Could the coronavirus be a biological weapon in the not-too-distant future?
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – The devastating spread of the deadly coronavirus across every continent– with the exception of Antarctica– has triggered a conspiracy theory on social media: what if the virus was really a biological weapon? And more specifically, was it an experimental weapon that accidentally escaped from a laboratory in China? Or as others [...]
Coronavirus shuts up big talkers in politics
The invisible coronavirus has accomplished a feat not recorded ever in world history. It has brought mighty nations’ rulers who projected their might and power with much fanfare and bluster only a few weeks ago to their knees and have made them grope for solutions that are apparently not there — as yet. Perhaps for [...]
Musing over a corona
One of my dear friends, who arrived in Sri Lanka from Mexico before all these travel bans were introduced, brought me a much appreciated gift. Knowing my partiality for pale lager beer, he brought me a case of Corona. Fortunately he had truthfully declared to the customs officer here that he was bringing with him [...]
Noncompliance with government directives hampers war against coronavirus
Considering the rate the new coronavirus is spreading in Sri Lanka, non-cooperation by the people with government directives has made things extremely difficult for the medical authorities, police and the military forces to tackle the spread of this pandemic virus. A glaring case of noncompliance involves heads of two leading schools. The principals of Royal [...]
Truth and viral consequences
LONDON – Of all the challenges that humans have faced over millennia, disease has always been a particularly brutal and resourceful enemy. The impact of disease has shaped history. Amerindians were ravaged by illnesses that the Spanish conquistadors brought to Mexico and South America; the “stout Cortez” of John Keats’s poem was accompanied by killer [...]
Coronavirus: Only multilateralism can save us
WASHINGTON, DC – The global economy was ripe for a recession even before the coronavirus pandemic struck. Many commentators have been warning that stock markets were overheated, that advanced economies were heading for a slowdown, and that US President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies had disrupted supply chains and ushered in an era of heightened uncertainty. [...]