Singapore’s prime-minister-in-waiting gives up the job
The city-state’s carefully planned leadership transition is in disarrayIT WAS A rare moment of drama in Singapore’s normally…
Another species harmed by climate change: Japanese poets
“HOW MANY, many things/they call to mind/these cherry blossoms!” the poet Basho once wrote of Japan’s favourite flower….
China tries to nick another speck in the sea from the Philippines
Apr 8th 2021THE CHINESE ships that appeared around Whitsun Reef in March were unusual for fishing vessels. They seemed to do little…
Kenyans are starting to drink their own coffee
IN A SINGLE room tucked away behind a petrol pump in central Nairobi, men toil over a whirling drum, a shiny metal rack and heaps…
Pakistan’s generals are ever more involved in running the country
BEFORE HE BECAME prime minister, Imran Khan was happy to hold forth about the role of the armed forces in Pakistan. They were…
Thailand’s democracy protests are dwindling
Apr 8th 2021LAST SUMMER, despite the tropical heat and humidity, more than 10,000 mostly young protesters paraded repeatedly through…
Getting into Iraq may soon be much easier
GETTING INTO Iraq has never been easy. Saddam Hussein was loth to grant visas to curious Westerners, lest they see evidence of…
Covid-19 creates a window for school reform in Africa
Apr 8th 2021EVEN BEFORE covid-19 forced its classrooms to close for three months last year, Mavis Maphoto’s school in Botswana…
Asia’s air bridges and travel bubbles will expand only slowly
Apr 10th 2021MORE THAN a year after they shut their borders, Australia and New Zealand will soon have a go at quarantine-free…
Bhutan vaccinated almost all adults against covid-19 in a week
WHEN INDIA presented Bhutan with a generous gift of covid-19 vaccines in January, the neighbouring kingdom made an unusual choice….