Disease in Pakistan
Taliban Declares War on Polio Workers

Pakistani Taliban have begun targeting workers distributing polio vaccines, killing 4 in attacks over the weekend. Polio cases are on the rise, and the disease has begun to spread to Syria.

Robbie Risner, R.I.P.

Though I had long known of Robbie Risner, fighter pilot extraordinaire, Korean War ace, first living recipient of the Air Force Cross recently featured on the cover of Time magazine, I did not actually know him. But when I heard his whispered voice under a rusty steel door in a prison cellblock called “Heartbreak Hotel,” […]

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Jobs of the Future
How Slow, Expensive Internet Is Holding Back Our Economy

After a period of technological stasis, internet capabilities are finally growing. And that growth means immense, positive change for the American workforce—if American internet service providers get on board.

The Kejriwal Backlash
Welcome to Indian Politics, Common Man

India’s newest rising political star, the chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, is smashing and stumbling his way through the first weeks of holding office. A backlash has grown against him. But changing Indian politics in India was never going to be easy.

Where Is the King?
Thailand Inches Toward Disaster

The government of Thailand imposed a state of emergency in the capital as demonstrators and chaos on the streets continue to push Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration toward the brink of disaster. Only 11 days remain before snap elections on February 2. The question on everyone’s mind is: Can the country make it?

Inflation Nation
Argentina Declares War on Amazon, Ebay

Economic buffoonery continues in Argentina, as the sinking government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner now requires consumers who make online purchases from foreign websites to produce a written declaration at a customs office, and then to pay a 50 percent tax on the items. Like Argentina’s recent 35 percent tariff on foreign credit card transactions, and all the various currency controls President Fernández has introduced since 2011, this latest effort is unlikely to stop the country’s reserves from drying up.

Motor City Meltdown
Michigan One Step Closer to Detroit Bailout

Almost six months to the day after Detroit filed for bankruptcy, Michigan’s state government may finally lend a hand to the troubled city. Earlier this month, a group of foundations, aided by a bankruptcy judge, came up with a plan to allow Detroit to get money from its precious art collection without losing control of the art. Now it looks like the state may be on board with the plan. The Governor’s office has been hinting that it plans either to match the contributions of the foundations or at least to pledge money to help Detroit pay its pensions directly.

annals of corruption
Chinese Leaders Stash Vast Piles of Money Offshore

A team of reporters at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists got their hands on leaked documents that reveal a startling truth about modern China: Communist Party leaders and their friends, family members and associates—22,000 of them in all—hid as much as $4 trillion in offshore accounts since 2000. This is pretty big news. The report took two years to investigate and China blocked the website of the ICIJ and the Guardian and other outlets that cooperated on the story. It reveals something that many of those following the Snowden-NSA hubbub seem to have forgotten: America actually has less to fear from leaks and hacks than many other countries.

Blue Model Blues
Illinois’ Fiscal Problems Run Deeper Than Pensions

Illinois’ modest but much-needed pension reform may not be the lifeline that spendthrift lawmakers were hoping for: a new report says that despite the pension bill, a legislature living outside its means is still running up a mammoth budget deficit to the tune of $13 billion.

Turmoil in Turkey
Turkish Premier Purges Followers of Exiled Imam

Over the past several weeks a rift has appeared between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ideological former partner, a reclusive imam who preaches tolerance and runs a worldwide network of charities and schools from a refuge in the Poconos. The split is dividing Turkey, and it could have the effect of ending years of economic growth.

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