Showing 1 - 10 of 144
Global travel erases places we love
News, Richard Florida and Carlo Ratti, Published on 17/03/2026
» Venice is drowning -- not just in rising waters but also in tourists. The city is charging a day-tripper fee and has banned large tour groups and loudspeakers in an effort to curb the crush. Barcelona residents march with squirt guns and "Tourists go home" signs to protest rising rents and crowds. Amsterdam is moving to cap and eventually ban ocean-going cruise ships to reduce pollution and visitor pressure.
The Iran war is upending global energy markets
Oped, Carolyn Kissane, Published on 12/03/2026
» The war with Iran is widening faster than many expected. The Islamic Republic's retaliation against Arab Gulf states has extended beyond military targets to critical civilian infrastructure, including airports, water desalination plants, and energy facilities. Hezbollah has opened a second front from Lebanon. US President Donald Trump suggests that operations could last "four to five weeks", but with nearly 50 senior Iranian officials having been killed, it is unclear who might be positioned to negotiate an off-ramp.
Killing the goose that lays the Olympic gold medal
Oped, Nancy Qian, Published on 24/02/2026
» The Olympic Games have always been about more than sports, with the medal count serving as a measure of national vitality. The 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina are no different. The Americans, like everyone else, want confirmation of their preeminence. So important is that outcome that even US Vice President JD Vance briefly acknowledged the value of non-white immigration to the United States when he complained that Eileen Gu, the US-born medal-winning skier for China, should be competing under the American flag.
Deliberation and bureaucracy can live together
Oped, Joe Mathews, Published on 23/02/2026
» Deliberative democracy is now officially entangled in state bureaucracy. And that's good news for citizens around the world.
Our tariff-era dollar, your problem
Oped, Qiyuan Xu, Published on 04/02/2026
» In 2025, the dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of major currencies, fell by roughly 9.4%. Over the same period, the United States' average effective tariff rate rose by around 14.4 percentage points, from 2.4% to 16.8%, according to the Yale Budget Lab. Taken together, these shifts imply that, in the import trade domain, the US experienced an effective exchange-rate depreciation of around 24%.
How climate fund can give justice for all
News, Sarinee Achavanuntakul, Published on 28/11/2025
» In one of the most momentous climate policy moves, Thailand's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) was formally submitted to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Nov 4.
Land Bridge built on shaky science
Editorial, Published on 23/11/2025
» The planned Land Bridge megaproject and its deep-sea ports in the South pose no environmental threats because the seas there are already barren -- or so the government's study claims. Science, however, shows the opposite.
Salient warning
Postbag, Published on 16/11/2025
» Re: "Opium seen as promising medicinal crop", (BP, Nov 13).
Changing face of foreign direct investment
News, Jayati Ghosh, Published on 15/10/2025
» Although US President Donald Trump's protectionist trade policies dominate news headlines, they are far from the only forces shaping global production. New investment patterns have been reshaping the global economic landscape since well before Mr Trump's tariffs.
Time for mission-oriented approach to school meals
News, Mariana Mazzucato, Published on 13/10/2025
» The global food system is failing on multiple fronts. With more than 2.6 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet, over 500 million are expected to be chronically undernourished by 2030. Worse, at a time when meeting future demand requires a 50% increase in food production, food-system productivity is actually declining, owing partly to rising climate risks. Agrifood industries are not only driving biodiversity loss, land degradation, and a global water crisis, but also generating almost one-third of global greenhouse-gas emissions.