Rana Foroohar

Job losses and plunging incomes are pushing millions into poverty—and creating another food crisis.

A look at bright spots in the recession begins with Beijing, where state control is looking smart.

The government will keep growth above 8 percent next year, but we are in the middle of a tsunami that could last into 2010.

One of the many reasons that oil prices spiked to $150 earlier this year is that in the 1990s, when prices were $12 a barrel, oil firms stopped looking for new reserves.

Trader turned philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb would probably be the first to admit the role that chance played in his recent market gains. Though he no longer actively trades himself, the Santa Monica, California-based hedge fund he advises, Universa, has posted gains of between 50 and 110 percent in recent months, even as the S&P is down 40 percent.

A plummeting ruble and a frozen stock market (trading in Moscow was once again suspended last week) mean that rich Russians are desperate to move their remaining money abroad.

As world leaders try to restructure the global financial system, it's worth reflecting on how we got to this point. A new database created by economists at the IMF tracks financial crises over the last 30 years, and it may come as a surprise that the world has had 124 of them during that time.

Turkey's president Abdullah Gul is one of his nation's most polarizing figures. Western-oriented and pro-EU, his Justice and Development Party has roots in Islam and pushed to abolish the ban on headscarves in universities, provoking debate about the nature of liberalism in this secular nation.

With the American model in tatters, its European and Asian rivals make their move.

A new study by the World Economic Forum ranks the world's strongest financial systems. Despite being the epicenter of the worst global financial crisis since WWII, the United States comes out on top.

In the midst of last week's market turmoil, there was one piece of good news. Oil prices, which had neared the $150 mark just a few weeks ago, fell back below $100, mainly due to fears about sharply slower global growth as the financial crisis on Wall Street deepens.

Earlier this year, the International Monetary Fund seemed on track to permanent downsizing, as emerging-market growth had left it without a client base of economically poor nations.

Half the world is living with double-digit inflation, as boom gives way to bust.

Sovereign wealth funds aren't so scary. That's the finding of a new study of SWFs, the booming investment arms of petro states like Saudi Arabia and emerging giants like China.

The Copenhagen consensus Center, a Danish group that seeks the most cost-effective solutions to the planet's biggest problems, has come out with its new top-30 list of global challenges.

Oil prices could hit $200 a barrel in the next few months. How the spike changes everything.

With the end of the International Monetary Fund's $10 billion deal in Turkey, there's been much ado about the country's economic future. Some of it's warranted: Turkey was an IMF poster child, tackling inflation and reducing debt from 76 to 39 percent of GDP since 2001.

'We've had a huge number of financial crises in the last two decades, and each time, the authorities have to step in.'

If you have any doubt about the long-term implications of hunger, consider the following statistic. In North Korea, where food shortages and famine have been endemic for years, the average adolescent is 18 centimeters shorter than his counterpart in South Korea.

Have you noticed that both New York and London claim to be losing the race to become the world's top financial center? Last year New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg fretted that his city is behind, citing a McKinsey survey that blamed onerous SOX regulations imposed after the Enron-era scandals.

Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz says that the war in Iraq will add up to $3 trillion, as the meter ticks on.

When a rogue bank trader loses a record $7 billion, he is embraced as a star by the French, exposing the deep Gallic suspicion of capitalism.

The dollar is as weak as it's been in more than three decades. Its slide is ushering in a new economic era.

Emerging markets have taken a hit over the past couple of weeks, as global market wobbles have prompted a flight from risk. So it's surprising that North Korea—a country that stretches the very definition of emerging market—has been in the news as a target for foreign investment.

There are bespoke suits. And then there are bespoke books. For the mogul who truly has everything, there's something new: a custom-made autobiography. For any where from a few grand to $100,000, Myspecialbook.com, a publishing company started a few years back by wealthy Argentines, will write, design and publish a book all about anyone who can afford it.

The best things in life aren't necessarily flashy objects but discreet, meaningful experiences.

The hectic 10-city, 10-day package tour is a thing of the past. We say good riddance.

Quick: think about what would make you really, really happy. More money? Wrong. 2.5 smiling, well-adjusted kids? Wrong again. Now think about what would make you most unhappy: losing your sight or a bad back?

When you think of technology visionaries, Hasso Plattner's name probably doesn't spring to mind. But it should. As the founder of the German company SAP, the world's third largest software maker after Microsoft and Oracle, Plattner has been every bit as influential as better-known peers like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

Under the 12-year leadership of Lord John Browne, BP cultivated a reputation as a different kind of oil company, kinder and gentler on issues from women in its work force to the environment.