(Reuters) - Asian technology companies came under pressure on Thursday to slash prices of their tablet computers after Amazon.com launched its Kindle Fire at a mass market-friendly $199.From Samsung Electronics to Sony Corp, major Asian tablet makers have ambitious plans to take on Apple, whose iPad is the gold standard in the booming market.With their me-too type of products priced almost at the same level as the iPad's starting price of $499, none of them have however been able to gain any significant market share from Apple.So far, Samsung has been seen as the most credible challenger to the iPad and some analysts suggest it could lose its No. 2 position to the eagerly anticipated Fire.The South Korean company's tablet marketing campaign has also stumbled in recent months due to Apple's legal attempts to ban Samsung's tablet sales in Australia, the United States and Germany, over patent infringement, among other claims.The Kindle Fire, while lacking many of the high-tech bells and whistles common on tablets from cameras to 3G wireless connection, may sound the death knell for a raft of devices based on Google Inc's Android operating system.

Heads of state speaking at the United Nations last week painted a bleak picture of the world’s future, talking about the great recession, rising poverty rates, global warming, and armed conflicts everywhere. So without denying any of these problems, it’s time to put things in perspective.Is the world really getting worse? Even if we don’t believe those prophecies claiming that the world will come to an end in 2012, is the current wave of global pessimism justified?A massive new study, entitled The State of the World 20 11 and published by an international think tank known as The Millennium Project, helps us put the current world troubles in perspective. It says that, despite major threats on various fronts, the world is becoming a better place to live in. “The world is getting richer, healthier, better educated, more peaceful, and better connected, and people are living longer,” it says, while reminding us that despite all these signs of progress, “half the world is potentially unstable.”Granted, food prices are rising, water is becoming scarce in some countries, corruption and organized crime are thriving, climate changes are increasing, and the gap between the rich and poor has widened since the 2008 world recession. But the report suggests that if you put these problems in historical context, progress is undeniable.

Euro-zone officials are working to magnify the firepower of the region's rescue fund, European Central Bank policymakers said on Monday, while President Barack Obama piled on pressure for Europe to staunch a sovereign debt crisis that threatens the world economy.Obama, saying the crisis "is scaring the world," urged leaders of the 17-nation euro zone to act quickly to help a region where banks have not fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis and which is now suffering from the Greek government's debt crisis."They are trying to take responsible actions but those actions haven't been quite as quick as they need to be," Obama told a citizens' meeting in Mountain View, California.After meeting at the IMF/World Bank and G20 meetings in Washington D.C. last week, European policymakers said on Monday they are working on ways to shore up the euro zone financial system and prevent the region's government debt crisis from spreading, but their mixed messages on the size of a rescue fund and the role of the ECB underscored the difficulties for 17 euro-zone nations in reaching consensus.

In an interview here in New York last week, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala emphasized his view that Peru's 1993 Constitution was drafted during "the dictatorship" of former president Alberto Fujimori. So I asked if he intends to call for it to be rewritten. It is a question that interests Peruvians and foreign investors alike because of Mr. Humala's résumé.

Thousands of student demonstrators calling for education reform in Chile clashed with riot police on Thursday in the capital of Santiago.Police fought off protesters with tear gas and arrested several of the students, who were participating in a march from the University of Santiago to the presidential palace.For months, high school and university student protesters have taken to the streets, complaining of what they see as the high cost and low standards of education in Chile. The latest demonstration comes after a breakdown in talks between the government and student groups.