Via Daniel Mitchell of The Foundation for Economic Education, I focus most of my ire on the federal government because bad policy from Washington is the biggest threat to our nation’s freedom and prosperity. But we also get plenty of bad policy from other levels of government. I periodically focus on the foibles of states such as California, Illinois, and New York. Today, though, let’s contemplate the […]
· Tasdeer showcased 20 Qatari food and beverage sector companies at Dubai World Trade Center from 26 February – 2 March 2017 · Food and beverage industry valued at more than USD $5 trillion globally, according to estimates · Expo attracted key businessmen, decision-makers and investors from agri-food industry from across the world 05 March 2017· Tasdeer showcased 20 Qatari food and beverage sector companies […]
A new bioinformatics advance reveals the power of ‘big data’ genome technology to help us make better use of nature’s inventions: a team of researchers has created a tool that searches through microbial genomes, identifying clusters of genes that indicate an organism’s ability to synthesize therapeutically promising molecules. (via WSJ)
CATANIA, Italy Almost 1,300 migrants arrived in Sicily on rescue ships over the weekend after crossing the Mediterranean, while a 16-year-old boy died on one of the ships, Italy’s Coast Guard said. Italy has seen migrants arriving by boat at a record-setting pace so far this year, with far more people braving the crossing from North Africa this year than in the previous three years, Italian figures […]
BANGKOK The former Buddhist abbot at the heart of a standoff with authorities at Thailand’s biggest temple has been stripped of his monastic rank by the king, the military government said on Sunday. The symbolic step comes more than two weeks after police surrounded the scandal-hit Dhammakaya temple and began searching for Phra Dhammachayo, who is accused of money laundering. The standoff at the temple represents one […]
I have a confession to make: It’s been four months since Microsoft publicly unveiled the name of the next big Windows 10 feature update, and I still have no idea why it’s called the Creators Update. From Microsoft’s perspective, of course, the aspirational tagline makes perfect marketing sense and is much easier to sell than a version number or a release date. It also gives marketers the […]
Every gram of CO2 counts as carmakers race to cut emissions before tough new rules kick in Global carmakers, stung by emissions scandals, are racing to hunt down every gram of harmful CO2 spewed out on the roads as tougher pollution rules kick in. Auto manufacturers gearing up for Europe’s biggest annual car show in Geneva are celebrating the end of the sector’s crisis. European sales have […]
Maritime security will head the agenda as Australia and other Indian Ocean nations meet in Jakarta, with Indonesia pushing governance in a bid to prevent another South China Sea. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will meet with President Joko Widodo for the second time in less than two weeks when he attends the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) summit in Jakarta this week. With […]
As part of the previously previewed “Two Sessions” which started on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday delivered the annual report on the work of the government in Beijing, summarizing the country’s achievements in the past year, and setting goals for this year. In his policy speech, lasting 97 minutes and 18,600 Chinese characters, Li signaled a course adjustment for the world’s second-largest economy and some […]
Researchers have demonstrated an optical metamaterial whose chiroptical properties in the nonlinear regime produce a significant spectral shift with power levels in the milliwatt range. (via WSJ)
BANGKOK Japan’s Emperor Akihito paid his respects to Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Sunday on a visit to Bangkok during which he will also see the new king. Akihito, 83, and Bhumibol, who died aged 88 in October after seven decades on the throne, had a close personal relationship that stretched back to the 1960s and strengthened ties between the two Asian monarchies. Akihito and Empress […]
WASHINGTON The White House on Sunday asked the U.S. Congress to examine whether the Obama administration abused its investigative authority during the 2016 campaign, as part of the ongoing congressional probe into Russia’s influence on the election. The request came a day after President Donald Trump alleged, without supporting evidence, that then-President Obama ordered a wiretap of the phones at Trump’s campaign headquarters in Trump Tower in […]
