Hundreds of thousands of Americans are undergoing unnecessary and harmful cancer treatments every year because the medical establishment has been using outdated definitions. Fortunately, the National Cancer Institute has published a paper recommending changing the definition of the disease and renaming certain conditions. NYT: They say, for instance, that some premalignant conditions, like one that […]

It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it’s stunning nonetheless: an entrepreneur in India has managed to bring down the cost of a coronary bypass surgery to $1,583; the same procedure costs $106,385 in one clinic in the United States. Devi Shetty has opened a series of medical centers all across India to serve a population of […]

Cambodians went to the polls this weekend, and a surprisingly large number of them voted against the party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for 28 years and is a former junior commander in the Khmer Rouge. The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, led by Sam Rainsy, a human rights activist who recently […]

As its economy founders and many sense its society changing, Jordan’s tribal violence is becoming more frequent and gruesome.  The WSJ’s Middle East Real Time blog reports in the aftermath of a violent clash Friday involving “machine guns, sharp instruments, meat cutter knives and attempts to blow up gas cylinders” that left two dead and eight […]

The first lab-grown 1/3 pound hamburger will be prepared and consumed next week in London. It will be the first test of its kind. The patty’s 3,000 strips of of muscle fiber were grown in test tubes over the course of years by scientists at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, at a cost of $325,000. Professor […]

A trade spat between China and the EU over solar panels and wine reached a turning point today as both sides agreed to back down and enter negotiations. The EU, which had accused China of dumping solar panels into the European market at exceptionally cheap prices, levied a 47 percent duty. China retaliated by launching […]

Saudi royal and billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal thinks the US shale boom is endangering his country’s economy. The WSJ reports that the prince published a letter yesterday that he wrote in May to the Saudi Oil Minister and several others, warning of the dangers to Saudi Arabia of American gas production: Saudi Arabia, the […]

Here’s a novel approach to immigration courtesy of New Zealand: kick the fat immigrants out. A South African chef weighing 286 pounds was denied the renewal of his working visa on account of being too heavy. The irony is that New Zealand natives have ample weight problems of their own; the country has one of […]

The fallout from Detroit’s bankruptcy filing will be felt far beyond its city limits. John Dizard at the FT explains what’s at stake for the municipal bond market and beyond in a fight that’s likely to find its way to the US Supreme Court.Dizard’s piece reinforces our impression that this is a lose-lose battle. Federal bankruptcy […]

Just as Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe claimed a resounding victory in parliamentary elections last week, China sent a token of congratulations: a reorganized coast guard officials call China’s “iron fist,” surveillance ships and aircraft that will continue to pester Japan’s more powerful navy in the East China Sea.The reorganization, announced months ago, was completed last […]