Every Western city’s food scene seems slowly to be turning into a carbon copy of every other: The same global fast-food chains selling hamburgers and fried chicken with only modest concessions to local tastes. Chains would seem to be the wave of the future. Certainly in the U.S.: A recent report by NPD Group tells us that in the ...

  India beats China on one national measure at least: Its air has rapidly become more unbreathable. Urgent action is needed to cleanse Indian skies. This week, air pollution in New Delhi has been truly off the charts: Tiny particulates, which are especially deadly, topped 999 micrograms per cubic meter — 40 times what is considered safe and beyond what ...

  The initiative to introduce energy rationalization lessons in UAE high school curriculum qualifies for praise. The decision taken by the Education and Energy Ministries will not only instill consciousness of energy conservation, but would also go a long way in shaping a future generation that uses the limited natural resources judiciously and with care. When students realize the far-reaching ...

  Canada, let’s agree, has much to teach the world. Following the signing of its new trade deal with the European Union, its lessons on the future of Britain and Europe are especially timely. The Economist just celebrated Canada’s distinctive achievements with a cover and supporting articles. The magazine was full of admiration for Canada’s liberal, outward-looking centrism. Yet what ...

  Earlier this year I suggested that there was a problem with the tools we use to measure economic productivity: “The way we capture formal productivity data hasn’t kept up with modern ways of doing business. As a result, I believe economists underestimate productivity increases.” I have since refined that conclusion: Productivity models don’t properly capture gains created by the ...

  There was a brief but impressive show of new U.S. aircraft technology this week. The problem is that the planes belong to the Chinese military. Aided in large part by espionage against the Pentagon and U.S. firms, the People’s Liberation Army air force unveiled its new J-20 stealth fighter, which it says is a so-called fifth-generation fighter like the ...

  Kunduz / AFP A NATO airstrike killed at least 30 Afghan civilians, including women and children, on Thursday in the volatile northern province of Kunduz, officials said, after a Taliban assault there left two American soldiers dead. The airstrike, which occurred early Thursday, triggered emotionally-charged protests in the provincial capital, with the victims’ relatives rallying outside the governor’s office while ...

  Moscow / AFP President Vladimir Putin signed off on Thursday on a decree granting Russian citizenship to US action hero actor Steven Seagal, the latest high-profile passport handout to a Western celebrity. Hollywood star Seagal and judo-loving Kremlin tough guy Putin have struck up a bromance in recent years, with Seagal visiting Russia repeatedly and defending Moscow’s 2014 annexation of ...

  Jakarta/ AFP Indonesian police on Thursday offered prayers for peace and called for unity ahead of a massive protest by Muslim hardliners against Jakarta’s governor that authorities fear could turn violent. The much-hyped rally, planned for Friday, is expected to draw tens of thousands to the streets of the Indonesian capital in protest against governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian ...

  Washington / AFP With five days to go until the election and time running out to sway undecided voters, President Barack Obama is stumping for Hillary Clinton on Thursday in the bitterly contested must-win state of Florida. Republican Donald Trump will hold a rival rally in the city of Jacksonville just hours before Obama’s event, highlighting both candidates’ laser ...