Articles in English

Spain Is Leading the Way on Perpetual Bonds

NEW YORK – The European Council is holding a virtual summit on April 23 to consider how the European Union should cope with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spain’s submission is by far the most thoroughly considered and innovative proposal that will be presented. It should be the first item on the meeting agenda

04 мая 2020 4 мин. 7556

Trump’s War on Public Health

WASHINGTON, DC – US President Donald Trump’s administration is effectively waging war on human health. In addition to imposing tariffs on imported medical equipment and restrictions on exports, the White House has proposed cutting the budget of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 16%, starting in October. Moreover, Trump has also tried to divert blame on to the World Health Organization, after he himself long denied the threat of COVID-19, initially dismissing criticism of his administration’s response as the Democrats’ "new hoax"

30 апреля 2020 5 мин. 10295

Is there a connection between PISA results, reading literacy and libraries?

In 2018 Kazakhstan came down to 69th place out of 77 countries in the international assessment of functional literacy called PISA conducted by the OECD

29 апреля 2020 3 мин. 11438

How Aging Societies Should Respond to Pandemics

LONDON – The global fight against COVID-19 has triggered a surge of interest in the 1918-20 influenza pandemic that killed more than 50 million people around the world. But while we can learn lessons from the past, we must recognize what is different this time and tailor our response accordingly

28 апреля 2020 5 мин. 7327

Patents vs. the Pandemic

NEW YORK – Imagine a world in which a global network of medical professionals monitored for emerging strains of a contagious virus, periodically updated an established formula for vaccinating against it, and then made that information available to companies and countries around the world. Moreover, imagine if this work were done without any intellectual-property (IP) considerations, and without pharmaceutical monopolies exploiting a desperate public to maximize their profits

27 апреля 2020 6 мин. 9986

Warren Buffett Swooped In During 2008 But What Is His Powerplay For 2020?

The Sage of Omaha is still waiting in the wings despite the recent market downturn

24 апреля 2020 4 мин. 8937

Could Pandemic Lead to Famine?

WASHINGTON, DC – The huge health and economic shock that the new coronavirus is delivering to rich countries is also starting to reach deeply into the developing world. But we should not presume that the rich world’s policy responses to the pandemic are best for developing countries, or even feasible. On the contrary, we should anticipate sharper trade-offs and harder constraints in poorer places