Abu Dhabi’s government-owned power utility aims to close a financing package for a 3.2 billion dirham ($872 million) solar power plant, which will be the world’s largest, in April, a senior official at the utility said on Sunday. Last week, Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (ADWEA) said it had selected a consortium of Japan’s Marubeni Corp and China’s JinkoSolar Holding to build and operate the 1,177 […]
ISTANBUL President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday German actions in stopping political meetings of resident Turks that were due to be addressed by Turkish officials “were no different to those of the Nazi period”. German authorities withdrew permission for two meetings in German cities last week that were part of a government campaign to win the 1.5 million-strong Turkish community’s support for sweeping new powers for Erdogan […]
Entrepreneur Elon Musk has an estimated current net worth of $13.4 billion from interests in transport, payments and space technology Sending tourists for a trip around the moon is the latest big idea launched by Elon Musk, a Silicon Valley star known for turning his passions into visionary enterprises. Musk has become one of the United States’ best-known innovators. He was a founder of payments company PayPal, […]
By Jessica Resnick-Ault and Lewis Krauskopf | NEW YORK NEW YORK The energy sector is the stock market’s dud so far in 2017 after a banner performance in 2016, and the rest of the year may also be rocky for investors due to the unclear path for crude oil prices. Energy outdid all other sectors last year, up nearly 24 percent thanks to a late-year rally on […]
A historic change in party rules has handed Shinzo Abe the possibility of becoming Japan’s longest-serving prime minister in more than half a century. The revision, which would allow Mr Abe to stay in power until 2021, marks a stunning turnaround for a country long known for its revolving door of prime ministers to becoming one of the most stable governments among the group of seven leading […]
A fiber optic undersea link connecting Angola’s capital Luanda to the Brazilian city of Fortaleza is reported to be about 50 percent complete, with operations set to begin later this year. With more than 6,200 kilometers in length, SACS (South Atlantic Cable System) system will be the first fiber optic cable to connect Africa to the Americas via the South Atlantic sea. According to Angola Cables, the […]
By Ernest Scheyder | HOUSTON HOUSTON The biggest names in the oil world come together this week for the largest industry gathering since the end of a two-year price war that pitted Middle East exporters against the firms that drove the shale energy revolution in the United States. When OPEC in November joined with several non-OPEC producers to agree to a historic cut in output, the group […]
Sun, 05 Mar 2017 8:31 AM Powerful aftershock hits Philippine city. Credit: Supplied One person was killed and several others injured on Sunday when a powerful aftershock hit a southern Philippine city still recovering from a quake last month, authorities said. The 5.9-magnitude quake struck the southern city of Surigao and surrounding areas, causing some walls to collapse, government seismologists and civil defence officers said. One woman […]
The nonprofit organization promoted Leadership, Service Learning and Global Citizenship through the Annual Youth Conference 05 March 2017 Doha, Qatar – Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada) took part in the Annual Youth Conference, Empower 2017, which was held on March 2 – 4. During the event, Mada hosted a workshop that discussed the fundamentals of accessibility and its universal design, which was presented by Ahmed Habib a […]
By Christian Shepherd and Philip Wen | BEIJING BEIJING China pledged more support to its military on Sunday including strengthening maritime and air defences amid efforts to safeguard sovereignty, but in a highly unusual move did not give spending figures for 2017 despite promises of transparency. Parliament’s spokeswoman Fu Ying said on Saturday defence spending for this year would rise about 7 percent, accounting for around 1.3 […]
Via Nicholas Eberstadt of CommentaryMagazine.com, On the morning of November 9, 2016, America’s elite—its talking and deciding classes—woke up to a country they did not know. To most privileged and well-educated Americans, especially those living in its bicoastal bastions, the election of Donald Trump had been a thing almost impossible even to imagine. What sort of country would go and elect someone like Trump as president? Certainly not […]
By Kevin Yao and Xiaochong Zhang | BEIJING BEIJING China has cut its growth target this year as the world’s second-largest economy pushes through painful reforms to address a build-up in debt and strives to keep a lid on risks in its financial sector. China aims to expand its economy by around 6.5 percent in 2017, Premier Li Keqiang said at the opening of the annual meeting […]
