
In view of the collapse of the UN’s Black Sea Grain Initiative in July at Russia’s insistence, work is proceeding in multiple sectors to...
Industry & Manufacturing
A vision for Mariupol’s reconstruction
Mariupol Reborn is the largest urban revival project in Europe since the Second World War. The project is being run by a team consisting...
Economy & Business
US-UK Strategic Sanctions Dialogue inaugurated
Building on the unique economic and security partnership between the two nations, the US Department of State hosted a senior UK government delegation for...
Africa
The struggle for environmental justice in Africa
The struggle for environmental justice in Africa is complex and broad. It is the continuation of the fight for the liberation of the continent...
Greece
Back to Business: Greek conservatives rout socialist opposition parties in second round elections
Delivering an undeniable demonstration of Greece’s current focus on stability and the need to generate continued economic growth, the June 25 election produced the...
Economy & Business
Reimagining policy on the future of work
In 1986, the American pop group The Bangles had a hit with “Manic Monday”, where singer Susanna Hoffs laments the start of another working...
The Negroni Diaries
Strange goings on in Northern Greece seem to worry Ankara
Government-linked Turkish media have indicated concern about a series of visits and events in Greece’s Evros prefecture -- the Greek-Turkish border region -- which...
Africa
Climate change in Africa real economic, security threat
Climate change, which appears to be advancing around the world, affecting not just physical infrastructure but economies and livelihoods, is also an increasing security...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Countering online extremism online: Can New Zealand’s Ardern make the Christchurch Call live up to its potential?
On May 15, 2019, two months after the horrendous Christchurch massacre, policymakers led by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel...
Law & Intellectual Property
US’ Trade Rep releases 2023 special intellectual property & protection report
On April 26, the Office of the United States Trade Representative released its 2023 Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of the...
Economy & Business
New programs and recently approved projects from the US’ Development Finance Corporation
The DFC partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today.
Zero Tolerance
Silicon Valley Bank financial contagion contained – for now
The world’s top policymakers and international financial leaders acted effectively in the days following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. They appear to have dealt positively with the risk of wider global financial contagion.
Africa
Africa’s porous borders promote transnational crimes rather than deeper integration
For positive continental regimes to succeed, there must be both conscious and concerted efforts, as well as political will, from all states to help eliminate transnational crimes while fostering integration across the whole of Africa through trade.
Newsletter
A plea to strengthen the Single Market
Unprecedented geopolitical disturbances call for a more united European Union, not for more trade barriers that would ultimately harm the EU's economy and its citizens.
Invasion of Ukraine
Sanctions, sanctions everywhere
On February 24, 2023, the US Government alongside G-7 leaders announced via a White House statement a new set of trade and economic measures...
Africa
Russia’s war in Ukraine and high fertilizer costs are causing global food crisis
Russia’s war in Ukraine and high gas prices have boosted the cost of fertilizers having a major downstream effect on the global food supply,...
Economy & Business
Free Trade: The magic potion against economic decline
Despite rising internal and external nationalistic pressure, leaders on both sides of the Atlantic should remember that in a time of increasing hostilities from bad actors, retaliatory protectionism toward our allies will do nothing but ensure mutual decline.
Belarus
A Belarusian politician, fraudster and businessman kept money in Credit Suisse
It was the last summer day of 2008. An Audi was waiting in line to leave Belarus for Poland. Petr Kalugin, a House of Representatives deputy,...
The Negroni Diaries
Goodbye, Jumbo
The 747 aircraft design has had a total production run of 54 years, with 1,574 aircraft delivered including the US President’s Air Force One, along with several replacements, making it the aviation industry’s most important workhorse of the 1980s-90s.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria again heads towards elections
Bulgaria is now moving towards its fifth parliamentary election in two years as a result of the failure of the latest group of elected...
Croatia
Croatia advances to the EU mainstream
Croatia took a decisive step January 1 towards the mainstream of the European project by adopting the Euro as its currency while at the...
