As they continue to grapple with a global pandemic, governments will need to manage deficits and debt-payment plans while finding the best ways to support economic recovery. Deficits worldwide could reach $9 trillion to $11 trillion in 2020, and a cumulative total of as much as $30 trillion by 2023. Governments will need to find…
India and China’s deadly crash this week in the Himalayas is the worst crisis in their border quarrel since 1967. Pakistan is also a very interested player, watching the game play out just as it did in 1962 and hoping its rival India will be humiliated. The remote region where the clash is occurring is…
The human cost of coronavirus has continued to mount, with more than 8.25 million cases confirmed globally and more than 441,300 people known to have died. With the World Health Orgainsation declaring the outbreak as a pandemic, the virus has spread to more than 200 countries. The Financial Times have provided an up-to-date visual narrative of…
COVID-19 has shattered economies and societies around the world, upended government plans and business operations, and challenged the fabric of many communities. The effects are far-reaching, and leaders are seeking to understand how they reopen their countries and what are the lessons from other nations. Brookings’ latest publication discusses the reopening in several different countries,…
A cheap and widely available drug has been found to help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus. Dexamethasone is a low-dose steroid treatment that has had a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus, UK experts say. About 19 out of 20 patients with coronavirus recover without being admitted to…
Why Tencent is spending Rmb500 billion on a ‘new infrastructure’ push This article was originally published in the Week in China. In its early days Tencent’s reputation was more that of a fast-follower than a pioneer. While Alibaba was introducing e-commerce and taking its first steps towards fintech with the payment tool Alipay, Tencent adopted…
The Coronavirus has plunged the world into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. But lifting lockdown measure may not rescue their economies to the degree they hope. Evidence from South Korea, which never shut private businesses, tells a cautionary tale. Taiwan and South Korea are also in midst of an economic downturn, although not as severe as…
A confluence of advances in biological science and accelerating development of computing, automation, and artificial intelligence is fuelling a new wave of innovation. This Bio Revolution could have significant impact on economies and our lives, from health and agriculture to consumer goods, and energy and materials. New biological applications are already improving our response to global…
Countries and regions around the globe are gradually moving past the peak of the pandemic. With China’s COVID-19 lockdown over, travel is beginning to restart. Businesses remain cautious, but almost all offices, factories, schools, and retail outlets have reopened. A recent survey conducted by McKinsey showed that the first thing people want to spend money…