A counterintelligence investigation is underway by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation on whether a banker – Alexander Torshin, deputy governor for the Russian central bank – secretly transferred funds to the National Rifle Association to help the Donald Trump presidential election campaign. “It...
Out-of-wedlock childbirths have become more common worldwide since the 1960s, but with wide variations among and within countries. Inreasing economic independence and education combined with modern birth control methods have given women more control over family planning. In about 25 countries,...
Shifting culture: Women's increasing economic independence contributes to more children born outside of marriage, though acceptance varies widely among countries; throughout much of Latin America, out-of-wedlock births are the norm, left, but some...
Homelessness is a mark of failure for communities in providing basic security. Based on national reports, about 2 percent of the world’s population may be homeless. Another 20 percent lacks adequate housing, reports demographer Joseph Chamie. Such statistics come with a caveat. Obtaining accurate...
Under the open sky: Increasing numbers of people are homeless, in both wealthy and poor cities, from Russia to India
NOTE: This article was updated on 21 January 2020 to include the specific cautionary note from the OECD on using the data for...
Prices are climbing for oil, the most traded commodity on global markets and the world’s leading energy source. Much production is in volatile regions, and it comes as little surprise that production and trade in crude oil and refined petroleum products have produced a flourishing illicit market...
Hot commodity: High energy prices can encourage black markets, and oil from a makeshift refinery in Idlib, Syria, can eventually make its way to tankers destined for Europe or the Asia Pacific (Reuters)
BERKELEY: Oil is still the world’s leading...
An avalanche of secrets exposed by a former National Security Agency contract worker is complicating US relations with southern neighbors. Reports allege that the United States spied on countries regardless of poor or good relations. Stopping the Bolivian president’s plane in Europe for a few hours...
Trading accusations: The Bolivian president's aircraft is forced to land and searched by Austrian police in the Vienna airport (top); Brazilian President Rousseff with President Morales, united in denouncing the US
MEXICO CITY: The Latin American...
Although the consequences of global warming are painfully vivid, some scholars still question whether it requires urgent action. In January, a group of scientists, including those from the United States, Australia, France and the Netherlands, summarized reasons for their skepticism and opposition...
Burning coal, melting glaciers: Greenhouse gases emitted by plants in cities trap heat (top); rushing water from a melting glacier adds to rising sea level
NEW HAVEN: A January 27 opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal by a group of 16 scientists...
The Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, spread through Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Proponents argued that humans, as individuals and society, hold the power to improve their lives through reason and enterprise rather than tradition for tradition’s sake – thus...
Unenlightened democracy: US citizens protest racism, and crime-busting president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, offers instant law with questionable order
WASHINGTON: Many US Presidents since John F. Kennedy have cited the Enlightenment as the...
The sustained protests for democracy in Hong Kong have spread to cities around the globe, challenging anyone with ties with China to take a stand. “Few protests have the potential to go global like those in Hong Kong due to the large number of people from Hong Kong and mainland China studying...
Local protest, global echos: Show of support for Hong Kong protesters at a game in Houston; demonstration outside Canadian legislature in Edmonton.
NEW HAVEN: Most democracy protests are short-lived, garner little international attention and are...
