China’s toxic air pollution is both deadly and expensive, but it also might be a party-ruiner. As the country gears up to celebrate the Lunar New Year, some experts are asking cities to do their part to curb smog by canceling traditional fireworks displays.

Just what kinds of oil and gas resources are at stake in the South China Sea dispute? A new international expedition, led by China, is likely to answer that question at last.

The world got a little smarter about fishing this week, thanks to developments on both sides of the Atlantic. First, Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic foundation issued a $53 million grant to combat overfishing off the coasts of Asia and South America. Second, the European Union finalized a nearly $9 billion plan to combat overfishing in its member states’ waters.

Obamacare counterpoint from a reader: Was this the greatest customer experience of my life? Not by a long shot. Was this the worst customer experience? That dubious distinction is held by a previous purchase of private market health insurance.

Federal regulations are blocking Coursera from Iran, Cuba, Syria and Sudan because of conflicts with sanctions law. This is a counterproductive policy that serves no purpose.

Last night President Obama gave his State of the Union address. Here’s five important mistakes he made.

Scientists have developed a new kind of pesticide that can disrupt the genetic sequences of the intended targets. The new method goes after the RNA of unwanted organisms—and could be used to target a mite “believed to be at least partly responsible for the mass die-offs of honeybees in recent years.”

Just about every aspect of the robot-driven car of the future lends itself to marketing. Is it a coincidence, then, that Google—maybe the dominant advertiser in the information age—is so keen on developing the technology? Doubtful.

It looks like India is about to become the first country since World War II to buy military aircraft from Japan. This is big news not just for Japan, which is experiencing a revival under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but also for India as it tries to keep pace with a rapidly developing Chinese military.

Three GOP senators have put forward the most credible plan to date for an alternative to Obamacare, but wonks have yet to learn that how we pay for our health care is ultimately secondary to whether we are delivering it efficiently.