The government's resistance to price increases leaves consumer-product companies in a tight spot.

WSJ: China Fines Unilever for Price Comments

As Republicans struggle to find common ground with Democrats over the budget, conservative leaders have generally been unyielding in their resistance to tax increases on most wealthy Americans, one that defies American political history and budgetary realism, to the point of making a deal impossible.

CNN: GOP faces choice: Leadership or gridlock

There is evidence that being sedentary negatively affects glucose levels and increases insulin resistance - but scientists do not yet know how.

BBC: Sitting for long periods 'is bad for your health'

Requests for permission to hike rates increasingly meet stiff political resistance, with demands for efficiency gains in exchange for smaller-than-requested rate increases.

WSJ: Business Asia: Singing the Abe Electric

It uses nanoscale materials to boost the performance of its batteries (making an electrode out of nanoparticles increases its surface area, which in turn decreases the battery's internal resistance and improves its ability to store and deliver energy).

ECONOMIST: The electrification of motoring