Asian countries outperform the rest of the world in the OECD’s latest PISA survey, which evaluates the knowledge and skills of the world’s 15-year-olds. PISA 2012 tested more than 510,000 students in 65 countries and economies on maths, reading and science. The main focus was on maths.

The economic crisis has hit certain regions and cities harder than others in the OECD area, calling for better regional policies across levels of governments to foster an inclusive and sustainable recovery, according to two new OECD reports.

The metropolitan region of Aix-Marseille in the south of France needs to tackle its fragmentated governance if it is to return to more inclusive and sustainable economic growth, according to a new OECD report.

OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, said that it was with a heavy heart and a debt of gratitude that the world was bidding farewell to Nelson Mandela.

Ministers from 25 countries closed their meeting on regions and cities in Marseille, France today with a call on national governments to rethink their territorial development policies in order to create more dynamic and inclusive economic growth and to improve the wellbeing of all citizens regardless of where they live.

Mr Gurría said the trade facilitation agreement at the core of the new package would cut red tape and speed border crossings worldwide, offering an important boost to world trade and the global economy. "As OECD work has highlighted, the benefits of lowering costs for traders are significant, and are particularly welcome today, given the slow growth seen in so many countries," Mr Gurría said.

Israel’s economy is in good shape, but further efforts are needed to fight poverty and close the gap in living standards with other leading nations, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of Israel.

Sweden’s health and elderly care systems deserve their reputation as being among the best in the world. Yet an ageing population with growing chronic conditions and requiring more complex health services are testing Sweden’s ability to continue delivering high-quality care, according to a new OECD report.

G20 GDP growth picks up to 0.9% in third quarter of 2013; up from 0.8% recorded in the previous quarter, according to preliminary estimates.

Tax revenues continue bouncing back from the low levels reported in almost all countries during 2008 and 2009, at the height of the global economic crisis, according to new OECD data in the annual Revenue Statistics publication. The average tax revenue to GDP ratio in OECD countries was 34.6% in 2012, compared with 34.1% in 2011 and 33.8% in 2010.