Headlines

Aktau, Aug.12.– Russia, Iran, and a handful of other countries made a diplomatic breakthrough on Sunday to solve a dispute that has dragged on for decades.

Leaders from five countries—Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan—officially signed an agreement to determine the fate of the Caspian Sea, the world’s largest body of inland water that’s been in dispute since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Until 1991, the maritime area was shared between the Soviet Union and Iran. But when the superpower split into 15 separate countries, questions emerged over who should control the Caspian Sea’s resources, and whether it is actually a sea or a lake.

The overall ranking of Best Countries measures global performance on a variety of metrics

Among 80 countries studied, the first five are: Switzerland, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom and Japan. United States is 8th, Spain is 19th and the first ranked in Latin America is Brazil as 28th. "

Behind a country's wealth and success are the policies that create possibilities, the people that drive the effort and the history that shapes the environment and perspective.

Globalization has expanded a country's presence beyond its physical borders, and the 2018 Best Countries rankings seek to understand a nation's worth beyond hard metrics.

The 2018 Best Countries report and rankings are based on how global perceptions define countries in terms of a number of qualitative characteristics, impressions that have the potential to drive trade, travel and investment and directly affect national economies. The report covers perceptions of 80 nations.

The city of Chefchaouen has hosted this summit, which aims to give visibility to the importance that cities of between 50.000 and one million inhabitants have in global agendas

 Chefchaouen, Morocco.– The 1st World Forum of Intermediary Cities has been held in Chefchaouen (Morocco) on the 5th, 6th and 7th July 2018. The International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) has been there represented by different member cities such as Cuenca (Ecuador), Molina de Segura (Spain) and Valongo (Portugal), which have defended the importance of citizens' participation in the definition, implementation and evaluation of city policies. A roundtable and a workshop have specifically treated the citizens' participation in intermediary cities, but the participatory thematic has been transversally treated throughout the event.

A unique chance

Having in mind that Intermediary Cities are each one of them inscribed in their own territories, they offer a unique chance to complete the sustainability agendas through their development.

 Trump Announces Agreement after meeting with Juncker to End Trade War with the European Union

Washington DC, July 26.– President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he has reached an agreement with the European Union to move forward together toward a “zero tariff” situation, thus avoiding a trade war, after meeting in Washington with the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.

Trump said that he had reached an agreement with the EU to work together toward a policy of “zero” tariffs and trade barriers, adding that “We are starting the negotiation right now, but we know where it is going” and proclaiming “a new phase” in US-EU trade relations.