The UN Sustainable Development Goals aim to end global poverty, but poorer countries are struggling to hit them. More help from richer countries is crucial, writes Mazdak Rafaty.

Atlantis in South Africa has a new SEZ focused on green manufacturing, which is hoping to turn around the area's fortunes. Annie Hessler reports.

What if the coronavirus lasts until the end of the year? Lawrence Yeo has a bleak forecast.

The UK’s prime minister has pledged to rebalance the UK economy away from a dominant London. However, this might require greater incentives for foreign investment in the regions outside of the capital, which are underperforming. 

Authorities in the US, the EU and across the developed world are stepping up efforts to scrutinise foreign investment on the grounds of both national security and tech sovereignty.

Serbia’s minister of finance, Siniša Mali, explains why the country is one of Europe's economic stars, and how its FDI levels have risen on the back of this.

In spite of the uncertainty caused by Brexit, London retains its position as fDi's European City of the Future for 2020/21, while Paris keeps the regional crown.

London has retained its position as fDi’s European City of the Future, while Paris has climbed to second place, knocking Dublin into the third spot. 

London is crowned best major city in Europe in fDi's FDI Strategy category, with Glasgow, Vilnius, Reykjavik and Galway also winning out.

Paris Region has kept its fDi European Region of the Future title, while Dublin Region holds on to second place and North Rhine-Westphalia is in third. 

North Rhine-Westphalia is fDi's top large region for FDI Strategy, with the Basque Country topping the table for mid-sized regions and Ireland South East first among small regions. 

London LEP and Thames Valley Berkshire LEP hold on to their respective first and second places in the Local Enterprise Partnership rankings, while Oxfordshire LEP jumps up eight places to third. 

London event hears how the UK export credit agency is increasing its focus on trade with African countries. Jason Mitchell reports.

Warsaw already offers a skilled workforce and has improved its infrastructure – now it must focus on climate change and reducing congestion, mayor Rafał Trzaskowski tells fDi.

Serbia’s 15 free zones are driving forward an ongoing flurry of foreign investment in the country’s buoyant manufacturing scene, especially in automotives.

The federal state of Brandenburg is committed to ensuring investors are welcomed into Frankfurt (Oder) through a string of generous incentives.

Frankfurt (Oder) is building on the strengths of its university to foster the development of successful start-ups through new co-working spaces and the promotion of sustainable practices and products. 

Stevens Mokgalapa talks about foreign investment opportunities and challenges in South Africa’s administrative capital, and the balancing act of development and environmental needs in the developing world.

Having opened new production facilities in Rwanda and South Africa, Mara Phones is looking to alter Africa's mindset from being a 'consumer' to being a 'manufacturer'. 

Continued African development could hinge on public finance reforms.

US web infrastructure and cyber security company Cloudflare wants to improve people’s internet experiences through affordable, reliable and accessible interconnection points, especially in less privileged parts of the world. 

Passion Capital's Eileen Burbidge talks to fDi about what fintech companies should consider when expanding internationally, and why London will always be a key market in the sector.

Marcus Weldon, chief technology officer of Nokia and president of its research arm Nokia Bell Labs, talks about what guided the decision to set up a new global R&D centre and the company’s strategy for driving innovation

Financial incentives from two different cities persuaded US grocery chain The Fresh Market to stay headquartered in its home state of North Carolina.

Bradford has been rated as the most improved city by the Good Growth for Cities 2019 index, while Oxford remained the highest performing UK city.

The Gulf region is making extensive reforms to its foreign investment landscape in an effort to attract foreign investors to sectors outside oil and gas, according to a recent report by PwC. 

Togo won a record number of greenfield investment projects last year.

FDI levels have already fallen throughout Iran's main sphere of influence in the region. 

Escalation in protests across the globe in 2019 are forecast to persist into the new decade, according to Verisk Maplecroft report.

Severe threats to the environment accounted for all of the five most likely long-term risks in the WEF’s Global Risks Report 2020.

Global FDI flows recorded a marginal 1% fall in 2019, but the value of announced greenfield investment projects plummets by 22%.

Western European carmakers should consider an R&D footprint in CEE, says McKinsey.

Celebrating its centennial, Albania’s capital is ranked among fDi’s top five mid-sized European Cities of the Future 2020/2021 for Cost Effectiveness

India’s 2020 budget continues the process of opening up to overseas investment.

Investors in France will face greater scrutiny under extended legislation.

The US has the world’s strongest soft power, while China and Russia are rising in influence, according to a recent ranking from Brand Finance.

Announced greenfield projects into China plummeted in early 2020 with the US and Europe taking the lion's share of global foreign investment. 

AstraZeneca will set up a R&D centre and an AI innovation centre in Shanghai, as well as create a $1bn fund that would invest in healthcare start-ups.

Global free zones may be spurring development in less economically developed countries

Despite recurrent challenges, Afghanistan’s business environment is improving. Now the authorities are working to persuade investors the rewards are worth the risk through a series of economic and legal reforms. 

Asia outstrips the world for tourist arrivals and is still experiencing growth. Constant maintenance and upgrade are essential to maintain this lead.

Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna, has approved a new 2018 to 2028 strategy that will eventually expand its investment activity beyond the domestic market.

Ajmal Ahmady, Afghanistan's minister of industries and commerce, outlines government efforts to make the country more conducive to business.

The social turmoil in Hong Kong has triggered an economic crisis, raising questions over the special administrative region’s future as a major financial hub on mainland China’s doorstep. 

German chemical giant BASF has begun construction of its $10bn mega project in southern China, which will be the country’s first wholly foreign-owned chemical complex. 

Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, Pakistan’s UK high commissioner, talks about his country’s potential for foreign investors.

China's coronavirus outbreak is having a seismic effect in Asia and beyond, writes Lawrence Yeo.

Kyrgyzstan is trying to stabilise a volatile business environment by diversifying its economy away from gold and remittances, and employing an ombudsman to reassure investors. 

The situation between the US and China is bad news for South Korea’s investment climate.

Uruguay-based Zonamerica has successfully expanded into Colombia and China, and is now looking to export its model to other parts of Asia and Africa.