Facebook now reaches 2.2 billion people on the planet. The most lucrative of those are in the US, where its user base is stagnating. To…
A lie about Mike Pompeo’s Gulf War service started with an anonymous Wikipedia edit
US Central Intelligence Agency director and Army veteran Mike Pompeo never served in the Gulf War. But that’s not what prominent members of the US…
There’s one thing Kim Jong-un wants from Donald Trump
Until this month, Dennis Rodman—the former NBA player—was the highest-profile American to have met Kim Jong-un. But in the presidency of Donald Trump, all that…
The AT&T merger isn’t the biggest threat to cable prices—that would be net neutrality
In the first major anti-trust lawsuit in decades, the Trump administration charges that consumers will see higher prices for pay-TV prices if it allows the…
A brief history of women politicians who’ve dared to breastfeed at work
This week, US senator Tammy Duckworth successfully spearheaded the passing of a bill that allows new parents to bring babies onto the Senate floor. The…
The urban design project sneaking puzzles and hopscotch into abandoned lots
Most kids only spend about 20% of their waking time in the classroom. The other 80% is spent outside the classroom—not just at home, but…
Europe’s largest bank is stepping up its efforts to stop financing fossil-fuel projects
HSBC, Europe’s largest bank, said today (April 20) that it plans to extend its ban on financing new coal-power plants to even more countries, will…
China’s coddled EV makers will now face unleashed competition from the likes of Tesla
For years, the Chinese government has fostered a booming electric-vehicle industry. By providing buyers with tax incentives and bureaucratic perks, and producers with funding and…
African bluechips need to start corporate venture arms to invigorate startup funding
An increasing number of African companies are competing in the global arena. Riding on the wave of growth that has buoyed African markets over the…
The G7 is upset about North Korea laundering money. It only has itself to blame
The West’s most powerful countries are decidedly unhappy with North Korea using the offshore world to avoid sanctions—and they have a terse statement to prove…
Donald Trump’s NASA administrator has finally been confirmed by the Senate
Jim Bridenstine, perhaps the most politically controversial NASA administrator in history, was confirmed today (April 19) on a party-line vote in the Senate, giving the…
Amazon’s unruly third-party marketplace now sells more stuff than Amazon itself
One of the most surprising things Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed in his April 18 letter to shareholders was that Amazon Prime now has more…
How one group of Indonesians evolved to have bigger spleens
We humans are not a stagnant species.Take the Bajau (pronounced Bah-joe). They’re a group of about 5,000 people that have lived on one of Indonesia’s…
The rise of the dependent working-age American man
Men in the US don’t work as much as they used to. In the late 1950s and 60s, around 97% of men aged 25-54 worked…
Robots can now assemble an IKEA chair in 20 minutes—without fighting
After years of failed attempts, a research team in Singapore has successfully taught a pair of robots to do something that many humans still can’t:…
The way you see color depends on what language you speak
The human eye can physically perceive millions of colors. But we don’t all recognise these colors in the same way. Some people can’t see differences…
How the extended rule of China’s president Xi will influence Africa’s future
China’s decision to suspend presidential term limits is still reverberating around the world. The announcement, made after a vote by China’s parliament in March, prompted…
Some of Startup India’s poster children say they never even signed up
India is home to over 20,000 startups, but few are even aware of the benefits of the government’s ambitious Startup India programme. On Jan. 16,…
