Lessons for Lebanon from its struggling neighbours
IT IS PROBABLY the first time in years that Lebanon has wanted to turn down a loan. With the economy in free fall the country’s…
Why young, urban or rich Africans are less likely to vote
Feb 22nd 2020PURVEYORS OF BALLOT papers, indelible ink and polling booths will do well in Africa this year. No fewer than 18 countries…
The Egyptian government is sending Jews mixed signals
WHEN IT COMES to Egypt’s Jewish community, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi says all the right things. Only a minuscule fraction…
Why delivering the mail in Congo is so hard
A HISTORIAN REMARKED, of the ancient Persian postal system, that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these…
Iran’s attack on Iraq shows how precise missiles have become
Jan 16th 2020SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS of Ain al-Asad, an air base in western Iraq currently used by American forces, showed the aftermath…
New ways to pluck water from desert air
Jan 11th 2020IF YOU LIVE in a desert, maintaining a supply of fresh water is a challenge. One answer is desalination, but that…
Might there soon be a supernova near Earth?
Jan 11th 2020THE GREAT Collapsing Hrung Disaster of the Year 03758 is shrouded in mystery. All that is known about this event,…
Dung beetles prefer human faeces to those of wild animals
Jan 9th 2020ECOSYSTEMS ARE complex things, and monitoring their health is hard. To track every species would be impossible, so…
The culture wars between economists and markets practitioners
Feb 6th 2020SHOVE HARD and any group can be sorted into contrasting stereotypes: larks and owls; thinkers and doers; conservatives…