World News Insights: Opinion Articles

Economics is one of the better-funded and more scientific social sciences, but in some critical ways it is failing us. The main problem, as I see it, is standards: They are either too high or too low. In both cases, the result is less daring and creativity. Consider academic research. In the…

This is one of a series of interviews by Bloomberg Opinion columnists on how to solve the world’s most pressing policy challenges. It has been edited for length and clarity. Clara Ferreira Marques: You were just starting your career during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of…

As many countries tentatively loosen their corona restrictions, some of us are feeling anxious. Have my social skills gotten rusty from long quarantines and lockdowns? Have my friendships gone stale? Will I still have my old clique to return to? Have my social circles frayed or shrunk? To get a…

As Bitcoin attempts its latest price rebound after a 40% slump in three days, its long-term potential as an investable asset is becoming linked inextricably to its cost for the rest of society. This is increasing the pressure on policy makers to do more. The US Federal Reserve’s Lael Brainard…

Economic growth in the US is strong right now. We'll get more evidence with the April jobs report later this week, which could show as many as two million more jobs created. But an important manufacturing survey released on Monday suggests that the fastest growth may be behind us. Even though the…

When a tower the size of the Empire State Building begins to sway, the tenants panic. Last week, that’s what happened in Shenzhen, China’s top technology hub. Video shows thousands of people sprinting and screaming out of the SEG Plaza, an iconic 20-year-old skyscraper. The sway returned on…

Business is booming for cyber extortionists. DarkSide, the hacking group that shut down a key US oil pipeline earlier this month, has collected over $90 million recently in hard-to-trace Bitcoin from 47 different victims, according to the blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. The pipeline hack…

It seems a difficult time to write about the Gaza war, as the wounds have yet to heal, and spirited slogans celebrating what they consider a divine victory are brimming with accusations of treachery directed against whoever expresses a different opinion. However, several days into the cease-fire…

“The advanced bunker of the Resistance Front”. This is how official media in Tehran describe the Gaza Strip as it emerges from its latest mini-war against “The Zionist enemy”. Needless to say, regrading itself as leader of the “Resistance Front” is already looking forward to the next round of this…

India’s vaccine strategy has flopped. A dismissive attitude toward the second Covid-19 outbreak that has raged uncontrolled, and a mistaken belief that indigenously made shots would be equal to the task of inoculating a billion adults, have left the nation scrambling. Efforts are under way to…

The news that some employers have started handing out cash rewards to workers who are vaccinated against Covid-19 warms my libertarian heart. Yes, the idea is controversial; yes, there are legal implications. But providing incentives to get people to do what others think they should is almost…

The rollout of Covid-19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford and Johnson & Johnson has been marred by rare but serious blood-clotting side effects that resulted in some deaths. Now, scientists in Germany say they have uncovered the cause of the clotting condition and…