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UN Member States Receive Report on Finance for Sustainable Development

The General Assembly formally received an expert report on August 19, 2014 setting out options that can be weighed by Member States on ways to finance the United Nations-driven sustainable development agenda, which will aim to improve people’s lives and

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Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Group: Commodity Super Cycle to Stick Around a Bit Longer

Some analysts have predicted that the commodity price boom has played itself out. However, natural resource-based commodity prices (with the exception of shale gas and its downward pressure on US natural gas prices) have remained relatively high over the last

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From Greece to Canada – George Delaportas: Big Dreams Need Big Country

George Delaportas is writing a new language and needs four years of research, and about EUR 80,000, to compile its dictionary and syntax. This young Greek entrepreneur, now at home in Vancouver, hopes that crowd-funding – and some chutzpa –

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World Bank Group Commits US$ 5 Billion to Boost Electricity Generation in Six African Countries

The World Bank Group has committed $5 billion in new technical and financial support for energy projects in six African countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania—which have partnered with President Obama’s Power Africa initiative. Making the announcement on

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The Euro – A Paradox Checks Into Hotel California

It could have been conceived a bit more thoughtfully, but as a project the European common currency is not altogether farfetched or indeed destined for failure. The euro was specifically created to offer an alternative to the erstwhile all-mighty US

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From Australia to the World – Rupert Murdoch: The Future of Newspapers in the Age of the Internet

Australia is simply not big enough for Rupert Murdoch, though the country did give him his first break into publishing and broadcasting: Two Adelaide city newspapers and a small town radio station in the outback. From these rather humble beginnings,

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Magatte Wade: An African Serial Entrepreneur with a Heart

She’s none too serious, loves joking around and utterly fails to get the point of forced sex. Meet Magatte Wade, a young outspoken entrepreneur from Senegal and one of the up-and-coming power women from an awakening continent. The Davos World

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Norton Rose Fulbright: EU Sets New Financial Laws for Non-EU Entities

Introduction The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) is one of the cornerstones of EU financial services law setting out which investment services and activities should be licensed across the EU and the organisational and conduct standards that those providing

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OECD: Achieving a Resilient Economic Recovery

The recovery from the Great Recession has been slow and arduous, and has at times threatened to derail altogether. However, the major advanced economies are finally gaining traction and momentum. Private-sector confidence is rebuilding. After years of weakness, investment and

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George Ryan: A Flawed Man Taking on a Flawed System

George Ryan is a hero tainted by scandal. As governor of Illinois, Mr Ryan followed in the wake of two of his three predecessors and was convicted, in 2006, to over six years in prison for taking bribes. He was

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