Monthly Archives: May 2017

Many terrifying diseases have long afflicted humans in the warm, wet places of the world. Evidence of some of them is found in mummified Egyptians; others are recorded in the Bible and the Talmud, and the writings of ancient scholars … Continue reading →

The new president puts his predecessor in her place Economist Jul 2nd 2016 Wedged behind the Casa Rosada, Argentina’s presidential palace, the Museo del Bicentenario (bicentenary museum) tells the story of the country’s leaders since the revolution against Spanish rule … Continue reading →

So-called virginity tests are nonsensical, degrading and still too common Economist May 21st 2016 What does it take to be a good soldier? Courage? Loyalty? Respect for the Geneva Conventions? Yes, yes, but for the Indonesian army, if a new … Continue reading →

VIETMAN’S COMMUNIST PARTY Economist Jan 16th 2016 The sign above the door at Cong Caphe, a hip coffee shop in downtown Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, bears a bright-red communist star. Inside, the brick walls are covered in memorabilia from the … Continue reading →

Many terrifying diseases have long afflicted humans in the warm, wet places of the world. Evidence of some of them is found in mummified Egyptians; others are recorded in the Bible and the Talmud, and the writings of ancient scholars … Continue reading →

THE ECONOMY Economist May 4th 2017 Coffee trees loom over a village in the hills above Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste. Though their fruit has provided income for decades, Alarico Soares De Cruz, the local headman, says the pickings are … Continue reading →

Let it not become paradise lost – Why the tiny islands are a focus of geopolitics Economist Nov 28th 2015 The Maldives: Islamic Republic, Tropical Autocracy. By J.J. Robinson. Hurst; 336 pages; £16.99. Troubled paradises dot the tropics. Equatorial Guinea, … Continue reading →

A hopeful Aga saga – In the poorest bit of the former Soviet Union they look to a leader of yore Economist Aug 20th 2016 The region of Badakhshan, which covers most of the eastern half of Tajikistan but hosts … Continue reading →

Superscript – The country celebrates an ingenious writing system Economist Oct 10th 2015 “Like trying to fit a square handle into a round hole” is how Sejong the Great, a Korean king, viewed the practice of using hanja, classical Chinese … Continue reading →

Peeved in Punjab Economist Nov 28th 2015 The Sikh religion provides for a gathering of believers, the Sarbat Khalsa, in times of great crisis. It was convened regularly in the 18th century, when the Mughal empire was trying to exterminate … Continue reading →