Mark Wilson, a Caribbean political analyst, joins Lena Shipper, The Economist's North Korea bureau chief, and Adrian Blomfield, an East Africa correspondent. They discuss Jamaica's looming election amidst a tourism crisis and the challenges from hurricanes and COVID-19. Shipper highlights North Korea's admission of dire economic struggles, echoing past famines. Blomfield dives into the quirky world of obscure commemorative stamps, revealing insights into countries like Sierra Leone and their unusual philatelic practices.
The outcome of Jamaica’s election isn’t much in doubt. What’s uncertain is how the wider Caribbean can handle rock-bottom tourism and looming hurricane risks amid the pandemic. North Korea’s leadership at last admitted to the hardships of covid-19; the coming human cost could rival that of the famine in the 1990s. And why African countries put out so many unlikely stamps.