Pets may soon be fed laboratory-grown meat
Jan 30th 2021PET OWNERS, at least in the West, are more likely than other people to be vegetarians or vegans. That puts many of them in a quandary when it comes to feeding fully paid-up carnivores such as cats and dogs. But technology may soon resolve this dilemma. The idea of growing meat for human…
Using television screens as loudspeakers
Jan 30th 2021ALTHOUGH PICTURE quality has improved greatly with the development of flat-screen televisions (see article), sound has taken a dive. The problem is that TVs with slimmed-down screens have insufficient room for decent speakers to be fitted to them, either at the back or in the frame. Such televisions are therefore usually connected to…
Will India’s government act to save its public-sector banks?
Jan 30th 2021CRIPPLED BY YEARS of mismanagement, much of India’s financial system was poorly positioned even before the turmoil of covid-19. S&P, a rating agency, reckons that non-performing assets as a share of loans came close to double digits in 2019—a much higher rate than other big emerging markets, except for Russia (see chart 1).…
Why you should ignore the siren call of market timing
Jan 30th 2021HERE IS A sage piece of investment advice you might not usually find in any tip-sheet, newsletter or “thoughtful” weekly column on capital markets. It comes from Will Rogers, a popular entertainer and wit of interwar America, via the writings of Paul Samuelson, a Nobel prizewinning economist and wit of post-war America. Are…
India’s budgets are becoming ever less reformist
Jan 28th 2021AMID THE clamour of Indian politics, the yearly presentation of the national budget is an oddly solemn rite. By tradition the finance minister serves sweets to staff when the tome is printed. After the descent from Delhi’s Raisina Hill, the seat of government, to the circular parliament building at its foot comes the…
One of Asia’s biggest crime bosses is arrested
Jan 28th 2021AMONG THE strangest by-products of the Cultural Revolution was the creation of one of the world’s most lethal organised-crime syndicates. When Mao Zedong at last turned against the Red Guards, he sent many of them to be re-educated in Guangdong, the province abutting Hong Kong. Either to avoid prison or after their release,…
Why obesity is spreading across Africa
EVERY WEDNESDAY women in villages around Monze, Zambia, meet to swap recipes. Tables are lined up in a shady spot, covered in fluorescent mats and piled with tupperware. Each dish is introduced alongside its health benefits: porridge with moringa powder is perfect for babies, groundnut butter is for “bodybuilding”. When three types of soyabean sausages…
Morocco’s regime is accused of blackmailing critics
Jan 30th 2021WHEN A FOREIGN journalist needs a pithy quote, or diplomats want to talk about human-rights abuses in Morocco, Fouad Abdelmoumni usually obliges. His expertise is microcredit, but he is also an articulate critic of the makhzen, the country’s royal court. So recently the men of King Muhammad VI (pictured) tried to shame Mr…
Don’t Miss the Wolf Moon of 2021
Published on Jan 27, 2021 by Noemi T Thursday, January 28, 2021 brings the wolf moon of the year, giving you the excuse to let it all out and howl like the creatures of the wild for whatever reason. “Wolf moon” is the nickname given to the first full moon of January. Its origins can…
10 Times Jojo Siwa’s LGBT Reveal is great for Kids and Parents
Published on Jan 27, 2021 by Anne Jojo Siwa’s LGBT reveal is the talk of the town after she posted a photo of her wearing a shirt given to her by her cousin. It says “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” she has not verbally confirmed anything but a lot of her friends and fans have congratulated…