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Two years of war have impoverished many Ukrainians

The elderly, the displaced and the disabled are the worst affected As soon as the volunteers appear, those that have been waiting for them on Kyiv’s central Independence Square (known as Maidan) form a queue, shuffle forward and take a...
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Has the spectre of terrorism finally been excised from Spain?

Good news comes from the success of a terrorist-linked political party Sometimes good things come in strange packages. On April 21st Spain’s Basque Country voted in regional elections. The Basque Nationalist Party (pnv), the conservative separatist movement that has led...
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Will Spain’s prime minister suddenly quit?

Pedro Sánchez stunned Spain with a promise to announce plans on April 29th Pedro sánchez knows drama. When he was clobbered at last May’s regional and local elections, Spain’s prime minister promptly called national ones. To bet it all at...
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Carbon emissions are dropping—fast—in Europe

Thanks to a price mechanism that actually works “Our most pressing challenge is keeping our planet healthy,” declared Ursula von der Leyen on the day she was elected president of the European Commission in July 2019. Five years on, it...
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How race and politics interact in modern South Africa

Why the ANC’s losses are not the official opposition’s gain For the Democratic Alliance (da), South Africa’s largest opposition party, the election on May 29th should be a golden opportunity. For the first time since it came to power in...
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The historic heart of Addis Ababa is being demolished

Abiy Ahmed is imposing his vision on Ethiopia’s capital The historic neighbourhood of Piassa, at the old heart of Addis Ababa, is being taken apart. Workmen are uprooting pipes, felling lampposts and chiselling at façades. One building is being dismantled...
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How much do Palestinians pay to get out of Gaza?

Middlemen are profiting from Gazans’ desperation On a clear night in March, Ahmed sat on a rooftop in Rafah, in southern Gaza. It was the only place he could get a phone signal in the crumbling and crowded city. Two...
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The Middle East has a militia problem

More than a quarter of the region’s 400m people live in states dominated by armed groups To be lebanese is to see, in every event, the seeds of a new civil war. Recent months have provided ample cause for worry....
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China’s ties with Russia are growing more solid

Our columnist visits a future Russian outpost in China’s most advanced spaceport China’s first tropical spaceport, Wenchang, is proof of national swagger. During the cold war, China launched rockets from the Gobi desert and other desolate inland spots, for fear...
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China’s young people are rushing to buy gold

They seek security in troubled times China’s gold market, which accounts for about a fifth of global sales, used to attract an older crowd. Many buyers were middle-aged women looking to add to their nest-eggs or buy chunky bracelets. But...