It was a dreadful year, obviously, and that applies to US politics, too. Nevertheless, believe it or not, some stuff was worth celebrating. Here are five good developments: Republicans for democracy: In a year when the Republican Party overall showed an alarming and apparently accelerating lack of support for US democracy, we should recognise those who stepped up when it ...

Webster’s dictionary defines bipolarity as “characterised by two directly opposing opinions, natures, etc.” Three years after the mega-merger that created Standard Life Aberdeen Plc, it’s still trying to cure itself of just such an affliction. New chief executive officer, Stephen Bird, needs to get the firm pulling in a common direction. Since taking over at the start of September, Bird ...

Amid raging wildfires, rolling blackouts and a worsening coronavirus outbreak, it has not been a great year for California. Unfortunately, the state is also reeling from a manmade disaster: an exodus of thriving companies to other states. In just the past few months, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co said it was leaving for Houston. Oracle Corp said it would decamp for ...