Month: June 2022
Black Death Origin
The Black Death, an outbreak of plague that ravaged Europe, the Middle East and north Africa between 1346 and 1353. Where it struck, it killed up to 60% of the population. Even after this first, exceptionally lethal wave had passed, local plagues continued for about 500 years, and the disease still spills over into people
reconstruction of Ukraine
On February 24th the war began, and three months later Azovstal lay in ruins. Russia has reduced most of Mariupol, and other towns in eastern Ukraine, to burnt-out husks. Russian missiles and artillery have smashed railway stations, ports and telecoms towers, hit more than 1,000 schools and left roads and wheat fields pocked with craters.
Current Global Economy
The world economy is throwing up more nasty surprises for investors. Citigroup’s global economic-surprise index (CESI), which measures the degree to which macroeconomic data announcements beat or miss forecasts has fallen into negative territory for the first time since November (the indices for America and China have been negative since mid-May). Since the summer of
NATO Summit
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has just entered its fifth month. On June 28th nato leaders will gather in Madrid to prepare the alliance for darker days ahead. During a visit to Kyiv on June 16th, Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, reiterated his warning that Europe would eventually have to engage with Russia again: “We, Europeans, we
Putin Will Be Part Of G20 Summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to participate in this year’s Group of 20 Summit, the Kremlin said Monday, setting up a potentially dramatic first meeting between Putin and his critics since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February. G2o summit will be held in Bali, Indonesia in November 15 and 16 and will bring
Virus Survival in Water
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles under 5mm in size that pollute the world’s environment. They have been found across the planet from the world’s oceans, to the air we breathe, and even in our blood. Viruses can survive and remain infectious by “hitch-hiking” on microplastics in freshwater, scientists have found, raising concern about the impact
A billion people to join the metaverse
Meta has already spent billions of dollars on betting that the metaverse will be the next paradigm shift in consumer technology. The company’s latest quarterly report revealed that its metaverse division, Reality Labs, lost roughly $3 billion, stunting the tech giant’s overall revenue growth. Mark Zuckerberg has predicted that a billion people will join his
More Twitter user data given to Elon Musk
Mr Musk now has access to real-time data, including API information, which some suggest will be the last hurdle ahead of his buyout. The billionaire had complained that the data Twitter had previously given hum was not sufficient. This new data includes tweets and activity on the platform that is usually accessed through the developer
Vietnamese modernism
Vietnam’s commercial capital is its most populous city; yet prior to the 1960s, high-rise buildings were rare in Saigon, as it was known until 1975. Vietnamese modernism, an architectural movement that evolved during Vietnam’s struggle for independence from France (it was eventually won in 1954). Modernism was spreading around the world at the time, and
America’s Supreme Court overturns women’s
On June 24th a 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court voted to overrule the constitutional right to an abortion, which had been guaranteed since 1973 in Roe v Wade. A woman in Missouri who decides to end her pregnancy has a choice, of sorts. She can go to the state’s last remaining abortion clinic, in