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2013-06-19 09:58:30 (116 comments, 134 reshares, 377 +1s)

With stunning speed, protests that started on June 6th in São Paulo over a 20-centavo (nine-cent) hike in bus fares have morphed into the biggest street demonstrations Brazil has seen since more than 20 years ago. One reason for the protests is surely a recent spike in inflation, which is starting to eat into the buying power of the great majority of Brazilians http://econ.st/12JtNRb    

2013-06-18 20:52:03 (41 comments, 19 reshares, 118 +1s)

In June 1963 John Kennedy brought hope to a divided city at the frontline of the cold war with the words "Ich bin ein Berliner". When Barack Obama visits Berlin this week, half a century later, he will find it a very different place. United, strong and rich, Germany is Europe's hegemonic power. Nothing can happen in the EU without the active support of Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel http://econ.st/11MNYZd

2013-06-18 17:15:23 (48 comments, 147 reshares, 261 +1s)

Daily chart: The UN's latest World Population Prospects expects the world to grow from 7.2 billion people today to 9.6 billion in 2050. This is 300m more than it had previously estimated, and reflects increases to the fertility rates in sub-Saharan countries such as Nigeria and Ethiopia, and other populous countries. Today’s chart reveals the world’s population by region from 2013 to forecasts for 2050 http://econ.st/13YFuQh

2013-06-18 16:50:24 (25 comments, 50 reshares, 124 +1s)

E-cigarettes do not cause gum disease or lung cancer to users.  Many think they could save thousands of lives. So why do some people object to them? http://econ.st/13YAD1B 

2013-06-18 08:41:30 (34 comments, 77 reshares, 385 +1s)

Phone boxes once epitomised telecommunications for the masses. Now they are in sharp decline. Only 3% of Britons used one to make a phone call in the past month. So they serve other functions, some sleazy: as pinboards for prostitutes, as impromptu urinals or as drug-dealers’ dens. But spare street fixtures with electricity and phone connections can have more wholesome uses http://econ.st/13SGWDM

2013-06-17 21:53:05 (37 comments, 80 reshares, 367 +1s)

Opinion polls show that Americans are divided about the merits of surveillance-which is partly because they know so little about what is going on. A government's first job is to protect its citizens. But spying in a democracy should be based on informed consent, not blind trust http://econ.st/1ajNPDb

2013-06-17 17:31:03 (35 comments, 153 reshares, 242 +1s)

Daily Chart: Today’s chart on the global consumption of spirits shows vodka is the most popularly consumed, mainly because it is drunk in copious amounts in Russia. Our data reveals that Russians downed nearly 2 billion litres of the stuff in 2012, equivalent to 14 litres for every man, woman and child. View chart: http://econ.st/1alNOyL

2013-06-17 14:08:42 (86 comments, 35 reshares, 203 +1s)

Until this year illegal immigrants in America could not legally drive except in New Mexico, Utah and Washington state. So they typically drive without lessons, testing or insurance. This is dangerous: unlicensed drivers are almost five times more likely to be in a fatal crash. All this explains why Dannel Malloy, Connecticut’s governor, signed a bill on June 7th allowing illegal immigrants to apply for driving licences from 2015 http://econ.st/13SGUMh

2013-06-16 19:57:36 (64 comments, 129 reshares, 687 +1s)

Kone, a Finnish liftmaker, announced that it has devised a system that should be able to raise an elevator a kilometre (3,300 feet) or more. Since the effectiveness of lifts is one of the main constraints on the height of buildings, Kone’s technology could result in buildings truly worthy of the name “skyscraper” http://econ.st/196PsTk

2013-06-16 18:51:15 (8 comments, 36 reshares, 150 +1s)

Start-ups bring novel technology to the marketplace in the hope of making a fortune for their creators by making life richer, easier, healthier or more interesting for their customers. The world needs more inventors capable of changing for the better the way people live, work and play. Sooner or later, it seems, someone will just have to invent an invention machine http://econ.st/1a4YpOp

2013-06-16 17:22:35 (15 comments, 22 reshares, 80 +1s)

Several companies pool the power of users' Wi-Fi connections to provide a network co-operative: if you share, you reap the benefits. One of the best known, eight-year-old FON, has formed a partnership with BT in Britain to provide the firm's broadband customers with roaming Wi-Fi access in most of the country http://econ.st/1a4Yl15

2013-06-15 17:21:57 (33 comments, 112 reshares, 460 +1s)

Some blind people, especially some blind from birth, are unable to see not because their eyes do not work but because their optical cortexes are damaged. For these people, an artificial retina is useless. Zeev Zalevsky, a researcher at Bar Ilan University in Israel, hopes to change that http://econ.st/13DEscg

