London is not the only British city, says lobby group Core Cities, which is calling for greater decentralisation in the UK. 

A Western Union survey of UK SMEs reveals an optimistic mood. However, another report warns that medium-sized companies in the country are not receiving sufficient assistance when it comes to exports.

Delegates at the Remaking Cities Congress in Pittsburgh discussed issues such as 'soft factors' that can transform urban areas, and ideas that cities can 'steal' from one another.

The state of New York has launched an initiative aimed at creating tax-free zones to attract investment.

England's enterprise zones have been given a £100m injection to help complete infrastructure projects.

A research director at the India, China & America Institute says that the US's recent talks on trade agreements with European, Latin American and Asian countries are a response to China's growing economic influence on the world.

Croatia is keen to adopt the euro as its currency, but that is unlikely to happen any time soon as the country struggles to meet the EU's five convergence criteria. 

Reducing poverty was high on the agenda at the annual meeting of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund, with an ambitious target set for 2020.