And we’re back! Some great stories have come through since my last update:
- Japan’s ageing society is well known — this is how it copes. Great look at some of the individuals behind the numbers, from a retired headmaster (72) to a pair of doctors (66 and 71).
- Researchers have compiled an “atlas” of genetic intermingling between peoples all over the Earth. Here is a short, sweet overview; here is a longer article. Here is the atlas itself.
- “More mariners have been abandoned by their employers than taken hostage by Somali pirates.”
- A fascinating portrait of “China’s worst diplomat”, a Qing-era official who managed to botch every job he held.
- Two takes on the English language, with its gloriously syncretistic attitude to foreign words.
- A slice of life: 24 hours at a British petrol station.
- And finally, here is the retired airliner converted to a restaurant in Ghana.