The global trade with counterfeit drugs is booming – it’s an extremely lucrative business with potentially lethal side effects. Cross-border cooperation is trying to curb the deadly trade. The counterfeiters are unscrupulous: Painkillers are made...
The German engineering giant Siemens has said it plans to cut 15,000 jobs from its workforce by the end of 2014. However, the company has said it hopes to make the cuts without actually putting...
Spain’s government has presented its most pain-free budget in many years, banking on a nascent economic recovery gathering steam in 2014. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Rajoy still needs to dole out some bitter pills. Based on...
Scientists in California say they have built a functioning microscopic computer made of carbon “nanotubes” instead of silicon. The step could lead to faster, ever-smaller electronic devices. Stanford University researchers said they have overcome downsizing...
Activist investor Cevian has raised its stake in struggling ThyssenKrupp, claiming the German steelmaker is undervalued. However, it’s unclear if the Anglo-Swedish firm will not eventually seek to split up ThyssenKrupp. Cevian has raised its...
The French government has presented the national budget for next year. Paris spoke of a huge effort to curb public spending and increase revenues through changes in its tax policy, but businesses got a good...
Chinese leaders have been quoted as saying that the planned Shanghai Free Trade Zone will be completely void of Internet censorship. Beijing wants foreign investors to feel “at home” in the pilot area. Hong Kong’s...
How do you conduct a comprehensive scientific survey of one of the world’s great rivers? Answer: gather up the scientists, load them on to ships, complete with labs and white coats. Two ships – the...
The International Labor Organization has pointed to continued use of child labor. However, in its latest study on the issue, the ILO notes that the overall number of affected boys and girls has gone down...
German flagship carrier Lufthansa has placed multi-billion euro orders with the EU planemaker Airbus and its US rival Boeing. Lufthansa’s biggest order ever aims to cut fuel costs on the airline’s long-distance flights. Lufthansa had...
Time was only the police used fingerprints to solve crimes. But fingerprinting technology is now being used to identify people in the workplace. Rights groups say it’s infringing civil liberties. This week hundreds of London...
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ordered the decommissioning of the intact No. 5 and No. 6 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. His decision follows groundwater contamination from damaged reactors. Prime Minister Abe...