Obamacare supporters have always feared that the young and the healthy won’t sign up for insurance in large enough numbers to make Obamacare work. Without enough enrollees in the that demographic, the system would experience an “adverse selection” death spiral in which only the sick and the old sign up, pushing premiums higher. In a […]

Outsiders might shake their heads in consternation as Pakistanis overwhelmingly turn their anger on the US in the aftermath of a drone strike that killed Pakistan’s former Enemy Number One. Hakimullah Mehsud, the chief of the Pakistani Taliban, was one of the country’s most prolific mass murderers. But there was very little relief and almost […]

After the bomb attacks that killed 6 people at BJP rally in Patna, Bihar, in which PM candidate Narendra Modi was about to speak, Indian politicians are stepping up their security contingents in the run-up to the elections next year. Modi, in particular, has become a prime target for Muslim extremist groups after he presided […]

Thanks to high energy costs, Italy—like Germany, Spain, and Europe in general—is struggling to stay competitive in the global economy. Rome is propping up renewable energy with government subsidies that will total nearly a quarter of a trillion euros over the next two decades, and those costs are being passed along to consumers in the […]

Wehazit Berhane Debesai, a Christian activitist jailed by the government of Eritrea, died two weeks ago of pneumonia in her prison after being denied medical treatment for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. She was one of roughly 300 Christians jailed for similar reasons this year, many of whom are held in appalling conditions by the […]

Defying critics at home and abroad, the Indian Space Research Organization is preparing to launch its first interplanetary exploration satellite to Mars. Called the Mangalyaan—”Mars Craft”—the satellite is expected to launch tomorrow afternoon and will reach the Martian atmosphere in September 2014.India has been criticized for spending $72 million on the project instead of on “toilets and […]

Puerto Rico’s troubles continue to mount as two of the biggest underwriters of its debt, Citigroup and UBS, felt compelled to disclose the extent of their exposure to the island territory last week. According to the Financial Times, they did their best to put a positive spin on things: Citigroup, which has a 95-year history in Puerto […]

News broke just before the weekend of yet another leak emanating from the White House, this time identifying Israel as responsible for air strikes on a Syrian military base last Wednesday intended to disrupt a weapons delivery to Hezbollah. According to the Times of Israel, Jerusalem is furious: Israel’s Channel 10 TV on Friday night quoted Israeli […]

Oil and gas production isn’t the only thing booming in America—the efficiency with which we’re extracting new sources of hydrocarbons is skyrocketing as well, as you can see in the graph above. In fact, drilling productivity has risen so much that the Energy Information Administration can no longer use rig count as an accurate metric […]

In a sign of deepening distrust in East Asia, South Korea’s president, Park Geun-hye, rejected the prospect of a summit with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. There is “no purpose” for a discussion with Tokyo, President Park indicated, unless Abe apologizes for Japan’s historical wrongdoings. In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, Ms. Park was blunt: The […]