2013-06-15 15:34:37 (11 comments, 11 reshares, 85 +1s)

A law in Vietnam is designed to force foreign television broadcasters to pay to be censored. Technically, it requires only that the broadcasters apply for so-called “editing licences”. But the media outlets are wary; the implication is that they could be required to pay English-speaking Vietnamese “editors” to watch their content, 24 hours a day, seven days a week http://econ.st/ZGVgQt

2013-06-15 14:05:33 (61 comments, 57 reshares, 286 +1s)

Even as seas have risen over the past century, Americans have rushed to build homes near the beach. Storms that lash the modern American coastline cause more economic damage than their predecessors because there is more to destroy. Seas are also expected to warm up, which may make hurricanes and tropical storms more intense http://econ.st/196Pwm0

2013-06-14 18:56:35 (18 comments, 59 reshares, 252 +1s)

Daily chart: When Hurricane Sandy inundated Manhattan last autumn, the flooding corresponded almost perfectly to land reclaimed since the 17th century. Today's interactive chart shows how far the water spread. You can move the slider to reveal storm-surge areas in lower Manhattan. View and interact with the chart via our website: http://econ.st/1abYcJr

2013-06-14 17:15:21 (16 comments, 2 reshares, 86 +1s)

The result is in and our debate on technological progress is now closed. Overall 71% agreed with the view that technological progress is accelerating. Read the moderator's closing remarks and comment via http://econ.st/13LudD4

2013-06-14 09:10:08 (66 comments, 277 reshares, 894 +1s)

This week's KAL's cartoon http://econ.st/13K4rim 

2013-06-13 22:25:37 (57 comments, 93 reshares, 265 +1s)

Daily chart: In addition to fighting for truth and justice, some superheroes are capable of making a fortune. Today's chart looks at the big-screen battle between the comic publishers DC and Marvel. Our interactive superhero infographic tracks box-office receipts for films since 1978 and also gives breakdown by franchise, which is viewable via our website http://econ.st/11L13Wb

2013-06-13 17:25:46 (7 comments, 28 reshares, 133 +1s)

 
The new issue of The Economist is now available to view online via our website: http://econ.st/13HL7Co 

This week's cover previews:
Worldwide ex Europe: i-spy
Have America's intelligence agencies gone too far?
Europe: The reluctant hegemon
A special report on Germany
June 15th – 21st 2013

2013-06-13 16:12:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

Our discussion on the government’s role in the health of its citizens is starting at 12:30 ET / 17:30 UK time. You will be able to watch the conversation via YouTube: http://bit.ly/196ujIN on our website: http://econ.st/196ueF3 or here, on our Google+ page.

2013-06-13 11:12:28 (56 comments, 57 reshares, 159 +1s)

Eating too much, exercising too little, smoking cigarettes—these are voluntary behaviours that can lead to poor health and high health costs. Should individuals be free to make as many unhealthy choices as they like, without any meddling from the state? Join our Hangout today at 12:30 ET / 17:30 UK time. To pose a question please comment below and for more details visit our event page http://bit.ly/13tjr4a 

2013-06-12 21:35:33 (8 comments, 44 reshares, 166 +1s)

SongKick recently developed a program called Detour, a crowdfunding site that lets music fans place advance orders for tickets for a possible concert. Services like Detour have determined that fans are more than willing to leave the house for a live-music experience, if someone will simply organise that experience well http://econ.st/1a4YgdK

2013-06-12 17:00:25 (81 comments, 189 reshares, 280 +1s)

Daily chart: Today’s chart reveals how long average workers in Europe must toil to make what their bosses earn in an hour. The pay gap between the top brass and the lowliest worker is generally greatest in former Soviet countries and Spain and Italy. The disparity is smallest in Nordic countries, and in Switzerland, where presumably everyone is paid well http://econ.st/ZJNq8W 

2013-06-12 13:22:55 (28 comments, 57 reshares, 113 +1s)

There are good arguments for and against aggressive public policy to stop obesity. Tomorrow at 12:30 ET / 17:30 UK time, Charlotte Howard, The Economist's Health care correspondent, and Thomas Farley, Health Commissioner of New York City, will discuss the government’s role in the health of its citizens via a live Hangout. To pose a question please comment below and for more details visit our event page http://bit.ly/13tjnBl

2013-06-12 09:09:07 (20 comments, 11 reshares, 102 +1s)

Eleftherios Venizelos international airport in Athens opened to much fanfare 12 years ago. But it already looks like it has seen better days. It now handles just 12m passengers a year—25% fewer than in 2007. That number is likely to fall again in 2013. Paint flakes from the airport’s 24 jet bridges, of which perhaps only 10 are now in regular use http://econ.st/13tXAcV

