Stresses of strains: emerging coronavirus variants
It is no surprise that more-transmissible coronavirus variants are cropping up. We ask how worrisome the strains found in Britain and South Africa are. American authorities have lodged a landmark case...
5 Jan 202118min
Arms within reach: Israel's vaccination lead
Aggressive purchasing, solid logistics and a competitive health-care system have led to a world-beating rate of immunisation—but, as ever, politics is playing a role, too. Big oil had a terrible 2020,...
4 Jan 202123min
Isle talk to EU later: a vote on a scant Brexit deal
Britain’s parliament will vote today on its last-gasp agreement with the European Union. But that will only mark the start of more negotiations for years to come. And we examine the shortlist from The...
30 Dec 202020min
Cheques, imbalances: America’s fraught stimulus
After months of deadlock, a covid-19 relief package has passed, but the battles continue. We ask how things got so dire and what President-elect Joe Biden will inherit. A deadly shootout in London mor...
29 Dec 202022min
Going around the bloc: Europe’s vaccination push
The first inoculations are happening across the continent as part of a co-ordinated push—but levels of both supply and uptake remain uncertain. Our correspondent explores South Korea’s obsession with ...
28 Dec 202022min
Old acquaintance not forgot: the notable deaths of 2020
In a year marked by more than a million and a half deaths, mortality has rarely been so front of mind. Our obituary editor looks back through the notable figures she has memorialised, from George Floy...
23 Dec 202022min
Bubbles in the market: Mexico’s Coca-Cola obsession
For decades, the country has been an almighty consumer of the fizzy drink. But amid a woeful covid-19 situation politicians are highlighting the health concerns it brings. In getting to know a sleepy ...
22 Dec 202021min
Get the lead out: Zambia’s toxic mine
A site that closed more than a quarter-century ago is still slowly poisoning the residents of Kabwe with lead; a class-action lawsuit is at last seeking redress. Our correspondent visits the ancient m...
21 Dec 202022min
