World News Insights: Opinion Articles

I have a problem. Nothing matters to the short-term future of markets more than the situation in Ukraine. Another “risk-off” exodus from stocks to bonds as the news bleakened in Thursday’s trading makes that clear. My problem is that I don’t know what’s going to happen next there. Neither does…

This week’s announcement that India’s Vedanta Group has tied up with Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group to make chips is being lauded as proof that New Delhi is gaining traction with its plans to build a semiconductor industry. That’s hardly the case. Those hopeful that India can establish a…

The two developing tech dramas of early 2022 — the struggle of Meta Platform Inc.’s Facebook to retain users as surveillance-based advertising becomes more difficult and Spotify Technology SA’s Joe Rogan controversy — are really about one thing: Finding the right balance between ad-based and…

One of the unintended consequences of Russia’s troop build-up on the border with Ukraine — which, according to NATO, has yet to be dialed back — has been to create a sense of unity among European Union members that are more often at each other’s throats on security issues. How long this will…

Post-infection immunity might be a strange topic for political strife, but it touches on Covid vaccine mandates and whether those who’ve had the virus should be exempt. And so when publications such as The Hill run headlines such as “CDC Finally Recognizing Natural Immunity – Legislators should…

Just days ago, Vladimir Putin seemed on the verge of the unthinkable in Ukraine, having massed 130,000 troops on the border. Embassies withdrew staff from Kyiv, and Washington warned of an immediate threat. Now, the Russian leader is sagely supporting diplomatic engagement. Official footage shows…

"A specter is haunting France, the specter of Islam!" This is the message that, with variations of intonation and nuance, comes from almost all of the dozen or so declared candidates in France’s forthcoming presidential election. This reminds those of us who witnessed the 20-yearlong Brexit…

US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler has repeatedly said the crypto markets are like the “Wild West,” with insufficient protections for investors. A presidential working group has cautioned that some crypto platforms were allowing investors to make risky high-leverage bets…

Gold isn’t behaving quite as you’d expect right now. US interest rates have risen by half a percentage point so far this year, as measured by the yield on 10-year government debt. That’s typically bad news for precious metal. About two-fifths of gold demand comes from private investors and…

The constitutional deadline is now respected! This is the most popular phrase in Lebanon. It is repeated by diplomatic and political representatives, journalists and citizens. We are less than three months away from Thursday, May 10, the date set for parliamentary elections! No previous…

The Russian Defense Ministry’s announcement on Tuesday that troops were beginning to relocate to their permanent bases after drills on the Ukrainian border is not yet the denouement of the crisis that Russian President Vladimir Putin created and then US President Joe Biden amplified with alarmist…

The most notable record at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics won't be recorded by a skier or skater. Instead it'll be set by NBCUniversal. When the flame goes dark, the US network will likely have recorded the most poorly viewed Winter Games in history. Covid, half-empty stadiums, human-rights…