Opinion

Hopes for a Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough by the holidays have never been higher, with Pfizer reporting that its vaccine prevented 90% of infections in trials. A vaccine should be available in early 2021 — or possibly earlier — if Pfizer and other strong candidates continuing large-scale clinical trials around the world receive an emergency use authorisation. The big question is ...

Apple Inc’s decision to suspend new business with a key supplier highlights just how hard it is for the world’s biggest tech company to find partners that are both reliable and do the right thing by their workers. The problem may be of its own making. Pegatron Corp won’t get any new contracts after the Taipei-based company was found to ...

As Brexit trade talks enter a make-or-break final negotiating stretch, the impending changes in Washington can’t help but influence things. President-elect Joe Biden isn’t going to express a view over fishing quotas or the impasse on state subsidies. But his election increases the costs for Prime Minister Boris Johnson of a failure in the negotiations. A hard split won’t just ...

President-elect Joe Biden is preparing to lead the US at an increasingly troubling time. Americans face a host of challenges, from surging Covid-19 infections and slowing economic growth to worsening inequality and deep political and social divisions. The Biden administration will be under pressure from Day One and would have a better chance at getting off to a strong start ...

Coronavirus infections are hitting records again in Russia, the world’s fifth hardest-hit nation in absolute terms. This time, the provinces are bearing the brunt, with nearly three-quarters of new cases registered outside of Moscow. Worrying reports suggest some areas are running out of beds, doctors and even oxygen. Even going by official numbers that may understate the toll, this latest ...

Standard Chartered Plc is straining every sinew to get ahead of the changes the pandemic might make to people’s work-life balance. Perhaps it’s trying to take things a little too far. The emerging markets bank says it will “push the boundaries” for half of its 85,000 staff, who work in nine of the 55 countries where it operates. From early ...

Surely hydrogen is the future of energy. Why else would the European Union, as part of its Green Deal, plan to shovel $550 billion into infrastructure to electrolyse and use the stuff? Why else would China, Japan and South Korea be placing their own huge bets on the gas? The enthusiasm about hydrogen has a simple reason: Whether it’s used ...

Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. In the end, the election wasn’t close, despite the illusion created by the order in which the ballots were counted, although it was far from a landslide. Biden will probably win 306 electoral votes and a solid majority of the popular vote. Donald Trump becomes a rare president who was ...

The pandemic has battered the apparel and accessories business more than just about any other retail category. New clothes and bold fashion statements just aren’t as much of a priority now. But whatever desperation some of the giants in this area might be feeling in this moment, they are making a surprising choice: not chasing shoppers with heavy discounting. Capri ...

Just how high a price are the citizens of Japan willing to pay for the privilege of hosting the Olympics? That question is getting a partial answer this month as a series of baseball games are being hosted — with government approval — in crowded stadiums. Various measures to protect spectators are being tested out, including smartphone apps that issue ...