Plagued by uncertainty: German politics
As the country wrestles with another covid-19 wave, the battle to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel is building. We look at the political and epidemiological races. Prince Philip was a loyal consort to...
12 Apr 202121min
Like a tonne of bricks: violence in Northern Ireland
The ostensible reason for continuing clashes relates to a well-attended funeral. But the terms of Brexit have raised tempers, inflaming centuries-old tensions; we ask what might calm them. Alexei Nava...
9 Apr 202122min
Clotting factors: the AstraZeneca vaccine
British and European regulators have addressed a possible link with blood clots. Expect more rare side-effects to emerge; what seems clear for now is that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh any risks. A ...
8 Apr 202122min
Deaths spiral: America’s spike in murders
Estimates suggest that last year’s rise in murder rates was the greatest in perhaps half a century, reversing a long decline; we ask what is behind it. Amid Europe’s woefully slow vaccine rollouts, Se...
7 Apr 202119min
Crown and thorn: Jordan’s royal ruckus
Pressure on the king’s half-brother may represent a mere family feud, but Prince Hamzah’s complaints resonate with the country’s people. We ask what will happen next. Study the fast-growing list of In...
6 Apr 202121min
He said, Xi said: America-China ructions
The Biden administration’s early moves suggest no “reset” in relations; we recall a time when the game of ping-pong brought the countries back to the table. Although economics has transformed in the p...
5 Apr 202123min
Battle acts: France beefs up its forces
After years of peacekeeping and counter-insurgency campaigns, the country is getting tooled up and trained up for serious military conflict. The “baby bust” brought on by the pandemic has changed glob...
2 Apr 202121min
Cresting: India’s second covid-19 wave
Case numbers are on the rise—at a more worrying rate even than the first wave. We ask why, and what is being done to slow the spread. As revenues at wildlife-tourism spots have dried up, so has securi...
1 Apr 202121min
