“We ought to be suspicious of persuasive speakers and the appeal to emotions.”— Plato The rise of ‘fake news’ sites, internet filter bubbles, and the ever-increasing polarisation of society have given rise to the idea that we are living in a ‘post-truth’ world. Post-truth is what dominates the current political and cultural conversations. Facts are up for dispute, even if …

By: Abdul Sattar In a country that houses more than 40 million people who live below the poverty line, the cost of living is rising with each passing day. But no political party seems to be interested in addressing this important issue. Around 67 percent of the population does not have a roof over their heads, more than 34 percent …

By: Walter Sim The United Nations (UN) has imposed six sets of sanctions against North Korea since its first nuclear test in 2006, but these have failed to stop the isolated state from pursuing its missile weapons programme. Last Tuesday, Pyongyang raised the stakes when it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time that places Alaska within …

By: Andrew Ross Sorkin Retailing is dead. Sales clerks are losing their jobs by the thousands. The employment picture for young people with only a high school education is going to get even worse. And all this is happening because of Amazon and its ilk, which are driving the shift among consumers toward e-commerce. We’ve heard this story over and …

By: Antony J. Blinken Tweeting first and asking questions later is not a good way to make policy — especially in the Middle East. In a recent salvo, President Donald J. Trump took credit for a decision by one set of American partners — Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates — to sever relations with another, Qatar. It …

By: Shahid Javed Burki The already unsettled Middle East became even more so after the visit to the region by President Donald Trump. What he said in a speech delivered before an audience of 50 Muslim heads of state, most of them non-Arab, has torn apart alliances that had brought some stability to the perennially disturbed area. Events that occurred …

We need a new way to classify these attacks. By: Tung Yin James T. Hodgkinson, the man who shot five people at a Republican baseball practice Wednesday, including a member of Congress, harbored ill will toward President Trump and the GOP. So was Hodgkinson a terrorist? Legally and morally, we see intent as the best way to distinguish terrorism from …

The month of June 2017 has witnessed an important international event. The two archrivals India and Pakistan, with a bitter rivalry that spans nearly 70 years and shows no signs of abatement, have joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as its full members. Pakistan’s membership (as well as India’s) was a part of a process, from Observer status to full …

By: Yasmeen Aftab Ali For Pakistan, this membership must be intelligently capitalised upon by developing close knit ties with member states, developing their trust in Pakistan and her future for business and investment purposes. Pakistan and India became full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in June 2017. The joining of SCO by the arch enemies will change the …

By: Ali Salman KUALA LUMPUR: In 1990, almost 4 in 10 people were living under the international extreme poverty line of $1.90 a day according to the World Bank. In 2013, that figure had fallen to just over 1 in 10, but that still represents more than 767 million people. Out of these 767 million people, 40% live in South …