2013-06-11 22:57:53 (17 comments, 51 reshares, 147 +1s)

Daily chart: How does the civil war in Syria, which pits rebels armed with light weapons against the tanks and jets of the government, compare with the bombs planted by terrorists in Pakistan or the drug war in Mexico? Today’s chart gives the clearest picture of how deaths from organised internal conflict in 2012 stack up. View chart here: http://econ.st/1932EZq

2013-06-11 19:21:44 (22 comments, 182 reshares, 302 +1s)

The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, better known as ASCII, was approved 50 years ago this month. What is it, and where did it come from? http://econ.st/192I6jN

2013-06-11 15:28:39 (46 comments, 21 reshares, 122 +1s)

Should individuals be free to make as many unhealthy choices as they like, without any meddling from the state? On June 13th our Health care correspondent, Charlotte Howard, and guest Dr Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner, will take part in a Hangout discussing the government’s role in the health of its citizens. You can pose a question by commenting below. For more information please visit our event page http://bit.ly/19XxwvM  

2013-06-10 21:06:02 (32 comments, 34 reshares, 227 +1s)

Once they have leaked secret information, most whistleblowers do their best to remain incognito. Not Edward Snowden, the 29-year-old tech specialist whose revelations about the extent of the snooping on all kinds of communications by America's super-secretive National Security Agency (NSA) have rocked the country's intelligence establishment http://econ.st/13v6erC

2013-06-10 18:14:33 (3 comments, 16 reshares, 62 +1s)

Daily chart: Today's interactive chart allows readers to compare the ups and downs of America's 20 main housing markets tracked by Standard & Poor's. The data begin in 1987 for 14 cities, extending to 20 from 2000 onwards. The Economist has augmented the index by comparing the data against household income and housing rents. View today's interactive chart http://econ.st/19YlRg4

2013-06-13 16:17:40 (28 comments, 25 reshares, 49 +1s)

Should individuals be free to make as many unhealthy choices as they like, without any meddling from the state? Or should the government guide its citizens to healthier behaviour?

You will be able to watch the conversation via YouTube: http://bit.ly/196ujIN on our website: http://econ.st/196ueF3 or on our Google+ page: http://bit.ly/196uxzS 

On Thursday June 13th Charlotte Howard, The Economist's Health care correspondent, and Thomas Farley, the Health Commissioner of New York City, will be discussing the government’s role in the health of its citizens in a live Hangout. The discussion will take place at 12:30pm in New York and 5:30pm in London.

If you have any questions you would like to pose to the speakers, please comment below, or tweet using #askeconomist

Suggested articles for background reading on the topic:

The big picture

MsHow... more »

2013-06-10 10:47:43 (114 comments, 46 reshares, 191 +1s)

Eating too much and exercising too little are voluntary behaviours that can lead to poor health and high health costs. Should governments be trying to make us healthier by banning the sale of large sugary drinks for instance? Join our live Hangout on the topic this Thursday, June 13th, with our Health care correspondent Charlotte Howard and Dr Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner. Share your view and pose questions by commenting below. For more information please visit http://econ.st/18ZFZNx 

2013-06-10 08:50:54 (0 comments, 10 reshares, 101 +1s)

Banned in Belarus, Nicolai Khalezin and Natalia Kaliada brought their Belarus Free Theatre company to London, where their experimental political plays have found a loyal following. Their latest strike against injustice is a new play called "Trash Cuisine". This tour of the world's execution chambers is a take-down of the death penalty dressed up as a macabre cooking show http://econ.st/139v0x3 

2013-06-09 18:43:09 (19 comments, 54 reshares, 199 +1s)

History is littered with powerful people undone by hubris. Bosses set too much store by their strengths. They also habitually overestimate their ability to win respect and support from their underlings. Somehow, on reaching the corner office, they lose the knack of reading subtle cues in others' behavior http://econ.st/114mNZH

2013-06-09 17:45:19 (8 comments, 24 reshares, 110 +1s)

Immunotherapy recruits a patient's immune system to do the attacking. The latest way of doing so is by removing the controls which keep the immune system in check during times of bodily peace. Such "checkpoint-inhibitor" immunotherapy has proved itself over the past three years in the treatment of advanced melanoma. Its range is now being extended http://econ.st/114mQVy

2013-06-09 16:44:32 (17 comments, 12 reshares, 87 +1s)

Britons are in the greasy grip of burger mania. In a slow economy few can stretch to the finest caviar, but they can afford top-notch ground beef. Byron, a chain of posh burger diners, opened in 2007. It now has 32 branches and will soon open new ones in Liverpool and Manchester. Gourmet Burger Kitchen, another fast-expanding chain, has 59 restaurants from Brighton to Edinburgh http://econ.st/114mSg8

