BIG Exclusives

Tensions between the United States and Iran have raised fears of a prolonged oil supply shock, increasing volatility in global markets. In theory, higher oil prices should lead to higher inflation and lower real output. China’s case is more complex. Theoretically, as shown in Diagram 1, an oil shock is a negative supply disruption that causes cost-push inflation and a fall in real output. Because oil is a key input in transportation and manufacturing, an...

In the early 1990s, Sue Rodriguez captured a nation’s conscience. A woman in the Canadian province of British Columbia diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), she fought publicly for the right to a physician-assisted death as her body failed. Her articulate, dignified, and powerful plea – “I want to die with dignity” – resonated deeply because it was bounded. It was about unbearable, irremediable physical suffering in a life’s final chapter. The Supreme Court of Canada...

Nigeria’s economy is once again under major pressure due to rising global oil prices related to geopolitical tensions. While higher crude prices often suggest economic gains for an oil-producing country, Nigeria’s situation is more complex. The country stands at a crossroad where it can benefit from increased revenue, yet remains exposed to serious economic risks that come with structural weaknesses. At the heart of Nigeria’s vulnerability is its economic structure. The country relies heavily on...

As the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) hurtle toward an era of intense great-power rivalry, a fundamental shift in the global balance of power is under way. For decades, China has leveraged its near monopoly on critical minerals to exert strategic influence over the West. Today, under its 47th president (POTUS 47) or President Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. is aggressively countering that leverage by weaponizing its dominance in global...

The Iranian flashpoint was never only about oil, missiles, and nuclear sites. It is a live demonstration of a deeper contest: control over the 17 rare-earth and critical minerals that make modern weapons possible. Without them, precision-guided munitions, drone swarms, satellite constellations, fighter-jet radars, and the next generation of autonomous systems simply do not function at the scale necessary to project, demonstrate, and sustain power. As fellow BIG Media contributor Kaase Gbakon pointed out eloquently (Clean...

Digital transformation is reshaping engineering. It is altering how products, processes and systems are conceived, designed, built, operated, and maintained. It is not merely the adoption of new tools; digital transformation is reconfiguring engineering workflows through data-centric architectures, automation, and integrated digital ecosystems. The cumulative effect, across engineering disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical, and software development, includes: Improved productivity for engineers Enhanced innovation capacity Reduced time and cost for product development Increased reliability...

I am compelled to ask the question comprising the headline above (with apologies to 1970s progressive rockers Supertramp for borrowing their album title) as I am pummelled daily by news of yet another “crisis”. The Housing Crisis, the Drug Crisis, the War in Iran Crisis, the Microplastics Crisis, the Economic Crisis, and the granddaddy of them all – the Climate Crisis. When seemingly everything is labeled a “crisis”, how do governments, businesses, and citizens in...

The Iranian flashpoint offers more than tests of air defences and nuclear sites. It exposes the evolving anatomy of Iran's most ambitious strategic asset: the Axis of Resistance. Decades in the making, this network of allied militias, political movements, and ideological partners span Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Shia militias in Iraq, Hamas in Gaza, and various remnants of Palestinian splinter groups. This network has long been presented by Tehran as a seamless...

There is a point in any system under pressure at which what appears to be working begins to separate from what can actually be trusted. It is not dramatic. There is no visible failure, no alarm, no obvious breakdown. Outputs continue to flow, timelines are met, and confidence builds. Decisions are made more quickly than before, often with less friction, and the system appears to be doing exactly what it was designed to do. It...

In June 2025, Israel launched "Operation Rising Lion," a sweeping aerial campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities at Natanz, military and political leadership, and missile infrastructure. The 12-day exchange of strikes that followed briefly threatened to draw the United States into direct, large-scale combat with Iran. Missiles flew, air defences were tested, civilian areas suffered collateral damage, and both sides declared victory. Yet within weeks, the most striking feature of the conflict was not the...