United States

The U.S. State Department has released its latest “Trafficking in Persons” (TIP) report grading countries around the world on their efforts to combat trafficking. Myanmar, Sudan, and Haiti were among the 27 countries downgraded in this latest report, while Thailand was actually elevated due to “significant efforts” on the part of its government to eliminate trafficking. This year’s report also included the addition of two additional countries, Libya and Yemen, in the grading. (CNN )/ (U.S. State Department)
 
U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has expressed strong opposition for a pair of major trade deals involving the United States, including the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the existing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) enacted by President Bill Clinton. Speaking at a recent campaign event in Pennsylvania, Trump said that both trade agreements were detrimental to the U.S. middle class and called for a new era of economic “Americanism.” (AP)
 
Advertising watchdog group Truth in Advertising is calling into question some “Made in the USA” claims made by retail giant Walmart. The group says that it found over 100 products listed on Walmart’s website bearing the moniker that were either partially or completely produced overseas and has alerted the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to its findings. The group made a similar claim last year, resulting in the company revising some of the wording on its website to better distinguish which products were actually made in the United States. In regards to this latest case, the company says it is continuing to work with its suppliers to ensure customers are getting the “transparency and authenticity” they are looking for. (CBS News)
 
Progress in logistics performance has slowed for the first time since 2007 for the world’s least developed economies, according to a new survey from the World Bank. The group says that traditionally, landlocked countries, small island nations, and post-conflict areas have struggled with poor logistics performance, though they note that regional cooperative efforts undertaken by Rwanda and Uganda in Africa have helped them to buck this trend. Germany was the top performer in this report while Syria came in at the bottom. (World Bank)/ (Fibre2Fashion)