Zambia was already a case study in how not to run an economy
“I FEEL YOUR PAIN,” said Edgar Lungu in a televised address on April 24th. The president of Zambia claimed that covid-19 had “thrown into disarray” the country’s finances. He mused about whether the government could afford to pay for pensions, civil-service salaries and medicine. “Where will the money come from?”It is a good question. Zambia…
How to detect business fraud
May 2nd 2020LIKE A LOT of people, Carson Block found his vocation by accident. In 2010 he was living in China and trying to set up a business. His father asked him to look at Orient Paper, a Chinese firm listed in New York. He scoured the company’s filings and became doubtful of its claims.…
America’s cities and states face a cash crunch
May 2nd 2020WESTCHESTER COUNTYEditor’s note: The Economist is making some of its most important coverage of the covid-19 pandemic freely available to readers of The Economist Today, our daily newsletter. To receive it, register here. For our coronavirus tracker and more coverage, see our hubNO COUNTY IN New York, outside the city and Long Island,…
Some Asian governments are fighting covid-19 with fun
Editor’s note: The Economist is making some of its most important coverage of the covid-19 pandemic freely available to readers of The Economist Today, our daily newsletter. To receive it, register here. For our coronavirus tracker and more coverage, see our hubNOT ALL Malaysians are afraid of catching covid-19, judging by the sometimes half-hearted adherence…
Bangladesh cannot afford to close its garment factories
May 2nd 2020Editor’s note: The Economist is making some of its most important coverage of the covid-19 pandemic freely available to readers of The Economist Today, our daily newsletter. To receive it, register here. For our coronavirus tracker and more coverage, see our hubTHE BANGLADESHI version of lockdown, observes Rumi, a garment-worker, is quite ruthless:…
Separatists and Yemen’s government are at it again
WHEN IT INTERVENED in Yemen’s civil war, Saudi Arabia hoped to make quick work of the Houthis, an Iranian-backed group that had swept down from the northern highlands to seize the capital, Sana’a. Five years later the Houthis are still in control—and Saudi Arabia cannot even corral its own allies. One is the government, which…
Some African politicians risk spreading covid through quackery
Editor’s note: The Economist is making some of its most important coverage of the covid-19 pandemic freely available to readers of The Economist Today, our daily newsletter. To receive it, register here. For our coronavirus tracker and more coverage, see our hubMANY AFRICAN politicians are fighting covid-19 with tools prescribed by science. South Africa’s president,…
Man Shoots USPS Carrier Because He Was Annoyed Over Stimulus Check
A U.S. postal carrier was shot and killed by a man on her route following dissensions about mail being withheld including economic impact checks. Angela Summers was shot after an individual inside a residence she delivers mail to had not got their stimulus check, according to reports. 21-year-old Tony Cushingberry was charged Thursday with “second-degree…