The United Kingdom will need to attract highly-skilled foreign workers in order to maintain a competitive economy, said the London–based Work Foundation this week.

Their report, which highlighted key trends in migration and future obstacles for British companies, warns that a hostile environment towards migrants could harm the ability of firms to attract skilled, talented workers that are desperately needed in the UK.  National debates about immigration combine low-skilled and highly-skilled migrants, forcing politicians into the precarious balance of being open to talent and growth while not appearing weak on national security.  

A gas OPEC is in the offing. That is a major danger for the West, even if it were to create one potentially valuable opportunity.

Europe is dangerously dependent on Russia for natural gas. Not only does the continent as a whole rely on Moscow for half of the gas it consumers, but almost half of the European Union's member states are subject to crippling Russian control over their energy sectors through Russian ownership of pipelines and strategic companies or their near-total reliance on Russian gas (and, sometimes, both). That not only leaves a large part of Europe vulnerable to geopolitical pressure from Moscow, but highlights a looming strategic challenge to Western interests: the development of a Russian-led OPEC for natural gas.

Democrats are close to unveiling their complex strategy for the supplemental spending bill, but their plan to speed its passage faces a number of obstacles.

With the hope of streamlining the process and finishing work on the measure by the Memorial Day recess, Democrats have signaled that their strategy for the supplemental could bypass both Appropriations committee markups and even a House-Senate conference on the bill.

But Republicans and even some Democrats are opposed to such a strategy, saying that if too many lawmakers are left out of the process, the result could be even longer delays in the bill’s enactment.

With global grain stocks at record lows and soaring prices for agricultural products, new attention is being paid to which farming methods are best poised to meet global food needs.

The United States and Europe have long utilised large-scale industrial farming -- which has generated enormous increases in output -- but this method is coming under increasing scrutiny over concerns about monopolistic behaviour and sustainability. In order to increase output in a sustainable way, agricultural experts are increasingly looking to alternative models, or at least significant alterations to the existing industrial one.

As the value of the dollar continues to decline relative to other currencies, some of those most affected don't even live in the United States. Instead, they are citizens of developing countries who receive remitted dollars from family and friends working abroad. For them, the weakening dollar is particularly crippling because it either converts into less local currency or, for those in countries with pegged currencies, can't keep up with local inflation.

It's a situation roughly similar to American travelers in Europe discovering that it now costs $4.77 for a Big Mac, whereas a year and a half ago the cost was only $3.77. The dollar is no longer going as far as it once did, and the decline is pinching the incomes of remittance recipients -- often the poorest -- and prompting shifts in international migration patterns. Policymakers in developing countries need to act soon to reduce the costs and unpredictability of remittances and ensure that social safety nets cover those who are harmed.

Since the inception of the Marshall Plan post World War II, the United States has been one of the most active and generous aid donors to the developing world. Unfortunately, over the last few decades, our aid and trade policies have become increasingly fragmented and, at times, even contradictory. In order to increase aid effectiveness and best serve the interests of the U.S. and aid recipients, we must work towards harmonizing aid and trade policies towards developing and least developed countries.

The aid debate often centers around two primary approaches: increasing versus decreasing foreign assistance. However, as the recently released HELP Commission report has highlighted, we must also consider national aid harmonization. In order to ensure maximum impact for U.S. taxpayer’s investment, we must look beyond the stale aid budget questions and address harmonizing and rationalizing the U.S. aid system. The U.S. government currently has over 20 different agencies working on various foreign assistance-related issues. The U.S. has already begun streamlining efforts though through the establishment of coordinating bodies such as the “F Process” at the State Department and the HELP Commission; it is imperative these efforts continue to be explored. By finding ways to align these agencies we will be better positioned to effectively implement programs to the neediest countries.