Pope Benedict XVI is earning his pay.He was on top form in Lebanon over the weekend, delivering a message of peace and prayer for the Near East. During the trip, he repeatedly argued for religious tolerance and chastised those who had succumbed to the temptation to commit acts of violence in the name of God. […]

The dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands continues to heat up, as nationalistic anti-Japanese protests are spreading across China in response to Tokyo’s purchase of the islands. In response, some Japanese firms have chosen to suspend operations at their factories in China. Reuters has the details: The weekend protests mainly targeted Japanese diplomatic missions but also shops, restaurants and car dealerships in […]

In less than 20 years, Amazon and other online shopping companies have revolutionized the way we shop. Books, electronics, airline tickets, and even diapers are all now easier to buy online.One industry, however, has largely held the line so far against the online shopping revolution: clothing. Given the importance of a good fit, physical stores where […]

U.S. officials are calling it a “minesweeping exercise” and saying it’s “not in response to any particular threat or any specific situation,” but some in Tehran might think otherwise. AFP reports: Naval forces from more than 30 countries were on Monday engaged in a massive minesweeping exercise in the Gulf, US officials said, amid Iranian […]

Turkey’s Kurdish problem is once again rearing its most unwelcome head, the FT reports: The [Turkish] general staff said late on Thursday it had deployed seven battalions – 5,000 troops – to Semdinli, a remote south-eastern area where Turkish authorities announced just a month ago they had successfully concluded a smaller military deployment.The offensive follows […]

For years, MBAs have ruled the roost as the most popular graduate degree in America. In 2010, CBS estimated that MBAs accounted for 22 percent of all master’s degrees for men, and 11 percent for women. But now, as with law degrees, the massive commitment of time and resources these degrees entail is scaring away prospective students.Business […]

The New York Times ran an article this morning that echoes the title of Samuel Huntington’s seminal book, The Clash of Civilizations. “Cultural Clash Fuels Muslims Raging at Film“. The article is really worth reading in full. Some interesting excerpts: When the protests against an American-made online video mocking the Prophet Muhammad exploded in about 20 […]

Here’s some more bad news for the economy: analysts are predicting that corporate profits may fall this quarter for the first time in three years. This comes as a bit of a surprise. Business hasn’t quite been booming, but most of the economic news over the past few weeks has been good—or has at least shown […]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on two different Sunday talk shows  over the weekend in a direct appeal to the American public for “red lines”—moments in Iran’s quest for a nuclear weapon that would trigger an armed U.S. response. Netanyahu’s offensive comes after the White House refused him a private meeting on Iran with […]

The polls still look good, but the news for the Obama campaign keeps getting worse. Despite appearing to be close to a resolution only a few days ago, the Chicago teacher strike escalated yesterday and is now pushing into its second week.Though a compromise deal appeared imminent over the weekend, Karen Lewis, the union president, said […]