Japan and Australia are cosying up to each other
Jan 8th 2022SYDNEY AND TOKYOWHEN ABE SHINZO visited Australia in 2014, he became the first Japanese leader to address its parliament. Relations between the two countries have since blossomed. In 2018 Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s then-prime minister, posted a celebratory selfie of himself with Mr Abe and their wives after salvaging the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a…
What is Rodrigo Duterte’s legacy?
Jan 8th 2022NO PRESIDENT OF the Philippines since Ferdinand Marcos, the late dictator, has held such a grip on power as the authoritarian Rodrigo Duterte. Nor has any appeared so unconcerned at accomplishing so little. His promises of constitutional change, devolving power from the centre in Manila, came to nothing. His kowtowing to President Xi…
Sexual-assault allegations test ultra-Orthodox leaders in Israel
CHAIM WALDER was an icon of ultra-Orthodox Jewry in Israel. His best-selling books stood out for their portrayal of young, devout characters who speak openly about their problems and emotions. Mr Walder’s work could be found in nearly every ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi) home. By the time of his death on December 27th, the author was…
Jacob Zuma presided over a mountain of sleaze in South Africa
Jan 8th 2022IT WAS MEANT to last no more than six months, but the more muck it raked, the more it found. Four years after it was appointed to investigate allegations of “state capture” during the presidency of Jacob Zuma (2009-2018), a judicial commission headed by South Africa’s deputy chief justice, Raymond Zondo, has released…
The tricky relationship between palaeontology and poor countries
Jan 5th 2022WHAT YOU see depends on where you stand. The unarguable fact that most palaeontologists live in the rich world means two things. One is that the fossils of these places are far better studied than those of poorer countries, which is a scientific pity. The other is that what knowledge has been garnered…
Edward Wilson, controversial biologist, is dead
Jan 5th 2022ONE DAY in 1936 Edward Wilson, a budding seven-year-old naturalist, was out fishing. He hooked a pinfish, which has sharp spines down its back. He pulled too hard. As the fish came out of the water, a spine went into his right eye. Keen not to cut short a day outdoors, he soldiered…
Kazakhstan’s president vows to cling on despite nationwide protests
Jan 5th 2022WHEN KAZAKHSTAN’S government resolved to end subsidies on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) three years ago, the decision attracted little attention. The country’s leaders could not have guessed that the move would threaten the very existence of the regime that has ruled the Central Asian country since it became an independent republic in 1991.Price…
How long can the global housing boom last?
Jan 4th 2022HALIFAX, CANADANOVA SCOTIA’S largest city is known for a few things: a big national-security conference that takes place every autumn; a huge explosion that took place in 1917, causing immense devastation; and a small but impressive wine industry. It may soon be known for something else. Since December 2019 house prices in Halifax…
Richard Leakey was a champion of animal conservation and parliamentary democracy
Jan 3rd 2022Richard Leakey, who died on January 2nd aged 77, was the heir on both sides to a dynasty of palaeontologists who helped prove that Africa was where humankind emerged—a notion that was controversial to many until the 1970s. But it was as a rousing advocate, first in the service of wildlife conservation and…
Is India prepared for Omicron?
MANY INDIANS would have loved to slam the door on 2021 with a loud bang of good riddance. Instead, celebrations for this new year proved muted. As the highly contagious Omicron variant of covid-19 started spreading in late December police in Mumbai, the country’s commercial hub, banned public gatherings. Half a dozen states, along with…