China
Chinese operatives accused of supporting Huawei in the US
Chinese spies were conducting foreign intelligence operations to impede an ongoing investigation involving the technology and communications firm Huawei.
Analysis
Miami morphs into a global business hub, can it last?
Due to Florida’s less stringent COVID restrictions, a political strategy driven by the state’s Republican governor, Florida became a vastly more attractive location for individuals able to work remotely.
Economy & Business
Time to listen to the voice of freelancers
It is of utmost importance that politicians do not create a legislative framework which forces all workers into an outdated 9 to 5 model.
Russia
Major Japanese auto companies giving up on Russia
Toyota and Nissan, two major Japanese automakers with substantial manufacturing capacity, pulled out of Russia after both claimed that carrying out any future business...
Agriculture & Food Security
The global energy crisis is negatively impacting Italy’s wine industry
Rising costs of almost €1.5 billion are facing the Italian wine industry as a result of the ongoing gas and energy crisis and now...
Agriculture & Food Security
Europe’s agricultural sector is crying out for support amid energy and food crises
Europe’s energy crisis – which has been sparked mainly by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and President Putin’s subsequent curtailing of natural gas flows to...
Agriculture & Food Security
Growing agricultural productivity in Brazil: Efficiency, innovation and sustainability
50 years ago, my country relied on food imports to feed itself. Today we feed 10% of the world’s population. Let me tell you about...
Agriculture & Food Security
Food for thought
It is late, but at long last, the world is waking up.“Conflict in Ukraine fuels uncertainty for agriculture”“Ukraine War to compound hunger,...
Agriculture & Food Security
As war in Ukraine disrupts the global food system, how do we feed the world?
Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, the world’s food supply chains had been severely disrupted by the Covid pandemic.
Now the war has derailed Ukraine’s agricultural...
Transport
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey focus on Trans-Caspian International Transport Route
Strengthening regional connectivity, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey focused on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which is of crucial importance for increasing...
Transport
Aktau becomes Kazakhstan’s first port to receives Green Certification from OSCE
Aktau Commercial Sea Port has become the first port in Kazakhstan to receive the Ports Environmental Assessment System (SEEP) certification and EcoPort status from...
Transport
EU interested in developing transport and transit cooperation with Kazakhstan
An international forum in Brussels highlighted the role of strengthening of trade and supply chains between Europe and Asia through the expansion and integration...
Transport
EU-Kazakhstan to discuss transit strategy and Middle Corridor development
The first major discussion in Brussels on Kazakhstan’s transit strategy and the development of the Middle Corridor will take place in Brussels, Belgium on...
Economy & Business
Commission to launch proposal for revision of tobacco excise directive by Oct. ’22
The European Commission announced that the proposal for the revised tobacco excise directive will be made public at the beginning of 2022's fourth quarter...
China
How China took over the WTO behind the West’s back
Last year marked the 20th anniversary of China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, a result that followed 15 arduous years of negotiations. Many...
Zero Tolerance
Moscow drains dwindling reserves to avert default
With most of its foreign currency reserves held abroad frozen by Western sanctions and inaccessible, Moscow was forced to tap its precious domestically held...
Finance
The Pandora Papers: Exposing Iran’s clandestine financial system
As the international community continues to coordinate a response to the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, longstanding debates surrounding sanction efficacy and compliance have...
Economy & Business
Sanctions expand as Russia approaches major default
No American President ever travels to Europe without a bag full of so-called “deliverables” and US President Joe Biden duly arrived in Brussels last...
Economy & Business
Pressed by sanctions, Russia narrowly escapes default
While the global sanctions campaign against Russia is not yet a month old, investors and sanctioneers held their breath this week as Russia struggled...
Economy & Business
Russia sanctions – Now comes the hard part
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine moves into the third week, a broad network of financial, travel and trade sanctions has been established in fairly...
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