A new WTO Report on Trade Developments urges WTO members to resist protectionism and “get trade moving again”. WTO members need to avoid putting up barriers and “get trade moving again” in order to address slow global economic growth, according to the Director-General’s mid-year report on trade-related developments issued on 25 July. The Trade Monitoring Report concludes that the “best safeguard we have against protectionism is a strong multilateral trading system”.
“The report shows a worrying rise in the rate of new trade-restrictive measures put in place each month — hitting the highest monthly average since 2011,” Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said. “We hope that this will not be an indication of things to come, and clearly action is needed. Out of the more than 2,800 trade-restrictive measures recorded by this exercise since October 2008, only 25 per cent have been removed.
“In the current environment, a rise in trade restrictions is the last thing the global economy needs. This increase could have a further chilling effect on trade flows, with knock-on effects for economic growth and job creation”.
The WTO will continue to monitor trade policy trends and developments in WTO members’ policies and provide a platform of inclusiveness and transparency for addressing challenges facing the global trading system today.
You can read the report here: WTO Report on Trade Developments
The nation outranked 162 others thanks to its positive lifestyle contributions, including prosperity, equality, health and wellbeing, according to Brittish newspaper The Independent.
Sweden has topped a poll as the best ‒ or “goodest” ‒ country when it comes to serving the interests of its people while avoiding damaging impacts to other nations and the environment.
Sweden scores highest for positive lifestyle contributions including prosperity, equality, health and wellbeing, while also performing well culturally.
The index suggests that Sweden, relative to the size of its economy, does more “good” and less harm than any other country. Smaller countries such as Ireland, Kenya, Iceland and Costa Rica have all dropped in the rankings ‒ this is partly because events around the world make a bigger impact on smaller countries.
The report, which weighs up a country’s contributions to the planet and the human race relative to its size ‒ measured in GDP ‒ is the brainchild of leading policy advisor Simon Anholt, whose aim is “to find ways of encouraging countries to collaborate and co-operate a lot more, and compete a bit less”.
“A good country is one that successfully contributes to the good of humanity. Of course it must serve the interests of its own people, but never at the expense of other populations or their natural resources: this is the new law of human survival,” he said.
He added that the UK must collaborate and cooperate more with other countries: “It [Britain] isn’t just an island unconnected to the rest of Europe or to the rest of the world. Just like every other country on earth, it is part of one system. If it fails, we all fail.”
Despite the addition of 38 countries since the first edition of the index, Libya has once again ranked last.
Chris Froome has done it again! For the 3rd time in the last 4 years, Froome today won the Tour de France again.
Today the 103rd Tour de France – of cycling’s grand tours – ended in Paris. The 3,529 km (2,193 mi)-long race started at Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, on 2nd July 2016, and concluded on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, earlier today. A total of 198 riders from 22 teams entered the 21 stage race.
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