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IPPC Report on Global Warming: Formidable Effort in Juggling with Fuzzy Numbers
In about 25 years the world will have used up its remaining “carbon credit” for the current century. Additional emissions will contribute to global warming beyond the tipping point of two degrees (C), the safety threshold used by most scientists
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CBI: Great Expectations on the UK High Street But Not Out of The Woods Yet
High-street sales continued to grow strongly in the year to September, at the fastest pace since June 2012, and exceeded already solid expectations, according to the CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey of 111 firms. This was the third consecutive
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WTO Forecasts Gradual Recovery Despite Cut in Trade Forecasts
World trade growth in 2013 and 2014 is likely to be slower than previously forecast. WTO economists now predict 2013 growth of 2.5% (down from the 3.3% forecast in April) and 4.5% in 2014 (down from 5.0%), but they say
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Global Interconnections and Spillovers
Extracts from a Speech By Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund U.S. Chamber of Commerce, September 19, 2013 I. The Global Economy Today I recently returned from the G-20 Summit in St. Petersburg—where I know that the Chamber was
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European Commission Confirms Billions Lost in VAT Gap
An estimated €193 billion in VAT revenues (1.5% of GDP) was lost due to non-compliance or non-collection in 2011, according to a new study on the VAT Gap in Member States. The study was funded by Commission as part of
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The War on Tax Evasion: How a Good Pursuit Gets Ugly
At first glance, the showdown between the US government and the Swiss banks seems to have produced a satisfactory outcome: Tax dodgers can no longer park their undeclared monies in Switzerland without fear of discovery. Under a new bilateral deal,
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Barking Up the Wrong Tree in St. Petersburg: G20 Hijacked by Syria Conflict
The world leaders gathered today in St. Petersburg for the G20 summit were supposed to discuss the slowdown of global economic growth and ways to combat tax evasion. This agenda has now been largely supplanted by developments in Syria and
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Christopher Colford, World Bank: Competitive Cities Can Meet the Challenge of Job Creation
Focusing policies on competitive industries can provide jobs for the impoverished, hungry, restive urban millions As magnets for talent and crucibles of creativity, dynamic cities are the pacesetters for innovation in this era of relentless global competition. Vibrant metropolitan regions
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Looking for a Fig Leaf: US & UK Mull Punitive Action against Syria
Here we go again. The US and Britain are whipping themselves once more into a frenzy over the actions of an evil strongman in the Middle East. This time around the recipient of American and British ire is Syrian president
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Assaulting Freedom to Protect Freedom: UK Government Gets Tough on Press
Legislation aimed at preventing acts of terrorism is now being misused to intimidate reporters and the media they work for. In the UK, police authorities invoked Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to question for nine hours David Miranda,
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