海角大神

The cries of 鈥渃onstitutional crisis鈥� coming from the U.K. are likely overstated. But when a constitution is unwritten like Britain鈥檚, even deviation from norms can stir controversy.

The idea of giving greater voice to workers may be gaining traction. Labor leader Richard Trumka links it not just to economics but also to concerns about the health of an increasingly diverse democracy.

Can a symbol infringe on people鈥檚 rights? It may seem odd to debate whether a flag with no words counts as hate speech. But to many South Africans, the apartheid-era flag speaks volumes.

The ocean has long been called a silent world. But such assumptions about unexplored places limit our understanding of our own planet 鈥撀燼nd our ability to be good stewards of it. This audio story is the final installment of the five-part series 鈥�Peering into the deep.鈥�

Think of libraries, and you think of books. But what are they really there for: community, learning, exploration? Calgary is the latest city reimagining how to serve those needs.

This weekend, protesters will be out again on Hong Kong鈥檚 streets, challenging China鈥檚 concept of rule of law. Last year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping made clear that rule of law merely means 鈥渢he law of governing by the Communist Party.鈥� Yet the protesters are not alone on the world scene. On Thursday, the Philippines president, Rodrigo Duterte, went to Beijing to deliver a similar message directly to Mr. Xi. The gist of the message: China must accept the international norm that rule of law is a value for all, not an arbitrary tool of the powerful.

In recent years, the Philippines has borne the brunt of Mr. Xi鈥檚 campaign to dominate much of the South China Sea, even many submerged rocks hundreds of miles from China鈥檚 shores. In 2016, most of Beijing鈥檚 鈥渉istorical鈥� claims were rejected by an international arbitration panel in a case brought by the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

China does not accept the ruling. In other words, it remains an outlaw under international law. And lately, Chinese vessels have stepped up maritime harassment near the Philippines as well as in the waters of two other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam and Malaysia.

In June, a Chinese trawler hit and sank a Philippine boat, leaving 22 fishermen stranded. As a result, public outrage exploded in the Philippines against China鈥檚 illegal encroachment on the country鈥檚 watery turf. A month earlier, the Philippine Supreme Court had ordered the government to protect the country鈥檚 maritime environment against illegal Chinese activity. The Philippine military has been especially upset that China has built a military base on Mischief Reef, a low-tide feature on the continental shelf of the Philippines.

鈥淐hina鈥檚 artificial island building program at Mischief Reef is the single greatest obstacle to an orderly settlement of disputes in the South China Sea,鈥� write two scholars at Ontario鈥檚 University of Waterloo, David Welch and Kobi Logendrarajah.

Until these recent events, Mr. Duterte had mostly befriended China and accepted promises of financial aid. Now under pressure to stand up for global rules about ownership and use of offshore waters, he is finally protesting China鈥檚 affront to international law. His voice now joins the chorus of the Hong Kong protesters who see rule of law as universal, not capricious under a party or person.