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Urbanization has contributed hugely to economic and social development. Cities today represent 80% of global GDP. Urban areas have created livelihood avenues and made societies stronger. However, rapid urbanization has brought in its wake a host of formidable challenges. Some climate change and environmental problems are very urban-specific. Around 70% of the global population will be urban in the next ...

  Thomas Malthus was wrong for one simple reason. Humans have survived his 1798 forecast that growing populations wouldn’t be able to feed themselves because innovation and productivity gains allowed them to produce more and more with the same amount of labour and capital: Irrigation, fertilizers, higher-yielding plant species and mechanization have enabled farmers to grow 5 to 6 times ...

  With inflation in the euro zone starting to show signs of life, European Central Bank watchers are beginning to speculate about when quantitative easing might taper off. Germany’s Bundesbank, which has been uncomfortable with the bond-buying program from the get-go, is likely to be a leading advocate of scaling back purchases. But there are significant risks to moving too ...

  Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made clear, to varying degrees, that they’re suspicious of big free-trade agreements. Trump has gone further and questioned some of America’s most durable and valuable relationships with other nations. While some of this can be dismissed as campaign rhetoric, the consequences of such talk are far-reaching. At a time of major economic ...

  Reuters Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) helped lift Riyadh’s stock market on Wednesday after it reported a third-quarter net profit at the top end of forecasts, but a loss at Qatar’s third- largest bank dragged that market lower. Egypt slid for a fourth straight session. Riyadh’s stock index rebounded 1.1 percent, ending three days of declines and trimming its loss ...

  TOKYO / AP Global stock markets were steady Wednesday after China reported its economy expanded at a firm pace in the July-September quarter and investors awaited more U.S. corporate earnings reports. KEEPING SCORE: Germany’s DAX edged down 0.1 percent to 10,616 and the FTSE 100 in Britain lost 0.2 percent to 6,989. France’s CAC 40 was flat at 4,507. ...

  NEW YORK / AP Google’s ambitious new smartphone, the Pixel, doesn’t offer a lot that’s new. Yet it’s still one of the best out there. Google achieves that by pulling together the best features from Apple, Samsung and other phone makers and offering them at prices comparable to iPhones — starting at about $650 for the regular, 5-inch model ...

  Bloomberg Apple Inc.’s long drought of Mac updates is soon coming to an end ahead of the important holiday sales period. After launching new iPhones and Apple Watches last month, the Cupertino, California-based technology company is turning its attention to its oldest product category. It currently plans to announce the Mac updates at an event on Oct. 27, according ...

Relaxnews At a Qualcomm-hosted conference on the developments in 4G and 5G connectivity one would expect news and announcements regarding when the next wave of super-fast phones are coming. And, according to the company whose chips power the majority of smartphones and tablets around the world, it’s 2018. That’s when its first 5G modem, the Snapdragon X50, launches. It promises ...

  Sydney / AFP Australian archaeologists announced plans to recreate Laos’ mysterious Plain of Jars as a three-dimensional virtual reality experience, that could one day see museum visitors walk through remote dig sites. The Plain of Jars, in Laos’ central Xieng Khouang province, is scattered with thousands of stone vessels but scientists have yet to discover their original purpose. Archaeologists ...