Achim Steiner says cuts to development budget are shortsighted in an interconnected global economy Spending more on defence will be pointless unless western governments also tackle the climate crisis in poor countries, the UN’s departing chief of international development has warned. “The more you restrict your ability to act by simply focusing on what’s happening inside your country, the more vulnerable you become,” said Achim Steiner, who recently completed his second term as administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), which works on overseas aid and lifting people out of poverty. “Vulnerability can then very quickly translate into a very real crisis scenario.” Continue reading...

Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast of a 4 per cent productivity loss from leaving the EU has been largely borne out, says top economist

Fyrrverandi utanríkisráðherra útilokar ekki að afstaða fólks til inngöngu í ESB geti breyst. Hún segist ætla að fylgja eigin sannfæringu til að tryggja öryggi og hagsmuni Íslendinga.