Tech and the TalibanSmartphones and mainstream apps power a volunteer team racing against the clock to help Afghans leave the country before the Taliban takes over. For those left behind, those who opposed the Taliban, how do they stay safe? Because this Taliban regime… Jan 05 23January 05, 2023Article at Audible
The secret life of Afghans under the TalibanBy Ruhullah Khapalwak and Andrew North Since the Taliban seized back control of Afghanistan over a year ago, even those Afghans who tried in vain to flee on the last American flights out of Kabul have settled, somehow, into a new kind of life. In… Dec 05 22December 05, 2022Article at The Economist
Is This the Future of Taliban Rule?Government workers are unpaid and the future of girls’ education is uncertain, but life goes on in the Afghan city of Herat The dress is red and revealing. On show in the window of a wedding gown rental emporium here in Herat, it appears to challenge… Dec 13 21December 13, 2021Article at New Lines
Eyewitness: Afghanistan How to get 120 Afghans out of KabulAs the Taliban took over, we used WhatsApp and hand-drawn flags to help people escape The question flashed up on my screen early on the morning of August 26th: “Do we have to get into the water?” The message was from an Afghan television host – I’ll… Oct 21 21October 21, 2021Article at The Economist
Taliban triumph: anatomy of a disaster in AfghanistanInstead of a ladder to the last helicopter out of Saigon, a new image of desperation and collapse seared itself into the world's mind this week. A crowd of Afghans swarming a whale-like U.S. Air Force transport, grasping at its oblivious sides as it… Aug 18 21August 18, 2021Article at Nikkei Asia
No exit: A generation of young Afghans faces the end of the US eraTBILISI/KABUL -- "I can't get off social media these days," says 29-year-old Sharifi. The signal may be in and out. Keeping digital devices charged is a challenge amid constant power outages. But millions of Afghans, especially the urban young, are… Jul 14 21July 14, 2021Article at Nikkei Asia
We would all be better off if politicians left history aloneIndian and Pakistani flags are lowered during a daily retreat ceremony at the India-Pakistan joint border check post of Attari-Wagah in July 2015: if this colorful spectacle does not come back to life, that may be no bad thing. © AP Andrew North is a… Jun 05 21June 05, 2021Article at Nikkei Asia
How COVID-19 gave renewables an energy boostThe International Energy Agency predicts that renewables will be the number one source of electricity within five years, overtaking natural gas and coal. © Reuters Andrew North is a journalist based in Tbilisi. He has reported widely across the… Mar 27 21March 27, 2021Article at Nikkei Asia
Georgia's eternal quest to find a place in the WestRecent unrest in the country reflects the competing forces which have been exerted on it for centuries. Should it look to Moscow or to Europe? Andrew North reports from Tbilisi A narrow street in the centre of Tbilisi lined by distinguishedlooking… Mar 13 21March 13, 2021Article at The New European
Clouds gather over Google’s Saudi dealSaudi dissidents accuse the tech giant of bolstering a brutal dictatorship with its plan to provide cloud computing in the kingdom Ten days before Joe Biden’s inauguration, Abdullah Alaoudh was at his home in Washington, D.C. catching up with emails,… Feb 02 21February 02, 2021Article at Coda Story
The dangerous fault line linking Trump cultists to 9/11A mob of Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6: it is a warning to any government that has tried to co-opt hyper-nationalistic, populist movements. © Reuters Andrew North is a journalist based in Tbilisi. He has reported widely across the… Jan 15 21January 15, 2021Article at Nikkei Asia
Georgia parliamentary elections a case study in influenceActivists hold the Georgian and the U.S. flags during a rally in Tbilisi on June 20: the results could decide whether the country's westward journey continues or falters. © AP Andrew North is a freelance journalist based in Tbilisi. He has reported… Oct 28 20October 28, 2020Article at Nikkei Asia
Turkey's disruptive Caucasus power play risks regional warThe blast site hit by a rocket in Ganja, Nagorno-Karabakh region, pictured on Oct. 11: in a hyper-nationalistic world the danger of smaller conflicts fueling regional wars is much greater. © Reuters Andrew North has reported widely from across the… Oct 15 20October 15, 2020Article at Nikkei Asia
India and Elon Musk show Asia the way in discount race to MarsJapan's H2A rocket carrying the UAE's Hope probe takes off on July 20: the Emiratis are basking in their status as the Arab world's space leader. Andrew North has reported widely from across India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and central Asia, and is a… Jul 31 20July 31, 2020Article at Nikkei Asia
Swiss Courts make facts matter againJudges annul a referendum saying Swiss were provided false facts in a ruling with possible implications for Brexit A man arrives to casts his ballot during a referendum on May 18, 2014 in Bulle, western Switzerland. Swiss voters are to decide in a… Apr 23 19April 23, 2019Article at Coda Story
How The Tiny Nation Of Georgia Became A Bitcoin BehemothSince long before anyone can remember, the big, fertile slopes of the Alazani Valley in eastern Georgia have been planted with grapevines. It's the heartland of winemaking in the country that invented it 8,000 years ago. But in recent months, the… Apr 23 18April 23, 2018Article at NPR
A surprisingly good place to die: How Mongolia excels at palliative careWhat comes to mind when you think of Mongolia? My answer, probably like many people’s, was vast empty space, those signature round white tents (which Mongolians call gers, not “yurts” (a word brought in during the country’s period under Russian and… Apr 04 17April 04, 2017Article at The Independent
A Trump and Modi Bromance?With Donald Trump now ensconced in the White House, self-styled, anti-establishment populists are in charge of the world’s two largest democracies: India and the United States. Trump’s chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, believes that this is no… Mar 08 17March 08, 2017Article at Foreign Affairs
Zika Patients Are Coming Down With a Rare and Paralyzing Disorder. I Had it 13Years Ago.Zika Patients Are Coming Down W ith a Rare and Paralyzing Disorder I Had it 13 Years Ago. https://narratively.com/zika-patients-are-coming-down-with-a-rare-and-paralyzing-disorder-i-had-it-13-years-ago/ May 30 16May 30, 2016PDF at Narrative.ly
The tragedy of Tbilisi zoo – what happened next?Last month a river surge allowed bears, tigers and a giant hippo to escape in the Georgian capital. But the devastating images of stricken animals only told half the story They were unforgettable pictures: wild animals roaming the streets of Tbilisi… Jul 08 15July 08, 2015Article at The Guardian
