In the neighbouring province of Guangdong, many people have surprisingly little sympathy for them “I CAN SYMPATHISE with the protesters in Hong Kong,” says a young saleswoman from Guangdong province, which borders on the territory. “The rule of law, greater democracy—these are good things to be demanding,” she adds, attributing her views to an “open mind” and …
A punchy new team at the European Commission EMMANUEL MACRON is having a good summer. In July, at his urging, leaders of the European Union’s member states picked Ursula von der Leyen, then the German defence minister, to be president of the European Commission. In a package deal Christine Lagarde, the French head of the IMF, was …
And how cunning Icelanders avoid it IN THE Old Testament, priests are told to take a tenth of every believer’s crops as a tax to support the faith. In these latter days, they can outsource the job to the state. In many European countries, “church taxes”—levied on all registered members of religious organisations by governments—still exist. …
But they can also stop women’s careers from progressing GETTING HOLD of a Dutch woman on a Wednesday can be tricky. For most primary schools it is a half-day, and as three-quarters of working women are part-time, it is a popular day to take off. The Dutch are world champions at part-time work and are often …
Seen from an airliner, Europe’s problems look smaller EVEN IN EUROPE, a continent of welfare states famed for their gloriously long holidays, the summer must eventually end. This week, as they trickle back from Mediterranean beaches and Alpine campgrounds, Europeans are preparing for a fateful autumn. The risk of a recession looms. Eurosceptic populists are likely …
Margaret Thatcher’s ad man did more than anyone to make Britain’s public-relations industry famous, and infamous TIM BELL loathed rules. In his top-floor office in Mayfair, a ritzy district of London, the man who did more than anyone to make Britain’s public-relations industry famous (and infamous) flouted the smoking ban. Even in winter, the smoke from …
More reform is needed to guard against a recession VITAL ALMEIDA is on the hunt for workers. The boss of Ciclo Fapril, a firm that makes metal components for foreign manufacturers, needs to hire 200 staff by the end of the year to meet new orders. But luring workers—even unskilled ones—to Agueda, a rural town in …
No wonder telecoms firms view 5G with trepidation THE GLOBAL telecoms boom that reached its zenith almost two decades ago was made for satire. It united two of the most intoxicating technologies of all time, the mobile phone and the internet. It generated the biggest wave of value-destroying takeovers the world had ever seen. Its apex, …
But what should replace the much-criticised franchise system? MANY OFFICE serfs like to slip away early on Friday afternoons in the quiet summer months. So anger boiled over on August 9th when several rail lines were shut down following a power cut. Delays were so bad on lines going north from London that it was quicker …
Free rent for companionship SORES DUMAN is a normal 29-year-old. He goes to the cinema, follows the Champions League attentively, parties occasionally and talks about life and love with his friends. Later in the week he will see an action movie with his mate Piebe. Before that, he may go to McDonald’s with Martey, another chum. …
Creditors holding $15trn-worth of bonds have few other places to hide PENGUINS ON A melting icecap must choose between budging up tighter and taking the plunge. Institutional investors such as pension funds and insurers now face a similar unappealing choice, with ever-fewer safe assets that do not lose them money. According to an index calculated by …
Engineers are working hard to keep it that way EVERY DAY a tonne or two of defunct satellites, rocket parts and other man-made orbiting junk hurtles into the atmosphere. Four-fifths of it burns up to become harmless dust, but that still leaves a fair number of fragments large enough to be lethal. It is testament to …