Why there are so many species of serpent
Oct 16th 2021THE CAENOZOIC—the era of Earth’s history since an asteroid strike 66m years ago ended the dinosaurs’ reign—is often called the age of mammals. And mammals did, indeed, do well in the scramble to fill the ecological niches suddenly vacated by that catastrophe, for there are now about 6,500 species of them. But several…
Chinese companies suffer an intense cash crunch in offshore bond markets
GLOBAL INVESTORS are all too aware of the discount on the valuations of mainland firms as a result of Xi Jinping’s aim to lower leverage, house prices and inequality in China. Borrowers, for their part, must contend with a “Xi premium” on sorely needed capital. The Chinese leader’s policies may have led to a perilous…
Another upward force on American inflation: the housing boom
Oct 16th 2021FROM ENERGY and used cars to wages and shipping, the list of factors pushing up American inflation is growing fast. Could housing be next? According to figures published on October 13th, the consumer-price index (CPI) rose by 5.4% in the year to September. Its shelter component increased by 3.2%, up from 2.8% in…
South Korea’s ruling party bets on an anti-establishment figure
Oct 16th 2021LAST WEEK the campaign for Lee Jae-myung, who on October 10th was nominated as the ruling Minjoo party’s candidate for president of South Korea, published a striking pair of old photographs. One shows a floppy-haired boy in his early teens in an ill-fitting, oversized factory-worker’s uniform. In the other, a boy of similar…
A rush to farm organically has plunged Sri Lanka’s economy into crisis
STARING GLUMLY at his paddy field in the depths of rural Sri Lanka, B. R. Weeraratne sighs. The regular incursions of greedy elephants have been bad enough. But the government’s outright ban on agrochemicals will, he fears, slash his yields of nadu and samba, two of the most popular varieties of rice. Though the 56-year-old…
At the Dubai expo, no one is eager to talk about reality
THE SETTING is dramatic. Visitors passing from the harsh midday sun to the dim interior are met with slogans. “We believe that every human is part of the collective conscience,” reads a message on the walls of the Syrian pavilion at the Dubai expo. Why the Syrian government has spent years dropping bombs on many…
The meaning of South Africa’s most popular magazine
Oct 16th 2021JOHANNESBURGA GLANCE AT its website belies the historical significance of Huisgenoot, the magazine with the highest circulation in South Africa. Among the most-read stories in early October were “Skokoomblik toe bruidegom se rug tydens onthaal breek” and “Vrou se oog per ongeluk met supergom toegeplak”. For those unfamiliar with Afrikaans, the language spoken…
Business
Oct 16th 2021Listen to this storyYour browser does not support the element.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android.America’s annual inflation rate climbed again in September, to 5.4%, having dipped slightly in August. In its latest outlook on the world economy the IMF said that rising inflation reflected “pandemic-related supply-demand mismatches and higher commodity…
Politics
Oct 16th 2021Listen to this storyYour browser does not support the element.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android.Chile’s president, Sebastián Piñera, declared a state of emergency for 15 days in two southern regions. The army will be deployed to help local police, who have struggled to contain violent attacks by indigenous groups seeking…
How many people view esports events?
The esports industry has always been growing fast, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, numbers in 2021 are higher than ever. Some key esports events have helped this success, as well as a lot of creative content building hype and increasing the esports revenue. Let’s dive into all of them!Esports viewers: numbers in 2021Watching esports events…