Obstetric fistula, an abdominal injury that occurs in unattended childbirth and causes incontinence, is among the most intractable challenges of extreme poverty. In Tanzania, however, a pilot program that relies on mobile-phone communication has brought fistula sufferers in remote areas to a central hospital for reparative surgery. This strategy, if duplicated elsewhere, could offer hope of a new life for many of the estimated 2 million women afflicted with fistula worldwide. A fistula is a hole

Boosting ratings by courting controversy is an obvious tactic, but the public may react negatively to extreme cases of tastelessness.A man who evidently has mental difficulties triggered controversy recently after competing on a popular reality-TV talent show and was ridiculed. This is not new on television, and it’s not the first time content-producer Workpoint Entertainment has been in hot water. Last year an artist used her breasts instead of brushes on the same franchised program, “Thailand’

For stability in the Asia-Pacific region, it is essential that the U.S. and China ― the world’s sole superpower and the second-largest military and economic power ― take confidence-building measures.Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the U.S. and met with U.S. President Barack Obama at a retreat in California. It is unusual for a Chinese president to visit the U.S. only three months after his inauguration to meet with a U.S. president.Through eight hours over two days, the two leaders discusse

In one “friendly” match between two Italian clubs last January, Ghana’s Kevin-Prince Boateng of the visiting AC Milan kicked the ball into the stands and walked off the pitch in anger and disgust. He was followed by his teammates and supported by his club and the match was abandoned. In the days that followed ― instead of being raked over the coals for what seemed like unsportsmanlike and unprofessional conduct ― Boateng was hailed as a hero by the world of football.That singular act was a power

Teddy Roosevelt once said “the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Recent research suggests he may have been more right than he knew: Life’s “best prize” might actually extend life itself. Our common perception is that retirement is a time when we can relax and take better care of ourselves after stressful careers. But what if work itself is beneficial to our health, as several recent studies suggest? One of them, by Jennifer Montez of Harvard Unive

In the fall of 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama signed a sweeping package of patent reforms into law. He promised they would improve patent quality, reduce excessive litigation, encourage innovation and create jobs. Last week, the president unveiled another round of sweeping patent reforms. He promised they would improve patent quality, reduce excessive litigation, encourage innovation and … you get the idea. Obviously, the president’s first attempt didn’t work. His latest legislative proposals

People can run into two problems when they need to find a taxi. The first is that they don’t know whether a taxi will be available. The second is that they don’t know when a taxi will be available. Uber Technologies Inc., a San Francisco-based company, was set up to solve both problems. You can download its application, and it will find out where you are and come pick you up. It will also tell you when it is coming. In fact, the app comes with a screen that shows exactly where the vehicle is, so

By William Pesek, BloombergLittle noticed during last weekend’s milestone summit between Barack Obama and Xi Jinping was another landmark event: China’s currency hit a record high, reaching almost 6 yuan to the dollar.In recent years, one of the few things Republicans and Democrats could agree upon was that an artificially cheap yuan damaged U.S. exports and stole U.S. jobs. The currency’s climb thus seemed like a nod from China’s president to America’s, a quiet signal that Xi understands how se

LONDON ― There is only one view of the murder of the British soldier Lee Rigby on a south London street three weeks ago: horrific.But there are two views of its significance. One is that it was an act by crazy people, motivated in this case by a perverted notion of Islam, but of no broader significance. Crazy people do crazy things, so don’t overreact. The other view is that the ideology that inspired the murder of Rigby is profoundly dangerous.I am of the latter view. Of course, we shouldn’t ov

If everything Edward Snowden says is true, he is a criminal whose actions may have endangered American lives. He is also a conscientious citizen, risking career and liberty to expose what he believes to be grave wrongdoing. This is the paradox underlying government surveillance programs in general, and in particular the shaky foundations of the U.S. national security apparatus. Snowden, an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton working in Hawaii as a contractor for the National Security Agency, has rev