Vietnam’s secretive Communist Party embarks on a leadership transition
May 21st 2020IN JANUARY FOUR grey apparatchiks with little name or face recognition inside Vietnam, let alone abroad, will emerge…
Malaysia’s shaky government dodges a no-confidence motion
IT WAS THE shortest session on record. Malaysia’s MPs convened on May 18th to hear a speech from the king (pictured). No sooner…
Egypt chose a looser lockdown. Its economy is still in crisis
THERE WAS never much chance of social distancing in Cairo, a city more populous than most countries. Buses fill to overflowing,…
Friendly Jews, female bosses: Saudi TV promotes a new vision
IN A WORLD flipped on its head, a note of constancy: the Middle East is arguing about Israel. “Exit 7”, a popular series aired…
Japan is not rallying around its prime minister
SINCE JAPAN recorded its first case of covid-19 on January 16th, 784 people have died across the country of 126m, fewer deaths…
Félicien Kabuga, Africa’s most wanted man, is arrested
THE TRAP had been set. American and Kenyan investigators were in position outside a house in a smart Nairobi suburb. But Rwanda’s…
How fast will Israel’s new government proceed with annexation?
IT HAS BEEN six years since Israeli and Palestinian leaders last talked to each other. There is no end in sight to the decades-old…
Why the Philippines is a magnet for idled cruise ships
IN HEALTHIER TIMES the sight of a fleet of cruise ships lying at anchor in Manila Bay, silhouetted against the sunset, would gladden…
Afghanistan’s two rival presidents reach a deal
ASHRAF GHANI remains president of Afghanistan, while his eternal rival for the job, Abdullah Abdullah, who disputes the result…