Myanmar’s underground civilian rulers are struggling for recognition
FOR AROUND an hour on the afternoon of June 4th, as on so many previous occasions this year, the internet was out across Myanmar….
Kazakhstan is awash in fake vaccination passports
PEOPLE TEND to join dating apps to find love. But social-media users in Kazakhstan swipe right for less romantic services. On…
Mixed-race athletes reflect broader developments in Japanese society
Jul 24th 2021AS THE SON of a Japanese mother and Beninese father, Hachimura Rui stood out from his classmates in Toyama, a small…
Australia’s covid-19 strategy is being tested
Jul 24th 2021TO SYDNEYSIDERS, most of whom have lived freely throughout the pandemic, it feels as if the virus has just got going….
The countries of the Middle East and north Africa are parched
Jul 24th 2021IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD of Algiers where the presidential palace and foreign embassies are located, some think the water…
Where does South Africa go from here?
TO TRAVEL AROUND Durban last week was to witness scenes of wholesale devastation. Shopping centres were ransacked, with nothing…
Syria has become a narco-state
Jul 19th 2021IN THE DUNES north of Riyadh, the Saudi capital, the sun sets and the party begins. Girls discard their abayas, the…
India’s economy is suffering from long covid
THE SYMPTOMS are a peculiar mix. They include sluggishness, general malaise, depression, and an inability to focus or to work….
India’s economy is suffering from long covid
THE SYMPTOMS are a peculiar mix. They include sluggishness, general malaise, depression, and an inability to focus or to work….
The 2020 Olympics will be memorable, but not in the way Japan hoped
CLOUDS GATHERED over Komazawa stadium in Tokyo as the Olympic torch arrived on July 9th. Because of the pandemic, the traditional…