Ujjivan is a rare bright spot in Indian finance
A DOZEN WOMEN dressed in saris sit on benches at the branch of the Ujjivan Small Finance Bank on Koramangala 80 Feet Road, awaiting…
Why Intercontinental Exchange wants to buy eBay
THE HIGH STREET and Wall Street feel like very different places. One is lined with soft-lit storefronts showing tempting goods,…
Australia expresses pride in its dismal record on greenhouse gases
AUSTRALIA’S CONSERVATIVE coalition government has a favourite new catchphrase. It is on track to “meet and beat” its emissions-reduction…
The Philippines, a country with dreadful traffic, may start to unclog
SHOULD YOU get up at 4am to get to work on time, or risk waiting until five? That is the question confronting many commuters in…
Malaysia’s reformist government has not put an end to sleaze
Jan 23rd 2020TO SEE HOW topsy-turvy Malaysian politics have grown, consider the case of the previous prime minister, Najib Razak….
Pakistan’s judges briefly stand up to the army
DURING AN EXCITED exchange on a Pakistani talk show earlier this month, a government minister produced a well-polished boot and…
One first lady is dead in Lesotho. Another has fled
Jan 23rd 2020JOHANNESBURGON JUNE 14TH 2017 Lipolelo Thabane was killed by gunmen outside her home near Maseru, the capital of…
How to get beer around Congo, a country with hardly any roads
THE BARGE, weighed down by half a million bottles of beer, pulls out into the middle of the Congo river. At its tip, breezy rumba…
Ethiopia embraces the power of positive thinking
“I USED TO have pimples and everything. And I have big ears in case you haven’t noticed,” laughs Ebba Tesfaye, now fresh-faced…