World News Insights: Opinion Articles

Researchers at Boston University sparked alarming headlines this week by creating a more lethal version of the omicron Covid variant. At the heart of the uproar is the fact that the researchers didn’t have any obligation to inform anyone beyond an internal review board about what they were doing…

Reminders of bright, or at least reasonable, moments in the past do not imply that we should return to that past, nor are they meant to clear this past of any shortcomings or flaws. As tons of experiences and proof from our region and across the world have taught us, no return- whatever return it…

For weeks now, the Ukrainians have been complaining and warning of the danger of the Iranian drones that Russia is using in the war in Ukraine. The US administration, however, prefers to discuss the production cuts of OPEC+ and criticize Saudi Arabia in frivolous ways. The Europeans are also…

Inflation too hot for you? How about a nice, refreshing COLA? This time, not just for Social Security recipients, who found out about their 2023 cost-of-living adjustments on Thursday. We’ve come to expect that certain people will be protected from inflation by cost-of-living adjustments and…

Mass layoffs are one of the more painful consequences of a looming economic recession, and the high-flying and well-funded tech industry isn’t immune. Microsoft Corp. on Monday provided an omen of what’s to come, when it confirmed that it had cut jobs across multiple divisions including its…

When looking at the recent deal on the Karish gas field and the demarcation of maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel, we must look beyond gas to understand why Iran’s allies are circumventing any talk of political concession in the media. The dimensions of the deal go even deeper than the…

It’s the time of year when US public health officials are practically begging people to go out and get a flu vaccine. This year, their message is particularly urgent: Protect yourself now because the country might be in for a bad flu season that coincides with a resurgence in Covid cases. Last…

The West finds it very difficult to understand strong leaders, who resort to dictionaries that do not match its own. It is unable to grasp the true reason for their rise and the links that connect them to their people. The West cannot understand their true aspirations and far-reaching goals…

Days ago, Riyadh sent Washington, through a foreign ministry statement, a strongly-worded message firmly pushing back against claims that the OPEC+ decision reflects a position on international conflicts. The statement also stressed that the decision was unanimous and taken on economic grounds,…

Every Chinese leader stamps their mark on the country they rule for five, 10, (or 15) years. Xi Jinping’s brand is indelible, but the technology companies which have powered China’s economic rise over the past decade will be searching for clues on how to navigate his third term. When Xi took…

Unrealistic as it was technically, the idea of a pan-Asian currency always had some political support: Since 2005, the Japanese have published the exchange value of something called the Asian Monetary Unit, a precursor to what would one day become the region’s equivalent of the euro. The debt…

For some, it is difficult to let go of old clothes when they become worn out, frayed, and unwearable. The reason is a sentimental attachment they have for these clothes and an old familiarity with them, which makes disposing of them akin to ripping out part of the person’s past and memory and…