OPINION

THACA – The world is currently transfixed by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping through many regions, especially Asia, Africa, and South America. But, focused as we are on the public-health crisis, we risk overlooking pandemic-related economic problems that could plague developing countries long after the wave has …

Ten streams of evidence collectively support the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted primarily by the airborne route. First, superspreading events account for substantial SARS-CoV-2 transmission; indeed, such events may be the pandemic’s primary drivers.  Detailed analyses of human behaviours and interactions, room sizes, ventilation, and other variables in choir concerts, …

India averted major deaths or health system burdening in the 2020 wave of COVID-19. But today, and as per official records, India clocks more than 4,000 deaths and 4,00,000 new infections every day due to COVID-19.  The unfolding humanitarian crisis has brought India to its knees. Modelling by the Institute …

NEW DELHI – The Biden administration’s decision to stop opposing a proposed COVID-19 waiver of certain intellectual-property rights under World Trade Organization rules is a welcome move. The US Trade Representative acknowledges that “the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures.” While affirming that it “believes strongly in intellectual property protections,” …

WASHINGTON, DC – Joe Biden has been president of the United States for one hundred days, less than 7% of the time he was elected to serve. Still, it is not too soon to draw some tentative conclusions about the nature of his presidency. Biden’s principal accomplishment to date is …

Let me begin by making it clear that no individual or organization should feel offended by this post, as it is only intended to start a practical conversation and actions to solve this perennial water problem in our capital city. The people in my neighbourhood and my family went to …

LONDON – “Nobody is safe until everyone is safe” is the defining mantra of the COVID-19 era. It captures a fundamental truth. Faced with a virus that recognizes no borders, no country is an island – and there is no substitute for international solidarity. The June G7 summit in the …

LONDON – As preparations for this year’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow intensify, attention is focused on efforts to prevent a future catastrophe. But real-time climate catastrophes already are playing out in the lives of millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. What will COP26 offer them? Stick …

CHICAGO – Digital payments are attracting growing interest, and eye-popping numbers abound, as demonstrated by the US payment processor Stripe’s recent $95 billion valuation. Why all the excitement, and why now? At one level, the reason is straightforward: digital payments allow buyers to pay sellers without physical currency changing hands. Though the …

Bangladesh – among Bhutan’s closest and friendliest neighbors has every reason to celebrate not one but two landmark events: the Golden Jubilee of Independence and Centenary Birth Anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of Bangladesh’s freedom struggle. The Father of the Nation would have been proud to see that …