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British newspapers issued Thursday dealt with a number of issues, including the impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the rise of new international powers such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the start of the journey to recover from the economic and social effects of Covid 19 after three years of the epidemic, and a blood analysis that facilitates the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
We start with the Financial Times, whose editorial was titled “The New World Order and the Rise of the Centrist Powers.” The newspaper says that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine this year put an end to the post-Cold War reconciliation between Russia and the West. Rivalries between the United States and China have also increased, as Beijing ramps up military pressure on Taiwan and Washington tightens controls on technology exports to China.
The newspaper believes that the growing competition between the Western alliance led by the United States and the Russian-Chinese axis provides opportunities and threats to the “central powers”.
As Washington, Brussels, Beijing and Moscow try to steer world affairs in their direction, they should pay more attention to the views of centrist powers such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and South Africa.
The newspaper says that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under pressure at home, but he is a skilled player on the international stage, and is trying to adapt international issues in his favor. Despite its membership in NATO, Turkey has not joined Western sanctions against Russia.
The newspaper says that the Ukraine war gave Ankara real leverage, as the Turks brokered the deal to allow grain to be transported across the Black Sea, thus easing food inflation around the world. Turkey may play an important role in future peace negotiations.
The newspaper also says that the rise in energy prices linked to the Ukraine war led to an increase in Saudi influence. She adds that US President Joe Biden, who spoke of turning Saudi Arabia into a “pariah state”, visited Riyadh during the summer. In recent weeks, the Saudis have hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The newspaper believes that the West cannot ignore the centrist powers represented in the Group of Twenty, because their increasing economic weight means that they are necessary to form the rules of trade, technology, sanctions and international standards.
The paper also believes that the centrist forces must also think carefully about their positions. She says that defending their interests is fair enough. But uncontrolled aggression by Russia and China will eventually also threaten the interests of centrist powers such as Turkey, Indonesia, India and the Gulf states.
recovery journey
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We turn to the Guardian, whose editorial was titled “Pandemic recovery: we are just beginning.” The newspaper says that three years after the start of the spread of the Corona virus through Wuhan in China, and the death of about 6.6 million people affected by the epidemic, the world is just beginning to understand its impact.
The newspaper says that the epidemic is not over yet, as it is spreading widely in China, after lifting strict controls and opening the country after years of closure. Even in Britain, the number of cases rose to more than a million again in mid-December.
The newspaper says that despite vaccines and improved treatments, some people are still at high risk, and the number of people living with the health effects of long-term Covid is estimated at two million.
The newspaper says that returning life to normal before the Covid epidemic is not an easy matter. In addition to the economic damage, and the delay in Britain’s recovery from other G7 countries, there are also the health and social consequences of the epidemic. The newspaper says that the epidemic has affected the British health system, and it may not recover from it.
The newspaper believes that the epidemic has had a significant impact on young children in particular, as they suffer from delayed social development and increased behavioral problems, in addition to the academic impact.
The newspaper says that the families of those who died as a result of the epidemic are still suffering from grief and the pain of loss. Many have also lost their jobs or businesses. This is in addition to the psychological suffering caused by years of living in isolation from family and friends.
A new way to diagnose Alzheimer’s
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And we turn to the health page in The Independent newspaper, and a report by Vishwam Sankaran entitled “Development of a new blood test for detecting signs of Alzheimer’s disease.”
The author says that scientists have developed a new blood test to detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease, a development that would facilitate the diagnosis of the disease and reduce its costs.
Currently, he adds, diagnosing Alzheimer’s requires expensive and time-consuming neuroimaging tests, say researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in the US, who developed the new blood test.
The writer says that in the new research, scientists sought to develop a diagnostic tool using biomarkers in blood samples, which facilitates a complex process of examinations and gives patients a better chance at diagnosis.