Using urine to heat homes
Jan 2nd 2021URINE, THOUGH distained by modern society, was once surprisingly useful stuff. Street-facing laundries in ancient Rome had pissoirs attached to them, to encourage passers-by in need of relief to provide, free of charge, a raw material which was then fermented into a degreasing agent. Urine also found employment as a mordant, to assist…
How to simplify the treatment of snake bites
Jan 2nd 2021SNAKE VENOM kills around 140,000 people a year and debilitates roughly 400,000 others. One reason for these large numbers is that every venom needs a specific antivenin to treat it. In places with rich ophidian faunas, dozens of antivenins may therefore need to be kept to hand.Even if these are available, though, they…
Is China right to tame Ant?
Jan 2nd 2021THERE ARE both petty and respectable explanations for China’s assault on Ant Group. The fintech giant was less than 48 hours away from the world’s biggest initial public offering when regulators halted it in November—the first in a series of moves aimed at taming the fast-growing firm. The petty is that Jack Ma,…
How quickly will America’s labour market recover?
Jan 2nd 2021ONE OF THE biggest questions facing the world economy in 2021 is how fast America’s labour market will recover. Optimists point to the rapid decline in the unemployment rate after the first wave of the pandemic—from nearly 15% in April to 6.7% in November—as a reason for a speedy recovery. Pessimists’ go-to statistic…
Private schools that educate 50% of Indian children are folding
When schooling resumes, many pupils could have nowhere to goJan 3rd 2021FIVE DOLLARS buys a month’s education at Rafiq Siddiqui’s private school, which serves the children of migrant workers living in a slum in Mumbai. But its corridors have been silent since March, when officials battling covid-19 closed schools across India. Mr Siddiqui, the principal,…
Japan’s new prime minister drags government into the digital era
HIRAI TAKUYA keeps a tablet computer propped on his desk and an Apple Watch on his wrist. It is an unusual look for a Japanese politician. As Japan’s new minister of digital reform, his task is to make the stubbornly analogue Japanese government work a bit more like him.Japan has some of the world’s best…
Binyamin Netanyahu faces a challenge from the right
FOR 15 YEARS Binyamin Netanyahu has been the undisputed leader of the Israeli right. In 2009 he guided his nationalist Likud party to power, becoming prime minister. He has held the office ever since. Challengers from the centre and left have tried mightily, and failed, to unseat him. They pose little threat as Israel gears…
Abdelmadjid Tebboune returns to an ailing Algeria
LITTLE IS KNOWN about Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s bout with covid-19. For nearly two months beginning in October, Algeria’s 75-year-old president, a heavy smoker, disappeared from public view after travelling to Germany for treatment. On December 13th, amid swirling rumours about his health, Mr Tebboune’s men posted a proof of life: a five-minute video in which the…
Anthony Hopkins gives praise for 45 years of sobriety in uplifting video
Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins has posted a video via Twitter celebrating 45 years clean of alcohol, providing his fans with an inspiring message. 82-year-old Hopkins requested spectators to embrace 2021 following “a tough year, full of grief and sadness for many, many, many people,” in the footage posted this week. The actor best known for…
Man Reunites With His Stolen 1969 Camaro After 17 years
A man whose 1969 Camaro was taken 17 years ago was reunified with the car after spotting it while helping a pal purchase another vehicle. Tommy Cook claimed the orange Camaro was stolen in Woodbridge in 2003 from his auto repair lot, and after filing a stolen vehicle report he continued renewing the muscle car’s…