2013-06-08 17:09:15 (46 comments, 74 reshares, 164 +1s)

Singapore's Media Development Authority put a draconian new licensing requirement into effect on June 1st. The new regulations demand that all websites concerned with the news be licensed, and also that each puts down a "performance-bond" of $39,550. Any content deemed to be in breach of standards would have to be removed within 24 hours of being notified http://econ.st/139uUpr

2013-06-08 16:09:22 (37 comments, 28 reshares, 120 +1s)

The enforcement of China's work-safety measures has lagged behind the growth of its economy, now the world's second-largest. Industrial workplaces boast dire safety records. In 2012 workplace accidents killed over 70,000 people, approximately 200 people each day. Fatal mining accidents are so common that they rarely make newspaper splashes http://econ.st/19IXNxO

2013-06-08 15:08:16 (28 comments, 52 reshares, 126 +1s)

This year the world will eat 112m tonnes of pork. Around half will be munched in Chinese mouths, according to the Agricultural Outlook report from the FAO and the OECD, a rich country club. The Chinese have been the world's biggest meat-eaters for over two decades. Pork is their favourite: each person scoffs about 38kg a year, compared with 28kg swallowed by Americans http://econ.st/114mP3T

2013-06-07 20:43:51 (17 comments, 56 reshares, 172 +1s)

Daily chart: In a new paper David Jacks, an economist at Simon Fraser University, assembles figures on inflation-adjusted prices for 30 commodities over 160 years. It turns out over the very long run commodity prices display a marked upward trend, having risen by 192% since 1950, and by 252% since 1900. Today's chart reveals that the price of "in the ground" commodities, like natural gas, have boomed while resources that can be grown have trended downwards http://econ.st/1970N8h

2013-06-07 16:22:06 (33 comments, 47 reshares, 205 +1s)

This week's KAL's cartoon http://econ.st/114hxp6 

2013-06-07 09:02:55 (14 comments, 34 reshares, 157 +1s)

Detecting explosives from a distance is difficult. But a device developed by Optix, a consortium of European companies led by Indra, a Spanish technology consultancy, may have cracked the problem. Optix’s detector uses two types of spectroscopy in parallel, to seek out trace amounts of chemicals that may have come from explosives http://econ.st/134Erhw 

2013-06-06 20:02:38 (45 comments, 64 reshares, 139 +1s)

Daily chart: When converted at market exchange rates, China's GDP is now only half the size of America's. Will it eclipse it before Xi Jinping's presidency comes to an end in March 2023? The Economist's interactive chart allows you to make your own predictions. View our interactive chart via http://econ.st/111ZD6f

2013-06-06 17:14:33 (24 comments, 35 reshares, 142 +1s)

Two private entities hope to send humans to Mars without relying on the resources of a national government. How plausible are their plans? http://econ.st/111GRvQ

2013-06-06 16:43:46 (20 comments, 75 reshares, 189 +1s)

The new issue of The Economist is now available to view online via our website: http://econ.st/111CZuI 

This week's cover previews:
Worldwide ex North America and Asia: Democrat or sultan?
Erdogan and the Turkish upheaval
North America and Asia: The Summit
Starring Barack Obama and Xi Jinping
June 8th – 14th 2013

2013-06-05 21:01:03 (44 comments, 65 reshares, 231 +1s)

Daily chart: The number of people in extreme poverty has fallen dramatically over the past 20 years, from almost two billion people in 1990 to a bit over one billion in 2010, and could mostly disappear in the next 20. Overall, the achievement is remarkable. View today's live chart on extreme poverty via: http://econ.st/10ZyVeK

2013-06-05 17:42:29 (20 comments, 5 reshares, 47 +1s)

Should governments try to make us healthier? We will be hosting our next Hangout on Thursday June 13th when our Health care correspondent, Charlotte Howard, and Dr Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner, tackle your questions on the government’s role in the health of its citizens. If you would like to take part and pose questions during the live Hangout, please indicate your interest by completing this form http://econ.st/SmAHCQ and we will be in touch. Thank you

2013-06-05 09:06:12 (13 comments, 66 reshares, 219 +1s)

Many feared that social media would undermine professional reporting. As it turns out, photographs, videos and tweets from ordinary people are improving and expanding news coverage. They also create work for journalists who know how to curate, authenticate and analyse their material http://econ.st/14eX29V

2013-06-04 18:45:25 (26 comments, 20 reshares, 102 +1s)

Our debate on technological progress is now open. Despite dazzling new advances in mobile-phone technology, 3-D printing, autonomous cars and drones, some say these are whizzy new gadgets with less economic impact than the achievements of the industrial-revolution era. Is technological discovery taking off or are recent innovations more hype than substance? Vote and comment via http://econ.st/135mLCd