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 […]

More Westerners are participating in Syria’s civil war than ever fought in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen or Somalia according to intelligence officials who spoke to the New York Times. Some worrisome statistics: Classified estimates from Western intelligence services and unclassified assessments from government and independent experts put the number of fighters from Europe, North America and Australia […]

With Israel’s cabinet having voted to release 104 Palestinian prisoners, the headlines this morning are particularly optimistic about prospects for Israeli-Palestinian talks. The NY Times: “Israel and Palestinians Set to Resume Peace Talks, U.S. Announces”. The Washington Post: “Peace talks set to begin after Israel agrees to free 104 Palestinian prisoners”.These are all a little misleading: Israelis and […]

How insecure is our energy infrastructure? This Wednesday at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, security researchers are set to show off an exploit of a newly discovered vulnerability in a wireless sensor widely used in oil, gas and water processing plants: The new research on wireless sensors found flaws in the way they […]