For a brief moment on May 23rd, it seemed as if American policy towards Taiwan had undergone a sudden and dramatic change. Asked if America would “get involved militarily” to defend Taiwan in case of an invasion, President Joe Biden replied that it would.
TopChina is trying to protect its economy from Western pressure
In a message to Chinese aerospace engineers and researchers for “Youth Day” earlier this month, President Xi Jinping shared his ambitions for the industry. Young workers should advance the cause of Chinese self-reliance, he said, following in the footsteps of their predecessors who developed a home-grown nuclear weapon, missile and satellite, with little help from outsiders, in a campaign in the era of Mao Zedong called “Two bombs, one satellite”.
TopWhy investors are increasingly worried about recession in America
So choppy has America’s stockmarket been this year that only a fool would predict mid-week (or even mid-Friday) whether prices will end the week up or down. At the market’s close on May 25th, the s&p 500 index of leading American shares looked on course to break a seven-week losing streak—or to extend the rout to eight weeks.
TopInternet regulation: Britain should scrap the Online Safety Bill
Boris johnson’s government is up to its neck in short-term crises. Amid a great deal of sound and fury, Britain’s prime minister is trying to survive the fallout from a string of illegal parties in Downing Street and is pondering how to ease a nasty cost-of-living crunch.
TopGuns in America: Perhaps make it a bit harder to buy one?
The motives for mass murder vary. The teenager in Buffalo who on May 14th shot and killed ten people, most of them black, was driven by racial paranoia. The 68-year-old who killed one and injured five on May 16th in a Californian church hated Taiwanese people.
TopThe coming food catastrophe
By invading ukraine, Vladimir Putin will destroy the lives of people far from the battlefield—and on a scale even he may regret. The war is battering a global food system weakened by covid-19, climate change and an energy shock.
TopThe Economist May Editions 2022 Free Download Link
The Economist is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally that focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture.
TopThe Indian economy is being rewired. The opportunity is immense
Over the past three years India has endured more than its share of bad news and suffering. The pandemic has killed between 2.2m and 9.7m people.
TopThe Economist May Editions 2022 Free Download Link
The Economist is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally that focuses on current affairs, International Business, politics, Technology, and Culture.
TopThe Supreme Court is poised to side with a praying coach
AMERICA’S CONSTITUTION promises the “free exercise” of religion; it also prohibits religious “establishment”. Recently the Supreme Court has been strengthening the first guarantee—a right to live one’s faith free from government meddling—while chipping away at the wall separating church from state.
TopJustice in India is growing ever more partisan
WHEN INDIANS think of how the law works, speed is not what comes to mind. An average case in the lower courts takes five years to settle. Three-quarters of prison inmates are not sentenced offenders, but awaiting trial.
TopCambodia’s strongman, Hun Sen, plans his succession
HIS HOURS-LONG speeches lack the pizzazz of yesteryear. He is said to tire more easily on his early-morning treadmill. Though still a stripling of an autocrat at 69 years of age, the shadows are lengthening on the rule of Hun Sen, Cambodia’s prime minister.
TopThe jeepneys of the Philippines refuse to pull over
THE JEEPNEYS of the Philippines are at once a national treasure and a dirty menace. When American troops went home in 1946, they left behind hundreds of military jeeps. Filipinos fitted them with benches, daubed them with gaudy illustrations and began charging commuters for lifts around town.
TopElon Musk wants to re-engineer the “public square”
SWEEPING STATEMENTS about the future of humanity do not usually feature in discussions about leveraged buy-outs.But Elon Musk has never felt bound by convention. Asked about his plans to buy Twitter, a social network, and take it private—which were approved by the firm's board on April 25th—he went straight for the big idea.
TopThe push for shareholder democracy should be accelerated
KEEPING SHAREHOLDERS satisfied used to be straightforward. If a firm could announce juicy profits, healthy cashflow and a perky dividend at the annual general meeting (AGM), applause was assured and few hard questions would be asked.
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