Mark Zuckerberg’s social awkwardness is readily apparent to anyone who has heard him speak. Yet to his credit, the Facebook founder and CEO has been…
Trevor Noah’s World Cup joke shows how the world misunderstands the French
Gérard Araud is not like other ambassadors. The French envoy to the US has had a distinguished career–from ambassador to the UN to France’s chief…
Hyperloop is coming to one of China’s poorest provinces
In China, one proverb tells the gist of how economic development happens in many poor and distant places: If you want to get rich, first…
Trump’s interpreter could be grilled by Congress’s Gang of Eight about his chat with Putin
Several members of the Gang of Eight, a group of US Congress members who are sworn to secrecy on intelligence matters, want to know more…
Disney and Comcast’s battle for Fox may come to a surprisingly amicable end
Did Comcast’s Brian Roberts ever really want 21st Century Fox? The CEO of the US’s largest cable company abandoned the bidding war he started over…
Look up at the moon every night—not just during the lunar eclipse
On July 27, a blood moon will glow an eerie red ahead of the longest lunar eclipse that Earth will experience in the 21st century.…
China has a new air-pollution crisis in ozone
Ozone—made up of three oxygen atoms—is a powerful chemical. In the upper atmosphere, it protects against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. But down below, breathing…
Square’s app ranking is pulling further ahead of JPMorgan Chase
As more payments take place electronically and bank branches slowly disappear, your mobile phone is an increasingly important piece of financial real estate. Square’s lofty…
White House economists say federal programs helped end poverty. Now they want to end the programs
“Based on historical standards of material wellbeing and the terms of engagement, our War on Poverty is largely over and a success,” wrote the White…
Top AI researchers say they won’t make killer robots
More than 2,600 AI researchers and engineers have signed a pledge to never create autonomous killer robots, published today by the Future of Life Institute.…
There’s a handy way for “non-math people” to learn math
We are all math people. No, really. We just don’t all know it. There’s a false divide between artsy types and the mathematically inclined, and…
Watch Blue Origin’s next launch of the New Shepard rocket
Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin plans to fly its reusable rocket New Shepard from a launch site in Texas for the ninth time today.…
How social media bots became an influential force in Africa’s elections
Automated bots are increasingly muddying election cycles in Africa, disrupting conversations, distorting facts, and bringing into focus the changing dynamics of politics in the continent.…
France’s World Cup victory is a reminder that nurture—not nature—determines success
The French national soccer team is stacked with young soccer prodigies of extraordinary talent—a fact that was on full display as France celebrated the team’s…
Instagram is changing the way fashion sells in India
On July 04, a handful of designers and lifestyle journalists gathered at New Delhi’s hip Cafe Dori in the upmarket Dhan Mill Compound for a…
Why Africa’s largest-ever telescope and astronomy matter for the continent’s future
Astronomy in Africa has taken a giant leap forward with the unveiling of the 64-dish MeerKAT array in South Africa on July 13. The MeerKAT…
Chinese contractors are going to keep dominating road construction in Uganda
Kampala, Uganda The Chinese deputy premier, Wang Yang, was in Uganda in June to commission a 51-kilometer expressway from Kampala to Entebbe Airport. The new…
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,…
