First time since the 1959 revolution
Infrastructure
‘The Whole Sky Was Burning’: A Lac-Mégantic Resident Recalls the Tragedy
Adrien Aubert was moments away from death. At around 1 a.m. on July 6, the 29-year-old, who works for the social network Plogg, was having a beer with friends outside his home in Lac-Mégantic, Québec, a town about 250 …
It’s the Internet Age, but Pacific Islands Struggle With Slow Speeds and Poor Connections
The opening line on the Kingdom of Tonga’s tourism website reads, “Welcome to life in the slow lane.” It could be the national motto. The Polynesian nation of 176 far-flung islands — but just 105,000 people — has a long …
A Deeply Divided European Union Faces Its Own Budgetary Cliff
France, Germany and Britain become central antagonists in more general discord over a multiyear E.U. budget — and risk preventing Europe from fulfilling one of its most basic operational tasks
A Smart Car Dream in Israel—Not So Smart, After All?
Better Place, an ambitious electric car enterprise, pinned its hopes on Israel—but the smart car revolution imagined there has fallen flat.
Scenes from Inside China’s Prison System
China’s criminal justice and prison system is known for being notoriously opaque—trials move swiftly, the guilty sometimes disappear. Here are images from inside two detention centers in Beijing, after government authorities …
When the Chips Are Down: U.S. Casinos Discover Macau’s Murky Side
The American operators that entered China’s gambling mecca in the past decade took big gambles. Despite years of record revenue, they remain risky ventures
Must-Reads from Around the World, July 24, 2012
In today’s choices: Germany may play peace-broker in Afghanistan, plans for the Hong Kong of the Caribbean and violence in India’s northeast.
France Bids Adieu to Minitel, Its Internet Forerunner
France’s precursor to the Internet, the clunky yet beloved Minitel, is set to go dark for good at the end of June, 30 years after its revolutionary launch
Fun in the Sun? The Philippines Dreams Big for Tourism
The Philippine government has plans to turn Bohol province into a major Southeast Asian tourist destination. But the country is going to have to address its violent reputation and crumbling infrastructure first
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$100 Billion
In Wake of Protests, India Confirms Commitment to Boosting Nuclear Power
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took his moment at the podium at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul this week to reassert India’s commitment to nuclear energy. “We must continue to harness the numerous developmental benefits …