World Dec 1, 2021
The race is on to trace the omicron variant
The pace of research highlights the pressure on governments and public health authorities to decide quickly whether they need to take strict steps to curb omicron's spread.
Alistair Smout
For Alistair Smout's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
World | FOCUS Nov 5, 2021
Johnson's COVID-19 gambit steers Britain's health care system into uncharted waters
Britain, its hospitals and its COVID-19 strategy are under the microscope as the country enters the dangerous winter period.
World / Science & Health Jul 26, 2021
How the delta variant upends assumptions about the coronavirus
The delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered.
World / Science & Health | FOCUS Nov 24, 2020
Decades of work, and half a dose of fortune, drove Oxford vaccine success
The Oxford vaccinologists were exhilarated on Monday when drugmaker AstraZeneca, with whom they developed the shot, announced that it could be around 90% effective.
Entertainment News Nov 2, 2020
Johnny Depp loses 'wife beater' libel case against The Sun
Hollywood star Johnny Depp on Monday lost his libel battle with a British tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater,” after a London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted his former partner and put her in fear for her life.
World / Politics May 8, 2015
Scottish nationalists crush opponents, setting stage for new independence bid
Scottish nationalists rampaged to victory north of the border in Britain's national election, obliterating their opponents and setting the stage for a new battle over independence. In an epic performance, the Scottish National Party (SNP) ousted the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, defeated ...
World / Politics Sep 21, 2014
After Scottish vote, U.K. faces monumental shift in governance — and all that comes with it
When 3.6 million Scots voted Thursday on whether to leave or stay within the United Kingdom, they were answering one simple question: Should Scotland be an independent country? But for a time some politicians on both sides of the debate wanted to include a third ...
World / Politics Sep 5, 2014
A Scottish 'yes' vote may not be such a big change for the queen
Scotland's vote on independence this month means Queen Elizabeth II faces a division in her kingdom not seen since the days of her namesake, Elizabeth I, at the start of the 17th century. But some things may not change so much. Whatever the outcome, Elizabeth is ...
World / Politics | FOCUS Jul 18, 2014
As Scotland decides, not all Scots get a say
Ruth McPherson was born and educated in Scotland but left to work in London two years ago and so has no say on whether her native country should end three centuries of union with England. Over a million Scots like McPherson living outside the land ...