As America draws down its troops, Afghans clear their throats
Sep 19th 2020AFTER SIX months of intransigence and delay, the Taliban and Afghan government leaders at last sat down together on September 12th in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to seek an agreement on how to run their country. An accord in February between America and the Taliban mainly concerned the promised withdrawal of American…
As Bangladesh’s relations with India weaken, ties with China strengthen
Sep 19th 2020SYLHET, A CITY in north-eastern Bangladesh, is some 50km from the border with India. But when the government awarded a $250m contract in April to build a new airport terminal in the city, the Indian bidder lost out to a Chinese firm, the Beijing Urban Construction Group. In June China granted duty-free access…
Serbia and Kosovo awkwardly embrace Israel
IT IS RARE that events in two of the world’s most enduring troublespots—the Balkans and Israel-Palestine—spill over into each other, least of all in a peaceful way. But on September 4th President Donald Trump telephoned his friend Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, to say he had persuaded the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo—once part of…
Schools in Jordan struggle with covid-19 and jailed teachers
SCHOOLS AROUND the world are grappling with how to teach during a pandemic. Some in Jordan have an added complication: teachers in jail. In July the authorities raided the office of the national teachers’ union, which represents more than 100,000 people. It was ordered to close for two years and its board members were arrested.…
Robots that can kill the coronavirus with ultraviolet light at train station
Robots that can kill the Sars-Cov-2 with ultraviolet light have been ushered into one of the biggest train stations in London. St Pancras International is attempting to revive customer confidence in the refuge of travel hubs. Stations endured a blow on Friday when Prime Minister Boris Johnson instructed folks to once again work from home…
Man who crafted knife from frozen feces among 2020 Ig Nobel winners
An anthropologist who evaluated an urban legend by devising a knife out of frozen human poop is among the 2020 Ig Nobel winners. This year’s winners annual Ig Nobel ceremony also included a man who discovered spiders peculiarly give researchers who study insects the creeps, a team of Belgian and Dutch experts who examined why…
How many of America’s top companies have a female CEO?
ON SEPTEMBER 10TH it was announced that Jane Fraser would succeed Michael Corbat as chief executive of Citigroup, a bank, in February 2021. Ms Fraser will be the first woman at the helm of a top-ten American lender. She joins an elite group: just 37 of the Fortune 500 companies are headed by women. Things…
How would Joe Biden change America’s trade policy?
Sep 19th 2020WASHINGTON, DCON THE SUBJECT of trade policy, America’s Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, has been sounding rather like President Donald Trump. He claims that “economic security is national security”, promises to create millions of manufacturing jobs and pledges to reduce America’s dependence on China. On September 9th he published his “Made in America”…