Masatoshi Ito, who helped grow Japan’s 7-Eleven empire, has died at 98.

From rich list to hit list.

It sure is looking like it.

Population decline, housing problems, covid, and more.

Canada, in an effort to curb the housing shortage, is banning foreign investors from buying for two years.

Tech companies use H-1B visas to hire skilled workers from overseas. But now they’re laying them off.

The world put all its chips in one basket — now it’s trying to decentralize.

And lettuce, apparently.

Breadflation is surging across the globe.

The ultra-wealthy are paying big bucks for the right to travel freely throughout Europe.

Amid widespread and deadly protest, Iranians have limited internet access.

Plus: Funeral homes and AI surveillance art.

Plus: India’s electric boom, cheap pheromones, and Saudi tourism.

India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce could make ecommerce easier for smaller sellers. Would it work elsewhere?

Europeans typically haven’t embraced at-home AC like Americans have. But now it’s really hot.

Labor shortages and other factors are pushing countries to adopt automation.

“Despacito” helped bring Latin music to a wider audience, and new artists are taking the genre to new heights.

Usually a source of growth, China dragged brands down in Q1.

Plus: Apple’s wild repair program, and one helluva expensive Mercedes.

After suspending Russian operations in March, McDonald’s has decided to sell off and “de-Arch” its 800+ stores.

A mismatch between tech job demand and visa supply is forcing many American tech jobs abroad.

Some of oil’s biggest players are paying the price for backing out of Russia.

A government ban has made it harder for Russian players to play on Chess.com.

Plus: Remote worker stats, and China’s livestream caps.

Pop culture is leading younger generations to study Asian languages.

Toronto is emerging as a tech hub due to its universities, corporate offices, and worker-friendly immigration policy.

Ukraine and Russia are key players in the global gig economy, and the war is exposing how much American and European companies rely on them.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a tense back-and-forth between Russian authorities and Meta.

Plus: Mumbai carbon plans and Europe’s thermostats.

International tensions are pushing companies to rethink globalization.