They can deliver medicine and kill from afar. Drones hold huge promise, but legal, security and regulatory questions hover over their future. A drone in Shenzhen, China, 15 December 2014. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) This article is part of a News-Decoder series of...
Despite attacks in Paris that killed 130 people, the United Nations Climate Change Conference set to start at the end of the month will go ahead in the French capital. The government has announced that two major street demonstrations that activists had planned for...
The U.S. central bank — the “Fed” — is expected to raise interest rates soon, the first monetary tightening in years. Here’s why it matters to all of us. (Wikimedia Commons) The Federal Reserve — the U.S. central bank — is...
The Pew Research Center, a U.S. think tank, has produced a report on attitudes around the world toward climate change. It is an extraordinarily detailed compilation of data, presented in Pew style — user friendly — and well timed, coming just ahead of the...
By Marilyn Smith Barrels of oil and gigawatts of electricity. Tonnes of CO2. Technology, policy and economics. The Climate Change talks that start in Paris at the end of the month, also known as COP 21, are a confusing mix of numbers, nations and needs. To wrap your...
This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that explain crucial background to big issues. For more decoders, click here. By Pauline Bock The Volkswagen diesel car scandal has thrown a spotlight on corporate cheating, consumer regulations...
This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that explain crucial background to big issues. For more decoders, click here. By Pauline Bock Islets, reefs and shoals in a vast stretch of sea almost twice the size of the Mediterranean may...
It grew out of the Cold War. Now the NATO alliance faces fresh challenges as Russia flexes its muscles in Eastern Europe and Syria. U.S. President Harry Truman speaks at the signing of NATO treaty in Washington, 4 April 1949 (AP Photo) This article is part of a...
This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that explain crucial background to big issues. For more decoders, click here. By Pauline Bock They share a common history and culture. They speak the same language. But they have been divided for...
The world’s population will double this century, with most growth in Africa. But many nations are ageing quickly and face a new population challenge. Tourists in China, 2011. (AP Photo) This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that...