Erstellt am: 22. 8. 2012 - 16:22 Uhr

Russia's finally a member of the club

Moscow and global trade rules; US Republicans in trouble after controversial rape remarks by Todd Akin.

EPA

Russia & the WTO

It's taken nearly 18 years of negotiations, but now Russia - the world's 9th largest economy - has officially become a member of the World Trade Organization. So Moscow now has a voice when it comes to setting the rules that govern global trade. It is also subject to those rules, which means it can't impose high tarifs on goods and services imported from abroad and it must make foreign investment easier. So what will Russia's accession to the WTO bring? We hear from Neil Shearing, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics:

Todd Akin

The congressman is in a tight race for a Senate seat in Missouri, but he sparked uproar by claiming women's bodies could prevent pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape". His comments and his refusal to step aside have outraged a huge portion of the American public. Leading members of the Republican Party also want him to withdraw, fearing Akin's comments are a distraction from their main message which focusses on jobs and the economy. So how is the fallout playing out in the arena of an emotive election run-up? Riem Higazi talks to Dr James Boys, the Director of the Postgraduate Program in International Relations at Richmond, the American International University in London about the repercussions of Akin's comments and actions:

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