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In yet another stunning anti-democratic maneuver, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has managed to have any recall referendum effectively delayed until next year. In response, President Barack Obama needs to revisit U.S. policy toward the Western Hemisphere’s most dysfunctional nation. Until even a few years ago, some U.S. “strategic patience” toward Venezuela made sense. High oil prices cushioned the country with ...

  Fine particulate matter can get lodged in our lungs and trigger massive health impact. These also foul the environment. They extract economic toll too. When over 90% of the world’s people breathe contaminated poor quality air and fall sick, it’s obvious that the ripples will be felt on the economy as well. A recent report revealed that premature deaths ...

  I spent most of the last two days driving and walking along the border fence at Brownsville, Texas. It’s not the first barrier of this kind that I’ve seen. They’re going up everywhere — in more than 40 countries now: Donald Trump’s calls for a powerful border wall are part of a trend. Though their reasons for existence, styles ...

There has been a lot of heated debate in the news media and the election campaigns about international trade. In the first presidential debate, candidate Donald Trump relentlessly flogged the issue, declaring that trade had hollowed out American industry. On the left, antitrade sentiment continues to simmer, much of it focused on opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Meanwhile, the economics ...

  The latest food safety scandal in China might be its most damaging. Earlier this week, a former doctoral student at one of the country’s national testing centers for genetically modified organisms went public with allegations of scientific fraud, including claims that records were doctored extensively, that unqualified personnel were employed under illegal contracts and —most seriously — that authorities ...

  Dubai / Reuters Saudi Arabia’s stock market fell sharply for a second straight day on Wednesday, leading the entire region down, in response to weak oil prices and government austerity measures. The Saudi equities index, which had retreated 3.8 percent on Tuesday, sank a further 3.4 percent to 5,534 points, its lowest finish since Jan. 21. It has tumbled ...

  London / AFP European stocks rebounded on Wednesday, brushing aside a broad retreat across Asia, as oil prices pushed higher and Deutsche Bank shares rose, recouping some of their previous days’ losses. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index increased by 0.6 percent. In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 was up 0.7 percent at the close the Paris CAC 40 gained ...

  Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc. is studying a purchase of roomier regional jets with a list value of as much as $2.3 billion — provided the company can get the pilots’ union to accept an overhaul of the small-plane fleet. The Atlanta-based carrier told the Air Line Pilots Association it wants the option of adding as many as 50 ...

  Bloomberg Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is in advanced discussions to invest as much as $1 billion into India’s Flipkart Online Services Pvt. Ltd, as the two companies battle Amazon.com Inc. in e-commerce, according to a person familiar with the matter. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, would take a minority stake in Flipkart, the person said, asking not to be identified ...

  AFP Australian carrier Qantas has warned of the danger of mobile phones being crushed in reclinable plane seats and catching fire after one ignited during a US flight, according to a safety report on Wednesday. The findings came just weeks after Qantas and domestic competitor Virgin Australia, as well as other international airlines, told customers not to use or ...