Opinion

Could the world be on the brink of a new, cleaner era of aviation? That’s certainly what you might think from the way some people are talking. Mandates for blending so-called Sustainable Aviation Fuel into jet kerosene form one plank of the European Union’s recently announced plans to reduce emissions 55% by 2030. The technology will be key to airlines’ ...

The UK’s “Freedom Day” has been declared a damp squib by taxi firm Addison Lee, and it’s hard to disagree. Even with hospitalisations and deaths low — and cases falling — mobility is plateauing and below pre-pandemic levels in some areas. Brits are exercising their freedom to mingle selectively. We are a long way from the celebratory orgies reported by ...

As inflation rates accelerate around the world, central banks are talking about tapering their stimulus programs. With UK data starting to give distinctly mixed signals about how fast the economy is rebounding, the Bank of England (BOE) should err on the side of caution this week as it debates when and whether to start easing back on its support. The ...

Among the arguments that persuaded British people like me to oppose Brexit was that it would create a raft of new diplomatic headaches the UK does not need, in exchange for an anemic sort of new “freedom.” True, the European Union is a mess: I do not think it can survive into the next decade without radical upheaval. But it ...

One biracial athlete carried Japan’s flag at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, another lit the cauldron and both global sports stars put a spotlight on what has been dubbed the “Unity in Diversity” games. Flag-bearer and NBA player Rui Hachimura and four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka were front and center at the start of the games ...

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is asking Mexicans to decide whether his five predecessors should be investigated for alleged wrongdoing, part of an effort to retain his anti-graft credentials and rally his support base, even though the vote’s results are likely to be toothless. Supporters of that idea have placed posters around the country depicting fake mug shots of the ...

President Joe Biden is struggling with a surge in coronavirus cases, an impending wave of evictions and a spike in consumer prices that have left the White House looking unprepared and threaten to undermine months of more sure-handed work on the pandemic. Biden surprised Congress owith a last-minute plea to extend a moratorium on evictions, two days before the ban’s ...

The widespread and enduring failings in Credit Suisse Group AG’s risk management exposed by the Archegos scandal were laid out in all their gory detail. The Swiss bank has started addressing each weakness one by one. What’s needed is for these measures to coalesce into a total cultural overhaul. The implosion of Archegos Capital Management came fast in March. Credit ...

American Express revamped its Platinum card earlier this month, increasing the annual fee to $695 from $550 and adding various new perks. For those accustomed to spending $550 a year for a credit card, an increase of $145 doesn’t seem like much. Still, Platinum cardholders who continue to be wary of frequent travel or big trips due to Covid-19 and ...

America’s population may be shrinking. That’s mostly because of Covid, but it’s also part of longer-term trends in fertility that show no signs of abating. These trends, which are worldwide, have already caused major economic dislocation and are likely to continue to do so. First, some data. From 1936 to 1956, the US fertility rate rose from 1.8 to 3.2. ...