FOR THE GLOBAL economy, the year gone by was an unmitigated disaster, but Covid-19 did not stop capitalism from notching up a few records. In August, Amazon founder JeffBezos accumulated a record net worth of $200 billion and became richer than 140 countries. The same month, Apple crossed $2 trillion in market capitalisation.
By October, the combined wealth of dollar billionaires stood at $10.2 trillion, a 70 per cent increase over the past three years. The world’s 500 richest people collectively gained $1.3 trillion this year, with Elon Musk alone adding more than $100 billion. But, for millions of ordinary people, the year was a nightmare. Thousands of migrant labourers in India had to walk hundreds of miles to their villages. The heartbreaking picture of a father holding his child and clinging on to an overcrowded truck in a desperate attempt to reach home was a stark reminder of our unequal world. A World Bank report released in October estimates that the pandemic will push 11 crore people to extreme poverty as we say goodbye to 2020.
Two recent works stand out for their excellent research and inquiry into the ideological underpinnings of economic inequality around us. French economist Thomas Piketty argues in Capital and Ideology that, for the first time in history, the poor are being blamed for their misery. They are condemned for lack of talent, diligence and virtue, while the rich are commended for their merit and entrepreneurship.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 27, 2020 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 27, 2020 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Only India Can Question Adani
INTERVIEW - ERIK SOLHEIM, former executive director, UN Environment Programme
Stay with Kochi Biennale
The organisers of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale have just begun preparations for its sixth edition a year from now. I still remember its start, on the euphonious date of 12.12.12-December 12, 2012-when a group of idealist artists embarked with some trepidation on a bold attempt to transform India's art scene.
Formula won
With Senna, Netflix seems to have finally found its footing in sports programming
The horror of not ageing
Every morning, I look in the mirror and begin E to pullfaces I strew up to pull faces at myself. I screw up my mouth like a mouse about 10 times.
At the centre of Life of Pi is the story of a boy looking for the truth
INTERVIEW - Lolita Chakrabarti, playwright
THE ROCKSTAR ROMEO
Bryan Adams can't stop this thing he started
TECH UP THE CHALLENGE
Precision technology is revolutionising cancer care
TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD
There is a pressing need to marry digital innovation with a deeply human context
FRIENDS IN LAB COATS
They have many things in common, like being driven individuals, patient-centric doctors and excellent communicators. THE WEEK used their time together at the Cleveland Clinic as a thread to chat with Dr Jame Abraham and Dr Madhu Sasidhar
DOCTORS' WISH-LIST
The first wish is a no-brainer-safety, considering the number of attacks on doctors. But there is more. Such as upskilling. THE WEEK brings you what's on the mind of your doctor