Natasha Vargas

Mar 27, 2024 | dowjones.com | Natasha Vargas

Women’s sexual and reproductive rights have long been major topics of debate in the US, and the politicization of these issues continues to mount as the 2024 presidential election nears. We are approaching the two year mark since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court Case ruling overturned Roe v. Wade (1973), which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.

Dec 14, 2023 | dowjones.com | Natasha Vargas |Brian Keane

According to Reporters Without Borders, the number of countries that seriously violated press freedoms increased from 28 in 2022 to 31 in 2023 (The Wall Street Journal, 8 December). Conversations around freedom of press and trust in media are well represented across news outlets in Factiva. Topics that are consistently in focus for jurisdictions promotive of news transparency include: human rights, sanctions, security, environment, education and health, according to a Factiva analytics report.

Dec 11, 2023 | dowjones.com | Natasha Vargas |Brian Panton

On October 7, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on numerous Israeli communities. Despite the intense fighting that persists in Gaza and Israel, energy markets have seen little disruption to petroleum supplies. On October 6, Brent futures were at $84.58 per barrel (Reuters News, October 6), but on October 19, prices shot up to $92.38/bbl over fears that the war would affect the wider Middle Eastern region (OPIS News Alerts, November 13).