The emerging economies account for an increasing share of the globe’s billionaires. But widespread public attitudes can wield far more influence over an economy than the wealth of a few hundred people, suggests Bruce Stokes, director of Global Economic Attitudes at the Pew Research Center in...
A tale of two cities: Demonstrator in New York (top); Shopper in Shanghai (below)
WASHINGTON: In his 1926 short story “The Rich Boy,” American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote: “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and...
Companies are relocating production to the developed nations like the United States, but hiring fewer workers. One case study suggests that a single US worker combined with investment in automation can replace seven Chinese workers. The trend has been in place for several years in both the United...
A research group from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have modified enzymes in bacteria that degrade polyethylene terephthalate, a main ingredient in plastics. Non-bio-degradable plastics contribute to pollution. Ideonella sakaiensis is a bacteria that can use PET as a carbon...
Malaysians and overseas observers tentatively welcome election results that have ended 60 years of power for United Malays National Organization, a party increasingly associated with corruption and erosion of the rule of law. But worries are not far behind about “a disparate four-party coalition...
Tsunami treasure: An electoral upset put the 92-year-old former Premier Mahathir Mohamad back in power; police haul away cartons of jewelry and other luxury items from defeated Prime Minister Najib Razak’s residence
KUALA LUMPUR: An electoral...
Islam requires adherents to travel at last once for the annual Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Modern transportation made the journey more feasible, and the number of pilgrims increased from 100,000 in the 1950s to more than 3 million in recent years. Saudi Arabia has imposed restrictions in recent...
More than 70,000 fires have broken out in Brazil for this year, representing an 83 percent increase over the same period last year, according to the National Institute for Space Research, reports a team for Folha de S. Paulo. More than 60 fires are burning indigenous and other protected lands, with...
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed global economic activity and oil demand. In early March, the Saudis tried to convince other oil producers to cut production, OPEC members and non-members alike. After Russia refused to go along, Saudi Arabia opened production, pressuring producers worldwide. The US...
Oil maneuver: Vladimir Putin wins Donald Trump’s favor by sending needed medical supplies and isolates Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Photos: TASS, Getty and Gulliver)
NEW YORK: Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to yield under...
TikTok is the world’s most popular short video app, but politicians around the world express “concerns that it could be used by the Beijing government as a surveillance and propaganda tool,” explains Rita Liao for TechCrunch. India has banned TikTok, along with more than 50 other Chinese apps, and...
