Issue
No. 607, 16-31 December 2015
Fragile
world economy faces major headwinds – UN report
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World
economy stumbles in 2015, major headwinds persist
Coming off a year in which it grew less than expected, the world economy
continues to face “major headwinds” that will affect both its near-term
outlook and long-run prospects, says a UN economic report.
by Kanaga Raja
Global
economic slowdown threatens social stability
The downturn in the global economy is taking its toll on workers everywhere
and bringing with it a heightened risk of social unrest, the International
Labour Organization has cautioned.
by Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Declining
oil prices may undermine development, humanitarian aid
One of the areas likely to suffer the effects of a faltering global
economy buffeted by the oil price plunge is humanitarian aid.
by Thalif Deen
LDCs,
the battleground to win or lose the SDGs
The bleak international economic environment is hurting the world’s
least developed countries and clouding the outlook for achieving the
UN Sustainable Development Goals, the head of a UN development body
has said.
by Kanaga Raja
Global
FDI flows rebound to reach $1.7 trillion
Global flows of foreign direct investment rose 36% in 2015 to reach
their highest level since 2007, according to an UNCTAD report. The
increase did not entail a commensurate expansion of productive capacity,
however, as it largely involved mergers and acquisitions instead of
new investment projects.
by Kanaga Raja
US,
EU begin their campaign for new issues at WTO
Amid continued uncertainty over the future of the Doha Round talks,
some WTO member states are pushing for “new issues” and “new approaches”
to be taken up in the world trade body.
by D. Ravi Kanth
Opinion:
Davos and its threat to democracy
The annual gathering of world elites held in Davos, Switzerland, could
herald an unaccountable, corporate-led model of global governance,
Nick Buxton warns in this article written on the eve of this
year’s Davos meet.
Opinion:
Can the Davos rich do more than talk?
Just a busload of billionaires, says Oxfam, now hold as much wealth
as the entire bottom half of humanity. The elites at Davos could,
if they so chose, start steering that bus in a different direction.
by Sam Pizzigati
The
TPP fraud
Advocates of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement have overstated
the treaty’s benefits and ignored its crucial costs.
by Jomo Kwame Sundaram
