Showing 1 - 10 of 480
When journalism still exists -- but no longer matters
News, Carla Norrlöf, Published on 14/02/2026
» 'Democracy Dies in Darkness" became the motto of the Washington Post in 2017, four years after Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and one of the world's richest men, purchased the newspaper. Today, however, Mr Bezos, who has throttled the Post's opinion page and now slashed the newspaper's staff, seems determined to demonstrate that a free press, an essential component of democracy, can be killed off in broad daylight.
Rethinking global health finance
Oped, Walter O Ochieng & Tom Achoki, Published on 06/02/2026
» For the past half-century, the economics of global health were straightforward. Under the so-called "grant-based" approach, rich countries donate to poor countries, which use the funds to meet their populations' health needs. Success was measured by services provided or lives saved, rather than by balance sheets. While this model was far from perfect, the latest approach replacing it -- focused on using tools like guarantees and blended finance to crowd in private capital -- threatens to produce even worse outcomes.
Asian defence firms eye win amid global tension
News, Manishi Raychaudhuri, Published on 26/01/2026
» Geopolitical tensions were sky-high in 2025, and US President Donald Trump's recent military actions in Venezuela and bid for Greenland suggest the international temperature won't be dropping any time soon.
When infrastructure meets AI
Oped, Bertrand Badré & Saurabh Mishra, Published on 16/01/2026
» Infrastructure investment is booming. Around the world, governments are pouring trillions of dollars into roads, power grids, data centres, water systems, and housing, with many responding to intensifying climate shocks and the growing need for adaptation. Yet the construction industry -- the single largest force physically reshaping the planet -- is among the last major sectors to unlock all the benefits that digital technology offers. As a result, it accounts for about 21% of greenhouse-gas emissions, produces half of global landfill waste, and overspends by US$1.6 trillion a year.
Oil's geopolitical premium is gone
News, Ron Bousso, Published on 25/12/2025
» Global oil markets faced multiple black swan events in 2025 -- including the Israel-Iran war and Ukrainian strikes on Russian refiners -- yet they were barely fazed. This calm may be the new normal in an era of energy abundance, even as the world becomes a more dangerous place.
Infiltration by a bad lot
News, Editorial, Published on 22/12/2025
» Images of armed clashes along the Thai–Cambodian border have drawn global attention, especially after the Thai military expanded its operations to casinos. While these sites were described as military positions used to stage attacks against Thailand, the symbolism of the strikes extends far beyond the battlefield.
Artists resist repression in Thailand, US
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 08/12/2025
» In late August, two seemingly unrelated events occurred in Thailand and the US. The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) altered a major exhibit it had recently opened and, a few weeks later, the comedian Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily taken off the air by the ABC television network. These events are linked as forms of artistic repression and perhaps more concerning, as examples of the growing use of intermediary censorship by authoritarian regimes.
Southeast Asia squeezed by superpowers
News, Manishi Raychaudhuri, Published on 15/11/2025
» Southeast Asian nations are in a bind. While the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (Asean) exporters face increasing pressure from US tariffs and heightened scrutiny of transshipments, their domestic markets are increasingly being dominated by Chinese goods.
Gates' 'truth' about climate change
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 14/11/2025
» Ahead of this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), now underway in Belém, Brazil, Bill Gates, who chairs and funds the foundation that bears his name, released an essay entitled "Three tough truths about climate". The first of these truths is: "Climate change is a serious problem, but it will not be the end of civilisation."
COP30 must be more focused on human welfare
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 13/11/2025
» With the United Nations climate summit, COP30, now in full swing in the humid jungle city of Belém, Brazil, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has cut through the noise with a blunt truth: these UN climate gatherings must zero in on lifting human lives, rather than fixating solely on slashing emissions or dialling down global temperatures. It's a perspective that's long overdue yet seems so obvious.