NewsBite

Explainers

Advertisement

Born to be a little wild, but no rebel without a cause: Inside the world of Japan’s first female PM

She plays drums for fun, barely sleeps – and is enjoying a wave of popularity right now. What challenges does Sanae Takaichi face as she settles into Japan’s top job?

  • Angus Holland

Latest

British Airways made a demonstration Concorde flight to Caracas in 1975, pictured here. Air France made the city a weekly destination for its supersonic flights.

US forces are building up off Venezuela. Why does it feel like deja vu?

Once the epitome of glamour, Venezuela is in crisis. Now there is talk of a US invasion. How did it get to this?

  • Angus Holland, Jackson Graham and Felicity Lewis

How Gavin Newsom got under Trump’s skin – with jokes

Hollywood looks, a sense of humour and pushback against the president have put the California governor in the spotlight. Could he end up in the top job? One test is coming up next month.

  • Angus Holland

‘That moment of agreement’: How treaties with First Nations people work around the world

There’s the Treaty of Waitangi, modern agreements in British Columbia, and hundreds of historic treaties in the US. What can we expect as Victoria prepares to sign Australia’s first formal treaty with traditional owners?

  • Jackson Graham

Daylight saving is here again (for some). What’s it all about?

Time can be a controversial business. Beyond the twice-yearly clock shifting that’s familiar to many, reaching global agreement on time zones and the squiggly International Date Line has been no mean feat. How did it happen?

  • Felicity Lewis and Angus Holland
Nobel prize winners Albert Einstein, Jody Williams and Barack Obama.

How do you win a Nobel Prize?

Even some of the greatest minds can only dream of winning a Nobel Prize. But what if the dream comes true? And could it for Donald Trump?

  • Angus Holland
Advertisement
Elaine Cotter:

‘No idea what’s going on until something snaps’: How osteoporosis creeps up

More than 6 million Australians have low bone density. How does bone get lost and remade? And how do you know if it’s osteoporosis?

  • Jackson Graham

Beyond the eccentricities: Why the ex-Soviet ‘Stans’ are having a moment

Decades after independence, the five countries known as Central Asia are leveraging their unique heritage, resources wealth and geopolitical edge. Who wants in? And what might you find if you venture there?

  • Angus Holland
This image combines Jeffrey Epstein in a photo from the New York State Sex Offender Registry in 2017 and an image of stenographer notes from unsealed grand jury testimony about Epstein in 2006.

33,000 pages and counting: What are the Epstein Files?

Videos, photos, computers, a ‘Birthday Book’ – new evidence about Epstein is being handed to Congress. Who wants it exposed – and why now?

  • Angus Holland

‘Arrogant powers’: Who are Iran’s sworn enemies and what is its Revolutionary Guard?

What exactly is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps? How did Iran go from rule by shahs to ayatollahs? And how is power wielded there today? 

  • Angus Holland

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/explainers-1lz9