Internet service providers and trade groups for movies and music are partnering in the latest effort to curb online copyright infringement. Under the "six strikes" plan, users who share copyrighted material online will face an escalating series of warnings that could eventually result in the slowing of their internet speeds.

In the last few decades, statisticians and computer scientists have produced a dazzling arsenal of extremely powerful tools to help managers translate data into business decisions.

Could China grow into a nation of shoppers? The country is better known around the world for its factory workers and exports. But to put China's economic growth on a steadier glide path, especially in a global slowdown, the Chinese government wants to shift the drivers of the economy towards consumer demand at home.