A bloodless coup transformed Thailand’s absolute monarchy into a constitutional system in 1932, yet the country does not enjoy full democracy today. Thailand’s elite do not trust citizens with decision-making, and there is a “reinvention of modern-day authoritarianism in the form of a triumvirate...
Health care systems introduced the measles vaccine in the early 1960s, preventing countless deaths. Still, the contagious disease causes about 100,000 deaths each year. Pockets of resistance against vaccines emerge in wealthy and poor nations alike, with serious outbreaks of measles and other...
Old remedy, new challenges: Vaccinations save lives but pockets of resistance are found worldwide; global outbreak of measles-rubella energized municipal governments in Delhi to launch a vaccination campaign, and a US teenager in Washington State...
More women pause before rushing into marriage. Historically, the institution represented women's only path for financial security, but social and economic pressures have subsided in advanced economies. Research studies along with cultural and demographic trends support decisions to delay...
Singular happiness: Single American women enjoy an evening out, while one in seven Japanese women remain single
NEW YORK: Evidence concerning the state of marriage strongly suggests that women should give serious thought before making the momentous...
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made fewer public appearances throughout 2020 than he did during the same period a year ago, and whether that is due to the Covid-19 pandemic or other reasons is unknown. “Although only 36, he could be a candidate for a health event,” writes Mike Chinoy, author...
Top secret: The Kim family has controlled North Korea since 1948 and when leaders go out of sight, global security analysts speculate on transition – Kim Jong Un met with US President Trump in 2019, left, and his sister Kim Yo Jong joined a meeting...
A EU Disinformation Task Force exposed a publication that purports to cover the European Parliament, eptoday.com, and is managed by Indian interests. The magazine has “ties to a large network of think tanks, NGOs, and companies from the Srivastava Group.” The task force quickly figured out the...
As China and the United States negotiate a trade deal, currency manipulation is among the contentious issues. The US president announced agreement has been reached on currency manipulation, but did not release details. Control is easier said than done. Currency values are fluid, moving in relation...
Weighing the money: A customer decides which currency to purchase, and an Indian shopkeeper counts his rupee notes.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY: Currency overvaluation or undervaluation can have advantages or disadvantages, depending on a country’s...
The pandemic and climate change demonstrate that survival depends on the ability to learn while relying on best evidence. Political leaders who downplay or deny the consequences of Covid-19 and climate change – trying to protect economies for the short term, rejecting early warnings and refusing to...
Iran is limiting provision of family planning services at state-run facilities to counter a decline in population growth. Iran’s median age is 32, slightly higher than the world’s median age of 30. The World Bank reports Iran’s fertility rate at 2.1 children per women, which is replacement level....
