It was once a great blessing for an emperor to have a son. But if he has more than one, succession could threaten to unravel the empire – especially if his grip was weak. Over six decades, Shin Kyuk-ho built a chewing-gum business into South Korea’s fifth-largest conglomerate, spanning hotels, shopping malls, movie chains and cafes. It’s no secret that ...

Back in 1999, one of the most talked-about scenes in one of the most talked-about movies involved a dancing plastic bag. It was surely a more innocent time. Still, two decades on from American Beauty and its bag-shaped pretensions, this is an opportune moment to reiterate that it’s just trash. China has unveiled plans to curb the use of non-degradable ...

Beneath the sleek surface of this sparkling Mediterranean metropolis boil passions generated by Spain’s version of identity politics. The passions are aroused by demagogues who hope to shatter a nation. The turmoil in Catalonia — the northeastern of Spain’s 17 regions, which exercise considerable autonomy (over police, health care, education, etc.) — is the toll taken by lies used to ...