Value-free investing: China and Afghanistan
The Taliban’s takeover is a boon for China’s propaganda machine: America is tired, its policies disastrous, its values a distraction. Meanwhile China has its own interests in the country. New research...
20 Elo 202121min
Fits and starts: SARS-CoV-2’s origin
In the end, the World Health Organisation’s report in March revealed little. We ask why the coronavirus origin story is so crucial, and whether China will ever let it be told. Britain’s Prime Minister...
19 Elo 202121min
Stymie a river: the American West dries up
The first-ever water shortage declared for the Colorado River is just one sign of troubles to come; as the climate changes, century-old water habits and policies must change with it. Israel’s Pegasus ...
18 Elo 202119min
It rains, it pours: Haiti’s tragedy compounds
A president’s assassination, a cratered economy and now this: a tropical depression that will hamper rescue efforts after a massive earthquake. The country cannot catch a break. India and Pakistan par...
17 Elo 202120min
Nothing to break the fall: Afghanistan
The fall of Kabul, the capital, sealed the country’s fate: after 20 years, the Taliban are back in charge—a fearsome outcome for its people and for the Biden administration. As capital punishment fade...
16 Elo 202121min
Thicket and boarding pass: travel’s tangle of rules
Restrictions are opaque, fickle and often illiberal—and it is not even clear how much they help curb the coronavirus. Chinese officials want to boost the economy of the province of Xinjiang, but our c...
13 Elo 202122min
Bridges and divides: America’s infrastructure push
The Senate has passed the first part of President Joe Biden’s mammoth plan, which is now tied to a far more ambitious part two. We examine their prospects for passage. Zambia is undertaking a pivotal ...
12 Elo 202121min
Blazed and confused: Turkey’s raging fires
Across the Mediterranean and beyond, flames are consuming the landscape. Our correspondent says Turkey’s government helped make the country a tinderbox and was caught flat-footed by the blaze. State s...
11 Elo 202120min
