Opinion

What do Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk have in common? Both are grappling with big problems that stem, at least in part, from putting faith in artificial intelligence (AI) systems that have underdelivered. Zuckerberg is dealing with algorithms that are failing to stop the spread of harmful content; Musk with software that has yet to ...

California just gave single-family homeowners more control over their property and, for those in high-demand cities, the potential for a big financial windfall. Eight time zones away in the UK, the Conservative government is revising its planning bill in ways that could give homeowners a similar boon. The details and contexts differ, but both approaches recognise a political reality. The ...

From the Federal Reserve to Bhutan’s Royal Monetary Authority in the Himalayas, central banks are working on digital currency studies or projects. There are several reasons for this. Most importantly, private cryptocurrencies and so-called stablecoins are rapidly becoming popular rivals to traditional money; Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) would not only keep governments in the game but could help make ...

We’re just six weeks into the Taliban’s second shift as Afghanistan’s rulers, and the picture could not be bleaker. Bodies hang in public squares and women are banned from their jobs. High schools are closed to girls, the women’s ministry has been replaced by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, while former government officials, ...

Freight costs are crushing Bed Bath & Beyond Inc, and the retailer’s executives are warning that it isn’t alone. Shoppers and investors alike will have to brace for a difficult holiday season marked by soaring prices, empty store shelves and pessimistic forecasts from US retail chains as earnings reports kick off. “Best of luck,” said one analyst after Bed Bath ...

Vertical farming, a system for growing food without soil or sun that for decades has thrived mainly in sci-fi films and the International Space Station, is going mainstream. AeroFarms is poised to be the first vertical-farming startup to be listed on the NASDAQ in the next month after it completes a merger with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. Its products — ...

Republicans are apparently too busy stoking cultural grievances and recounting votes from the 2020 presidential election to craft a policy agenda for the next election. Looking forward instead of backward would be a better way to build political support and to channel the populism of former President Donald Trump into programs to help working- and middle-class voters. The alternative for ...

A lot of people disdain artificial deadlines in legislation and the frantic, seemingly chaotic activity that goes with them. But while there was still no resolution by of the Democratic Party’s impasse on the dual congressional bills that would enact large chunks of their agenda, from climate to health care to child care to construction and more, the day’s events ...

Relations between China and the US may be scraping new lows, but that hasn’t stopped Chinese consumers from snapping up the iPhone 13. Shortly after pre-sales for the phone opened on September 17, some colours sold out in minutes. Apple Inc’s China website crashed. Social media erupted. A week later, as in-store sales began, eager buyers stampeded through a shopping ...

Merck & Co and Ridgeback’s antiviral pill molnupiravir is a potential pandemic game-changer, judging from the positive test data. To make the most of this promise, governments and global health organisations need to prepare to manufacture the pills in great quantities. The clinical trial results are preliminary, but impressive. People with fresh symptoms of Covid-19 who took the pills for ...