Do not expect much good to come of Donald Trump's impulsive, off-the-cuff decision to accept an invitation to meet North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong Un, "by May". For such a summit to maximize its chances of success would have required careful and painstaking back-channel diplomacy of the kind exemplified by Henry Kissinger before Nixon made his historic visit to China in 1972. Mr Trump should ha..
Donald Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminium would be just the start Donald Trump is hardly the first American president to slap unilateral tariffs on imports. Every inhabitant of the Oval Office since Jimmy Carter has imposed some kind of protectionist curbs on trade, often on steel. Nor will Mr Trump's vow to put 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminium by themselves wreck the economy: they ..
And another headache for SpaceX's competitors It was not the most powerful launch ever seen at the Kennedy Space Centre's Pad 39A; almost half a century ago the Apollo programme's mighty Saturn V's made use of it. But if the Falcon Heavy that took off from 39A on February 6th could boast only half the thrust of those bygone giants, its successful maiden voyage still proved it the most powerful r..
Marco Polo was an Italian merchant, explorer, and writer, born in the Republic of Venice. His travels are recorded in Book of the Marvels of the World, also known as The Travels of Marco Pole (c. 1300), a book that described to Europeans the wealth and great size of China, capital Peking, and other Asian cities and countries. He learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolo..
There is lots to dislike in Europe's populists, but also something to study The European Union must feel as if it has seen off the populist horde. Economic growth is at its strongest in a decade. Emmanuel Macron has defeated the National Front and is transforming France. Although just 41% of citizens trust the EU, that is more than trust their national governments - and is fully ten points up on..
Welcome to Doctor You No wonder they are called "patients". When people enter the health-care systems of rich countries today, they know what they will get: prodding doctors, endless tests, baffling jargon, rising costs and, above all, long waits. Some stoicism will always be needed, because health care is complex and diligence matters. But frustration is boiling over. This week three of the big..
Portolan or potulan charts are navigational maps based on compass directions and estimated distances observed by the pilots at sea. They were first made in the 13th century in Italy, and later in Spain and Portugal, with later 15th and 16th century charts noted for their cartographic accuracy. With the advent of widespread competition among seagoing nations during the Age of Discovery, Portugal ..
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Born in the Republic of Genoa, under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. Those voyages and his efforts to establish settlements on the island of Hispaniola, initiated the permanent European colonization of the New World. At a time when European kingdoms were beg..
Though big tech firms are thriving, they are facing more scrutiny than ever How much bigger can they get? The five biggest technology firms - Alphabet (Google's parent), Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft - have published financial results in recent weeks that put their combined quarterly revenues at $143bn. Yet this rude financial health conceals a more troubling long-term trend: governments..
A stopgap spending bill failed to win the necessary 60 votes in the Senate However swiftly and recklessly Congress appeared to be barreling toward a government shutdown on January 18th and 19th, optimists had one reason to hold out hope. Donald Trump planned to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration with a party at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Florida. Ticket prices began at $100,000 a pair..
The dominance of Google, Facebook and Amazon is bad for consumers and competition Not long ago, being the boss of a big Western tech firm was a dream job. As the billions rolled in, so did the plaudits: Google, Facebook, Amazon and others were making the world a better place. Today these companies are accused of being BAADD - big, anti-competitive, addictive and destructive to democracy. Regulat..
Everything else could in theory be reversed. His effort on the law will be profound. America's judges are supposed to be above party politics and yet are often appointed by politicians and then asked to rule on disputes that can sway elections. On January 9th federal judges in North Caroline gave the state two weeks to redraw its congressional map. In a caustic ruling written by James Wynn, an a..
Modest concessions to Emmanuel Macron prettify an unambitious blueprint for coalition Anyone hoping exploratory coalition talks between Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), their Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance partners and the Social Democrats (SPD) would produce an ambitious governing project was always likely to be disappointed. In the election on September 24th all three obtained..
But they are also lonelier and more isolated At the gates of Santa Monica College, in Los Angeles, a young man with a skateboard is hanging out near a group of people who are smoking marijuana in view of the campus police. His head is clouded, too - but with worry, not weed. He frets about his student loans and the difficulty of finding a job, even fearing that he might end up homeless. "Not to ..
Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse ; variant spelling of his name comte "de La Pérouse" (23 August 1741- 1788?) was a French Naval officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania. Scientific expedition around the world ObjectivesLapérouse was appointed in 1785 by Louis XVI and by the Secretary of State of the Navy, the Marquis de Castries, to lead an expedition around the worl..