A year and a half into the Covid-19 pandemic, schools are reopening amid more uncertainty than ever. Just about the only thing districts know for sure is that last year’s lockdowns and online learning were a disaster for the emotional health and academic progress of school-aged children — especially the poor — and that in-person instruction is beginning amid the ...

Everything old is new again. Witness fintech giant Square’s recent acquisition of Afterpay, a company that enables consumers to buy now and pay later via regular payments administered by the Australia-based company. Afterpay appeals to young millennials eager to move beyond conventional forms of financing such as credit cards. This may seem cutting edge to the youngsters, but it’s nothing ...

China won’t be rushing into Afghanistan any time soon — not to fill the political and security void left by the US and not to expand President Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road project. However decisive the Taliban’s victory looks right now, the country is far too fragile for Beijing to contemplate anything other than a pragmatic diplomatic engagement with ...