The importance of a reliable and widely accessible health-care system is never more apparent than during a pandemic. It is now painfully clear that countries cannot pursue economic development, and assume that the health system will develop in tandem. Instead, they must do what South Korea did:..
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Given the stark differences between US President Donald Trump and Joe Biden, his presumptive Democratic challenger, the outcome of the November presidential election will have far-reaching implications not only for the United States, but also for the rest of the world. So should we brace for four..
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Advanced economies have already spent enormous amounts providing pandemic relief to households and small- and medium-size businesses. The International Monetary Fund’s June outlook estimates that, including fiscal measures and credit guarantees, spending reached approximately 20 percentage points..
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – known to Saudis and foreigners alike as MBS – is already his country’s de facto ruler, owing to the infirmity of his 84-year-old father, King Salman. With the king currently recovering from gallbladder surgery, the spotlight is shining even more..
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By Adnan, KASHMIR: Before getting to characterize life in Kashmir after the abrogation of article 370, I might wish to make a couple of points clear. There is no doubt, the armed dispute in Kashmir has claimed thousands of lives and caused the economy to bleed and has posed serious warnings to the..
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By Somya Agrawal, KATHMANDU: Gold is said to be one of the highly liquid assets and is the first priority of the investors in the times of economic slowdown, financial uncertainty, and of course ongoing pandemic, COVID-19. To minimize or diversify risks of financial markets, especially in times of..
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While the COVID-19 pandemic rages, more than 100 low- and middle-income countries will still have to pay a combined $130 billion in debt service this year – around half of which is owed to private creditors. With much economic activity suspended and fiscal revenues in free fall, many countries..
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One noisy theme in the Donald Trump Disruption Show in an otherwise chaotic assemblage of messages has remained fairly constant: winding back US troop commitments. The US has fought its complement of wars, bloodied and bloodying. Time to up stakes and head home. It was a message that sold in 2016..
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To track the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the United States is relying heavily on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) live virus testing at massive scale. In the most common version of this approach, samples – nasal swabs or saliva – are sent to relatively large labs,..
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown his regime’s real intentions. By changing the constitution to allow him to remain in office until 2036 and incorporating conservative new language, it has cast off its teetering mask of democratic legitimacy. But just as Putin has sought to entrench his..
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The European Council’s five-day meeting to hash out a 2021-2027 budget and a COVID-19 emergency spending package had all the hallmarks of Euro-summitry: long nighttime discussions; threats by some leaders to leave without an agreement; and a Franco-German push for a deal. Naturally, it all..
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Today’s pandemic-induced humanitarian and economic crisis represents an unprecedented opportunity to go beyond emergency responses and address our economies’ structural flaws. Many governments’ stimulus and recovery packages are already shaping the future. But leaders across all sectors of..
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In February, I warned that any number of foreseeable crises – “white swans” – could trigger a massive global disturbance this year. I noted that: “… the US and Iran have already had a military confrontation that will likely soon escalate; China is in the grip of a viral outbreak that..
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The recent decision of US President Trump to restrict the entry of immigrants to USA has caused considerable protest in different countries. It is reported that one million foreign students are studying in the USA and a number of them stay in USA and do online courses. The argument of President..
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“The beautiful thing about learning,” the great blues guitarist B.B. King once wrote, “is that no one can take it away from you.” Born and raised in poverty, King understood the value of education as a force for change. If only political leaders responding to the COVID-19 pandemic had an..
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Lebanon’s economy has collapsed. There is little confusion about why or what is needed to save it. The question is why nothing has been done. For the last two decades, Lebanon had been living off capital inflows, averaging 20% of GDP per year. Thanks to high interest rates, deposits – largely..
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For the last month, the United States has been regularly breaking its daily record for newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, registering more than four million cases overall and closing in on 150,000 deaths. Although other developed countries in Europe and Asia seem to be containing the spread, the US..
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Malaysia’s politicians were crowing. “We are confident that we are securing more money from Goldman Sachs compared to previous attempts, which were far below expectations,” stated Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz. “We are also glad to be able to resolve this outside the court system,..
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Several scholars around the world have unambiguously pointed out that humanity is the same all over the world, irrespective of the regions in which people live . This implies that under similar circumstances, people around the world react almost in the same way. The present ongoing COVID crisis has..
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It is reported that bank employees’ unions and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) have agreed for an annual wage hike of 15 per cent to the bank staff, a move that will result in an additional yearly outgo of around Rs 7,900 crore for the banks.. As many as 8.5 lakh bank employees are set to..
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The importance of a reliable and widely accessible health-care system is never more apparent than during a pandemic. It is now painfully clear that countries cannot..
