World News Insights: Opinion Articles

For every Greek-lettered incarnation of the coronavirus that alters the course of the pandemic, like the Delta variant, there is another that falls into epidemiological obscurity, and countless more that prove too insignificant to name. But scientists and world leaders have reacted more swiftly…

It is natural for those concerned in the region generally to await the outcomes of the French Saudi efforts to resolve many of the regions’ outstanding issues. True, ties between Riyadh and Paris have, to some extent, been dry and cool in previous phases, however, it seems that Paris has realized…

The world has been conducting an inadvertent socioeconomic experiment on young people, one that would in normal circumstances be prohibited for being cruel and inhuman. As part of their efforts to control the pandemic, many countries have for parts of the past two years closed schools. Some…

Even the most promising meme stocks can hit an air pocket. That may soon be the case for GameStop Corp. Lately, there are signs the video-game retailer, which operates thousands of stores mainly in North America and Europe, will spook Wall Street with weaker-than-expected holiday sales. If that…

Two doses? Three? More? The euphoria that greeted safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines a year ago has turned to confusion and debate in the face of resurgent cases and an ugly new variant. The rich world is doubling down on booster doses, ignoring warnings from the World Health Organization that…

There’s a lot to be learned about the omicron coronavirus variant, but scientists already know enough to prescribe a rational response to the threat. As the world waits for data, there’s plenty of useful knowledge that comes from evolutionary biology. Revamping vaccine formulas and updating…

Talks of the negotiations’ failure preceded the delegations of the participant countries’ arrival to Vienna. However, for some of the participants, the very fact that they are returning to the negotiating table inspires optimism that the two main sides of the negotiations, “the United States and…

NATO Foreign Ministers held their last meeting of the year in Riga on November 30-December 1, with lots to talk about. In 2020 Macron had declared that “NATO is braindead”. He was upset about what he called insufficient consultation among the Allies. What led him to come up with these comments was…

When Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, General Kyrylo Budanov, names specific dates for a Russian march on his country — late January or early February — it’s hard to believe Russian President Vladimir Putin will stick to Budanov’s schedule as if it were embossed on an RSVP card. As I’ve…

So here we go again. The coronavirus has mutated, as we’ve always known it would, and the new variant, called omicron, is spreading fast. Should we be scared or sanguine? Should we change our behavior and plans or carry on? To answer these questions, we need three pieces of information that we don…

When General Motors Co.’s $27 billion EV program went up in flames in August, it also singed EV enthusiasts’ high hopes for a new generation of long-lasting batteries that could take cars farther while keeping costs low. The storied American car company was forced to recall the 140,000 electric…

What do India, Iraq and the Solomon Islands have in a common? The answer is that US President Joe Biden has certified all three as “democracies” along with 106 other countries, by inviting them to a virtual “democratic” world summit on 9 and 10 December. Biden’s move reminds me of one of my…