India’s cash crunch situation to deter GDP growth, informal sector likely to be worst hit
Nov 25, 2016 09:16 am UTC| Commentary Economy Insights & Views
The cash crunch situation, owing to the recently announced demonetization scheme, is throttling the Indian economy and is likely to have a downside impact on the countrys gross domestic product (GDP in the last quarter of...
Race to the bottom on company tax cuts won't stop tax avoidance
Nov 25, 2016 01:14 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
US President-elect Donald Trump made an election promise to cut the US federal corporate tax rate from the current 35% to 15%. A somewhat more modest proposal is under way in Australia. The plan outlined in the 2016-17...

The limits of Silicon Valley: how Indonesia’s GoJek is beating Uber
Nov 24, 2016 13:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business Technology
Viewed from the bubble of Silicon Valley, the world often looks like a single undifferentiated market. There are plenty of examples that seem to support this notion. In addition to tech giants like Google and Facebook,...

FOMC members consider December hike "important to Fed credibility"
Nov 24, 2016 12:25 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy Central Banks
Minutes of the November Federal Open Market Committees (FOMC) meeting released on Wednesday were largely unexciting from a near-term policy perspective. After the recent Congressional testimony of Chair Yellen and...

Three important wins for addressing obesity
Nov 24, 2016 01:00 am UTC| Insights & Views Health
When it comes to obesity in Australia, the statistics are alarming - and generally getting worse. The national prevalence of obesity has increased significantly over the past few decades. Roughly three in ten...
Fracking, mining, murder: the killer agenda driving migration in Mexico and Central America
Nov 24, 2016 01:00 am UTC| Insights & Views Law Life
Gang violence is forcing people to flee Central America and Mexico, heading north to the United States in record numbers. Right? Thats the standard narrative: organised crime and drug trafficking have given Central...

What is kawaii – and why did the world fall for the 'cult of cute'?
Nov 24, 2016 00:15 am UTC| Insights & Views Business Life
This is a true story. One Saturday night, I was sitting with a friend in a trendy downtown bar, when two grown women casually strolled past in ruffled dresses, bonnets and parasols, wheeling matching baby carriages. Out of...