In The News

The US Focuses on Its Homefront

Bruce Stokes February 6, 2013
So far, President Barack Obama is signaling that he’ll focus most attention on improving the economy during his last four years in office. That’s in line with priorities listed in a Pew Research Center survey: More than 80 percent list the economy as a “top priority”; more than 70 percent list jobs, the budget deficit, education, Social Security protection each as a “top priority.” The survey was...

America’s Fiscal Policy Is Not in Crisis

Martin Wolf January 31, 2013
The angst of some US politicians would suggest the country is in terrible economic shape, close to bankruptcy and the inability to pay on its obligations. The view is false, contends Martin Wolf of the Financial Times. The US does have fiscal challenges, he maintains, largely due to its inefficient healthcare system and the inability to say no to special interests. The country is on the path for...

Hackers in China Attacked the New York Times

Nicole Perlroth January 31, 2013
Hackers attacked the New York Times after the newspaper reported on an investigation suggesting that relatives of former Premier Wen Jiabao had accumulated a fortune of billions while he was in office, a report based on public US records. The hackers routed the attacks through US universities, sending malware to individuals, before entering the system and obtaining passwords. Computer security at...

Cuba First High-Speed Internet Connection Activated

January 29, 2013
Cuba is now connected to the global internet with high-speed cable, and that could invigorate public debate and political criticism. The country has delayed the rollout to control connections and also blamed the US trade embargo for failure to hook up to US cables. Venezuela shipped the $70 million cable nearly two years ago, reports BBC News. “Investments will first have to be made in Cuba'...

US and China Come Together Over Defiant North Korea

January 25, 2013
North Korea’s leaders have long sought international attention with threats of missile launches. Rather than ignore the errant behavior, China now sides with the United States. After meeting with Chinese officials, the US special representative for North Korea reported that “Both sides agreed that ‘a nuclear test would be troubling and a setback to the efforts to denuclearise the Korean peninsula...

High-Tech Fork Counts Your Mouthfuls

Bruce Kennedy January 25, 2013
Inventors in one part of the world often observe problems elsewhere and develop solutions. Researchers have long pointed out that eating too fast leads to weight gain and obesity. Quick eaters take in too much before realizing their stomachs are full. So engineer Jacques Lépine invented a fork with electronics in the handle, designed to vibrate and turn red if users insert food into their mouth...

Tort and Technology

January 24, 2013
Activists can use the US judicial system and the Alien Tort Claims Act to shame all sorts of multinational corporations from cooperating with authoritarian governments that violate international law. For example, a dozen Chinese citizens joined a suit against Cisco Systems, based in California, in 2012 for selling technology that allows the Chinese government to track dissenters online. “The...