Results for Opinion

As government mandated lockdowns to combat the coronavirus pandemic affect a rising share of the global population, fewer will die of COVID-19, as well as other transmissible diseases. But how should we weigh those benefits against the costs of unemployment, social isolation, and widespread bankruptcies? By Peter Singer and Michael Plant.

A pandemic is enveloping the world, endangering the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. As US President Donald Trump desperately seeks to shift blame for his own ineptitude, China is laying the groundwork for global leadership in the post-COVID-19 era. Thanks to Trump, the US will almost certainly lose the great-power competition – and countless lives. By Vali Nasr

It is likely that eventually, CoViD-19 will become endemic (commonly recurring in the community), and most of us will get infected, says Justin Lessler, an associate professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the United States, stressing that it is most important to slow the speed of transmission.

No one knows where or how fast a new virus will spread. We cannot calculate the risks with confidence, and we will know only in hindsight whether we overreacted or underreacted. Given this uncertainty, how we respond to a viral outbreak is as crucial as the nature of the pathogen. And how we respond to the COVID-19 coronavirus should be guided by what we have learned from past viral epidemics. - By Gerd Gigerenzer.

The apocalyptic images of the locked-down Chinese city of Wuhan have reached us all. The world is holding its breath over the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, and governments are taking or preparing drastic measures that will necessarily sacrifice individual rights and freedoms for the general good. ...But few mention, let alone confront, the underlying cause of the epidemic. - Peter Singer.

Isn't it unusual that there has not been a sitting of Parliament to welcome in a change of government, formed under a new Prime Minister in October last year? - Editor's Comment, by Pesi Fonua.

Some fear that the timing of China’s coronavirus outbreak – at the start of the country's week-long New Year celebration, and in the middle of traditional school-break travels – will exacerbate the economic fallout from the epidemic. But three important factors may limit the virus’s impact on Chinese and global GDP. ...I expect that both the Chinese authorities and the World Health Organization will declare the epidemic to be under control by early April. By Shang-Jin Wei.

‘I mamani ‘oku pau ke ta’ofi mo teke’i ma’upe ka ‘i ai ha kaunoa mo ha hala loto’api atu ‘a e Politikale ‘i he sipoti. ‘Oku tohi mata’ā’ā eni ‘i he ngaahi konisitutone lelei ‘a e ngaahi kautaha sipoti` mo honau ngaahi va’a fakalao`. Ko e ‘Akapulu ‘Iunioni ‘a Tongfa ‘oku ‘ikai ‘aupito ke ‘iai ha’ane makehe ‘a’ana kapau ‘oku tau fiema’u ke fai ha laka kimu’a ‘o hange ko e ngaahi Fonua ko ee`. Ka ko e ta’u ‘e 2 mo e konga ko’eni kuotau fononga mai ai ku ou siotonu ai ‘i he ngaahi founga fakahoko ngaue ‘a e Komiti ‘Akapulu ‘a Tonga, ‘i he’enau feinga fakapa’anga pea mo e feinga faingamalie fakafo’ituitui pea mo ha paati fakapolitikale mo ha’anautolu` feinga ke a’u hanau kau poupou ke nau fili ‘i he ‘enau paati` ‘oka fai e fili koia-fakapolitikale. By 'Inoke Afeaki.

Owing to the smoke from nearby wildfires, Canberra this month has had the world’s worst air-quality index, with readings 20 times above the official hazardous threshold. The city also recently experienced its hottest day on record (111°F/44°C). Meanwhile, Delhi had its coldest December day on record. Both are evidence of growing climate volatility, confirming the reality of global warming. By Ramesh Thakur.