At this point everyone who follows economic policy debates knows about the famous Reinhart-Rogoff spreadsheet error uncovered by a University of Massachusetts graduate student. When the error is corrected, there is nothing resembling the growth falloff cliff associated with a 90 percent debt-to-GDP ratio that had been the main takeaway from the initial paper.

There has been an interesting response from the mainstream of the profession. On the one hand, they have been quick to rebuke …

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Genetically modified (GM) salmon could have a catastrophic impact on natural ecosystems if they are introduced into the wild, a team of scientists warned this week.

The study, published Tuesday and conducted by scientists from Newfoundland’s Memorial University, shows for the first time that GM salmon would quickly become an invasive species if they bred with similar species such as the brown trout—a likely crossbreed that would wreak havoc for other fish.

The fish, which are genetically …

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oldman Sachs and UBS will lead a syndicate of banks collecting about £30m from the £3bn privatisation of Royal Mail.

The government announced that it had selected Goldman Sachs, which has been accused of treating its clients like “muppets”, and UBS, which was fined £940m for its role in the Libor rate rigging scandal, as global co-ordinators and bookrunners of the largest privatisation in two decades.

As the lead banks advising on Royal Mail’s sale the pair …

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For the third time this year, anti-Muslim rioting has broken out in Myanmar, this time in the northeastern city of Lashio. Sparked by an argument at a gas station, mobs of radical Buddhists on Tuesday burned down several buildings belonging to Muslims, including an orphanage and a mosque.

This is the third consecutive month to see violence against Muslims in the Southeast Asian nation, and if that wasn’t cause enough for concern, anti-Muslim sentiment seems to …

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Follow this if you can: Wood from U.S. trees is being shipped over to the U.K., where coal power plants burn it, producing more greenhouse gas emissions than when those same plants generate an equivalent amount of electricity by burning coal.

The weirdest part? This doubly destructive practice is being subsidized in the U.K. to help the country meet its renewable energy targets. WTF?

The BBC explains that when pine trees are grown in America, the best …

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CHICAGO (AP) — An ambitious plan to close 50 schools and programs in Chicago met a new legal challenge Wednesday, with the filing of a lawsuit that claims some of the closure decisions violated a process set out in Illinois law.

The Chicago Teachers Union and parents of public school students filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court. They claim Illinois law bars the Chicago Board of Education from closing 10 elementary schools it …

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Israel’s blockade and inhumane practices continue to take their toll on Gaza’s sole fresh water source.

According to Gaza’s Environment Quality Authority nearly ninety percent of the tiny coastal enclave’s aquifer is polluted.

Among the various chemical pollutants in the Gaza Strip’s water are Nitrates and Chloride.
Their levels are three times higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization.

Nowadays people can only drink filtered water which they buy from private filtration stations.

Throughout the years Tel-Aviv has …

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If the planned Geneva peace talks on Syria fail, it will mark the end of the road for attempts to find a negotiated solution to the conflict, and should open the door to the wholesale delivery of arms to the rebels, a Turkish minister has said.

Omer Celik, the foreign affairs chief in Turkey’s ruling AKP party, portrayed the Geneva meeting planned for mid-June as a last chance for the international community to salvage its credibility …

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SACRAMENTO – Women could go to a medical professional other than a doctor to end some pregnancies under a bill advancing through the state Legislature.

The bill by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, would allow nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician’s assistants to perform so-called aspiration abortions during the first trimester. The method involves inserting a tube and using suction to terminate a pregnancy.

Atkins said her bill, AB154, would help expand access to abortion services …

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A writer in Saudi Arabia prompted his readers to sexually harass women in newly integrated public places, unleashing a war of words in the digital sphere over the country’s views towards women.

Abdullah Mohamed al-Dawood, author of several self-help books published in Arabic, took to Twitter recently to call on his followers to harass and molest women who had been hired to serve as cashiers in Saudi grocery stores. Using a hashtag that roughly translates to …

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