Kazakhstani voters may revoke their ex-president’s vast privileges
When kassym-zhomart tokayev became president of Kazakhstan in 2019, he promised his people a “listening state”. But even a…
The luxury of Asia’s malls is no substitute for genuine public spaces
The shopping mall was invented, nearly 70 years ago, in America. It was then copied in Europe. Yet Asia has inarguably made the…
Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war pushed poor families deeper into penury
Reyna was 17 when her boyfriend Gabriel was murdered in front of her. In October 2016 he returned to their home in Bagong Silangan,…
China’s e-sports players are challenging South Korea’s dominance
Some 4,000 fans gathered at the bexco Centre in Busan, a big port city in South Korea, on May 29th. Another 2.2m tuned in online….
Men with guns disrupt a plan to link Congo to east Africa
Barely two months after the fanfare that greeted the Democratic Republic of Congo as the seventh member of the East African Community…
Somalia’s new president vows to beat back jihadists, then talk to them
When hassan sheikh mohamud entered Villa Somalia as president in 2012, his writ ran little farther than the sandbagged gates of…
Imran Khan is jeopardising Pakistan’s attempts to fix its economy
Once or twice a year, the approaches to Islamabad, Pakistan’s staid, leafy capital, start to resemble a jumbled cargo port….
Vietnam is leading the transition to clean energy in South-East Asia
South-east asia is among the parts of the world most vulnerable to climate change. Yet this smoke-belching region seems uninterested…
Israeli firms and tourists are piling into Morocco
In a railway carriage heading towards Marrakech four Moroccan women, all strangers to each other, talk about Israel. “They’re…
How Kenyan courts benefit the mighty and punish the needy
Fighting an election campaign is a time-consuming business. Prudent candidates therefore like to rid themselves of distractions…