
Microfinance was supposed to save Asia’s poor. Why has it failed to live up to its promise?
For the poorest households in Asia, even small loans can lead to expensive debt traps.
Independent Analysis and Reportage

For the poorest households in Asia, even small loans can lead to expensive debt traps.

Australians love a holiday, but are increasingly making travel plans around unpredictable weather.

Heatwaves can cause tracks to buckle, forcing speed restrictions or closures. An engineering expert explains how railways can adapt to a hotter climate.

Eighteenth-century caricaturists knew what modern film-makers understand: ancient myths can be endlessly adapted for new audiences.

Britain’s postwar sugar rationing was an accidental experiment. Decades on, it’s revealing how early diet shapes cancer risk, ageing and eating habits for life.

Prime ministers aren’t lasting long in the job these days – and data shows that the UK is slipping on some measures of governance.

Automated systems need to be watched carefully to ensure they are in fact operating in the public interest.

After striking an agreement with the opposition, the government agreed to somewhat toughen its original plan on the legislation.

A push in California to tax billionaires will be an important test of the political power of the rich – and the health of US democracy.

The youth-led protests of 2025 were not the first time the Malagasy people created a window of opportunity for change.

Revenues for Michigan’s districts have failed to keep pace with inflation and the evolving needs of today’s students.

A long bath in brine is how deli meat gets its taste, texture and shelf life.