Ours is the age of the rule by ‘strong men’: leaders who believe that they have been elected to deliver the will of the people. Woe betide anything that stands in the way, be it the political opposition, the courts, the media or brave individuals. While these demonised guardians of freedom are belittled, brushed aside […]
Governments around the world are wrestling with when — and how — to ease the restrictions designed to control the coronavirus pandemic amid rising unemployment and with many of their citizens struggling to make ends meet. Mandatory lockdowns to stop the spread of the new virus, which has so far infected almost 2.3 million people […]
India has stepped up scrutiny of investments from companies based in neighbouring countries, in what is widely seen as a move to stave off takeovers by Chinese firms during the coronavirus outbreak. India’s trade ministry said in a notification dated April 17 the changes to federal rules on investment were meant to curb “opportunistic takeovers/acquisitions”. […]
President Donald Trump wants to get as many Americans back into the workplace as quickly as possible, but every metric he laid out this week for reopening the country has major flaws. Diagnostic testing has improved, but still lags behind what most public health experts say will be needed to keep the virus at bay. […]
Few nations are truly prepared for a pandemic of this nature and scale. India does possess some advantages in terms of the state’s decades of experience when it comes to fighting communicable diseases and natural disasters. But it also has the challenge of responding to this pandemic while continuing to battle legacy health challenges. Its […]
China’s economy shrank by 6.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2020, the first contraction since the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, confirming the economic damage done by the coronavirus pandemic. Over the first three months of the year, the world’s second largest economy faced an extensive shutdown as it battled to […]
Governments, in other words, are spending as if there will be zero economic output between now and sometime this summer…This level of spending has no precedent in history—not even close. Not in war. Not in peacetime. Not ever. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
The United States stepped up its pressure on China over the coronavirus pandemic with President Donald Trump saying his administration was trying to determine where the deadly disease originated from. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also called on Beijing “to come clean” on what it knows. Read Here – AlJazeera
In the six days after top Chinese officials secretly determined they likely were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus, the city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the disease hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people; millions began traveling through for Lunar New Year celebrations. Read Here – APNews
In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, national responses are vital, but in the medium term, international cooperation will be our best weapon. And reforming and reinforcing the institutions and mechanisms that underpin such cooperation will be our best defense against future global threats. Read Here – Project Syndicate
looking beyond borders 