Turkmenistan’s horse-loving dictator is grooming his son
NORTH KOREA is not the only supposed success story in Asia’s fight against covid-19. In the middle of the continent, on the…
Fighting returns to Beirut’s streets in an echo of the civil war
FOR MANY Lebanese, the scenes in Beirut on October 14th harked back to their country’s darkest days. Gunmen crouched behind…
Rodrigo Duterte may pass on his job to his daughter
THE LIST of 97 politicians who registered to run for president of the Philippines by the deadline of October 8th was missing one…
India’s high-tech governance risks leaving behind its poorest citizens
ACQUIRING A DRIVER’S licence in Delhi, India’s capital, requires a single 20-minute visit packing in a computerised exam and…
Burkina Faso opens trial for the assassination of Sankara
AFTER BARELY four tumultuous years of revolutionary government, Thomas Sankara was gunned down in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s…
Iraq’s dismal election prompts militias to threaten violence
Oct 14th 2021ELECTIONS ARE supposed to be a smooth way to change power. In Iraq they seem to heighten hostilities. The vote on…
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…
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…
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…
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…