Guide to today’s important data and events

Nov 26, 2015 06:48 am UTC| Insights & Views

Not many economic dockets scheduled for today, with US closed for thanksgiving. Data released so far - Australia - Private capital expenditure dropped -9.2% y/y in third quarter. Upcoming - Spain - Third quarter...

How thrift and credit societies can help Africa promote entrepreneurship

Nov 26, 2015 04:50 am UTC| Insights & Views

Lack of funding is one of the major challenges in the development of micro enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the ways small business holders survive is by belonging to informal interdependent societies. The...

Frozen wages, insecure jobs, struggling youth, rising inequality, shrinking unions ... join the dots

Nov 26, 2015 04:35 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

If youve been following the news about the Australian economy, you could be forgiven for thinking the country is in dire straits. The latest ABS data paints a grim picture as wage growth in the private sector hits a decade...

Breakthrough carbon capture technique ushers in era of guilt-free gas

Nov 26, 2015 01:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

The government is giving no sign that it intends to replace fossil fuels with renewables, so the only way to avoid the carbon emissions from burning natural gas and oil is the widespread use of carbon capture and storage...

Massive road and rail projects could be Africa’s greatest environmental challenge

Nov 26, 2015 01:41 am UTC| Insights & Views

Africas natural environments and spectacular wildlife are about to face their biggest challenge ever. In a paper published today in Current Biology, my colleagues and I assess the dramatic environmental changes that will...

Machine learning and big data know it wasn't you who just swiped your credit card

Nov 26, 2015 00:27 am UTC| Technology Insights & Views

Youre sitting at home minding your own business when you get a call from your credit cards fraud detection unit asking if youve just made a purchase at a department store in your city. It wasnt you who bought expensive...

Imagine if technology could read and react to our emotions

Nov 26, 2015 00:20 am UTC| Technology Insights & Views

Computers have always been good at doing fast calculations, but adapting to the emotional state of the person using the computer now there is a grand challenge! The field is called affective computing, and soon it will be...