The Economist Latin America January 18, 2020

Politics After three days of covering up the cause of the crash of a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran, the Iranian armed forces admitted that they mistook the plane for an incoming missile and shot it down, killing all 176 people on board. Thousands of Iranians demonstrated against the government’s handling of the accident. President Hassan Rouhani, who said he was also lied to, called for a full investigation. Britain, France and Germany triggered the dispute mechanism in a deal that is meant to curb Iran’s nuclear programme. The move was prompted by Iran’s gradual lifting of limits on its production of enriched uranium, which can be used to make energy or a bomb. Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, called for a new “Trump deal” to replace the old agreement. Mr Rouhani dismissed…

Politics After three days of covering up the cause of the crash of a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran, the Iranian armed forces admitted that they mistook the plane for an incoming missile and shot it down, killing all 176 people on board. Thousands of Iranians demonstrated against the government’s handling of the accident. President Hassan Rouhani, who said he was also lied to, called for a full investigation. Britain, France and Germany triggered the dispute mechanism in a deal that is meant to curb Iran’s nuclear programme. The move was prompted by Iran’s gradual lifting of limits on its production of enriched uranium, which can be used to make energy or a bomb. Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, called for a new “Trump deal” to replace the old agreement. Mr…

ECONOMIES CAN suffer both sudden crashes and chronic diseases. Housing markets in the rich world have caused both types of problem. A trillion dollars of dud mortgages blew up the financial system in 2007-08. But just as pernicious is the creeping dysfunction that housing has created over decades: vibrant cities without space to grow; ageing homeowners sitting in half-empty homes who are keen to protect their view; and a generation of young people who cannot easily afford to rent or buy and think capitalism has let them down. As our special report this week explains, much of the blame lies with warped housing policies that date back to the second world war and which are intertwined with an infatuation with home ownership. They have caused one of the rich world’s…

NOT SINCE the Ashura holiday, which some Shias mark by whipping themselves, had Iran witnessed so much self-flagellation. After three days of covering up the cause of the crash of a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran on January 8th, Iran’s leaders admitted that their own armed forces had mistaken the plane for an incoming cruise missile and shot it down, killing all 176 people on board. Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said he was sorrier than he had ever been in his life and wished he had died on the plane himself. Coming from someone else, such remorse might have soothed the public. But this is Iran, where only two months ago the state killed hundreds of protesters. After a pause to berate America for killing…

ECONOMIES CAN suffer both sudden crashes and chronic diseases. Housing markets in the rich world have caused both types of problem. A trillion dollars of dud mortgages blew up the financial system in 2007-08. But just as pernicious is the creeping dysfunction that housing has created over decades: vibrant cities without space to grow; ageing homeowners sitting in half-empty homes who are keen to protect their view; and a generation of young people who cannot easily afford to rent or buy and think capitalism has let them down. As our special report this week explains, much of the blame lies with warped housing policies that date back to the second world war and which are intertwined with an infatuation with home ownership. They have caused one of the rich world’s…

NOT SINCE the Ashura holiday, which some Shias mark by whipping themselves, had Iran witnessed so much self-flagellation. After three days of covering up the cause of the crash of a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran on January 8th, Iran’s leaders admitted that their own armed forces had mistaken the plane for an incoming cruise missile and shot it down, killing all 176 people on board. Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said he was sorrier than he had ever been in his life and wished he had died on the plane himself. Coming from someone else, such remorse might have soothed the public. But this is Iran, where only two months ago the state killed hundreds of protesters. After a pause to berate America for…