Most countries in the world are performing better against key measures of peacefulness compared with last year, according to the latest rankings of the Global Peace Index (GPI), now in its second year.
Big gains in the productivity of workers in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union during the past decade have helped boost growth and living standards, but more must be done to eliminate red tape and barriers to enable firms to become more productive in a rapidly globalizing world, says a new World Bank report.
Agrofuels have been blamed as a major factor driving up food prices. According to the UN and the World Bank, 100 million more people are currently facing severe hunger due to higher prices for basic foods.
Some pessimists have turned optimistic. Not long ago, there were predictions that the current recession might be the most severe since the great depression. Now, as interest rate spreads seem to be returning to more normal conditions, and stock prices rise and tax rebate checks arrive, there is some sentiment that 3 percent GDP growth (annualized) might return as early as the second quarter of 2008.
The Conference Board announced that the U.S. leading index increased 0.1 percent, the coincident index remained unchanged and the lagging index increased 0.1 percent in April.
Four out of five workers in the Czech Republic report overall satisfaction with their working conditions, the fourth European Working Conditions Survey reveals. However, only one in four Czech workers thinks they have good career prospects and only one in three workers consider themselves well paid for the work they do, which are levels well below the EU averages.
Statistics just published by the European Commission relating to counterfeit and piracy show a significant increase in customs activity last year. In 2007, customs registered over 43,000 cases of fake goods seized at the EU's external border, compared to 37,000 in 2006.
In 2007, EU27 FDI (foreign direct investment) in extra-EU27 countries (outflows) rose by 53%, from 275 billion euro in 2006 to 420 bn in 2007, while FDI into the EU27 from the rest of the world (inflows) increased by 89%, from 169 bn to 319 bn. In 2007, intra-EU27 FDI flows rose by 13% compared with 2006.
An analysis of recent data released by the European Commission shows a still solid overall performance in the EU labour market, although the pace of improvement appears to be slowing. By the fourth quarter of 2007, total employment had increased by 3.3 million from a year earlier to reach 224.5 million, while unemployment had dropped to 16.1 million by the first quarter of 2008.