On a recent trip to Shenzhen, in southern China, I came across a subway busker with two tip jars. The first was a cardboard box filled with coins and bills; the second was a small QR code taped to the box that allowed passersby to leave a tip by smartphone. On one level, this was simply smart business: Chinese made ...

So far, Martin Schulz, the Social Democrat candidate for the German chancellorship, has failed to dent the formidable poll lead of Angela Merkel’s conservatives. But his latest attempt to prove that he can be a better leader for Germany is about more than politics: It touches on the country’s biggest non-problem — its allegedly crumbling infrastructure. Few English-language news outlets ...

DUBAI / Reuters Islamic finance firm Amlak helped to boost Dubai’s stock market on Sunday while Qatar pulled back after events at the weekend failed to point to progress in resolving the diplomatic crisis between Doha and neighbouring states. The Dubai index added 0.6 percent as Amlak surged 3.6 percent to 1.16 dirhams, closing above its 200-day average for the ...