US President Barack Obama’s last presidential visit to the UK will be in the eye of storm as he plans to make a strong case against Brexit amid criticism from supporters of the ‘leave EU’ campaign. His visit comes ahead of the June 23 referendum when Britons will be asked if they want to remain in the 28-member EU. ...

  Mark Buchanan Humans have a terrible track record of predicting financial crises in time to fend them off. Some computer scientists think that algorithms might help. Given the right information, some crises can be foreseen. In “The Big Short,” Michael Lewis told the story of the scattered few who saw the imbalance growing in the mortgage market and profited ...

  Largely described as a power in long-term decline, the Russian military under President Vladimir Putin has embarked on a military modernization programme that may be gaining the envy of some in Washington. Putin has invested billions, supported by revenues during the 2004-2014 period when oil prices were high. These efforts have led to impressive improvements within Russia’s conventional forces ...