From Blue Pacific to Indo-Pacific: how politics and language define our ‘Indigenous ocean’
Jan 01, 2024 12:08 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
This is an edited extract from An Indigenous Ocean: Pacific Essays by Damon Salesa (Bridget Williams Books) In September 2017, at the 48th meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, the political leaders of the Pacific...

A brief history of time – as told by a watchmaker
Dec 31, 2023 10:56 am UTC| Insights & Views
I once restored a 1950s timepiece for a customer who waxed lyrical about the intricacies of my work all the while refusing to pay. They baulked when I presented them with the bill wed previously agreed. Then they garbled...

Why Russia and China have been added to Republicans’ new ‘axis of evil’
Dec 29, 2023 12:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views
Former US president George W Bushs concept of an axis of evil, introduced in his 2002 State of the Union address, came to define the flawed foreign policy decisions of his years in power. He used it to legitimise both...
Will the world see more wars or unrest in 2024? Here are 5 hotspots to watch
Dec 29, 2023 12:11 pm UTC| Insights & Views
Sadly, 2023 has been a violent one on the global stage. War broke out between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, leading to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israelis, including many children on both sides....
Ukraine can still defeat Russia, but it needs the right tools to do it
Dec 26, 2023 23:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views
Ukraines strategic position has declined over the last six months. The summer offensive, which sparked hope among Ukraine and its supporters, failed to deliver significant territorial gains. Furthermore, support for...

What are the origins of Santa Claus?
Dec 26, 2023 23:16 pm UTC| Insights & Views
Were all familiar with the jolly, white-haired and bearded overweight man who sneaks down chimneys on Christmas Eve delivering presents to children. But where did this come from? With roots in Christianity, the origins...

As France moves to limit the rights of migrants, research reveals just how reliant on them it is
Dec 26, 2023 23:15 pm UTC| Politics Insights & Views
Once again, France finds itself in the grip of a political crisis. After the pension reform of June, which prompted more than one million people to take to the streets, president Emmanuel Macrons framework immigration bill...