The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, December 1, 1908. THE WORLD’S NEWS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 442, 1 December 1908, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday , December 1, 1908. THE WORLD’S NEWS.

Thk world’s news has been full 01 interest and not without touches o sensation, even in the short space of time that has elapsed since our last issue. The nations in and about the Balkans are still switchbacking and see-sawing, one day hilling and cooing peacefully, and the next breathing the hot air of the warlike. That international conference is still, like Mahomet’s coffin, in the air ; and whilst the aged Emperor of Austria pleads openly for peace, his Ministers are up, good and hard, against Britain and all that is friendly to the British —and that includes Turkey. Meanwhile, the British Ministry has its hands as full as a young mother with triplets. Her Secretary of Foreign Affairs is trying hard to keep the peace amongst the European nations, and her Secretary for India is puzzled over the problem of the sedition-monger who is up on the house-tops yelling hard for Home Rule for India. Fancy allowing theßabu to govern a land that has over it so dense a Shadow of Caste ! And the Secretary for Ireland is still Laving as anxious a time as ever. And what of the other members of the Cabinet? Premier Asquith and Home - Secretary Gladstone are bombarded right and left with petitions and prayers regarding the Licensing Bill, which the Final Power of Appeal, Lord Lansdowne (Leader of the Opposition Party in the House of Lords) has declared must be killed. Mr John Burns is assailed by crowds of unemployed, Chancellor LloydGeorge is bothered with an unpromising Budget, and Minister-of-War Haldane is the peace-at-auy- ■ price man pulling one way, and the up-guards-aud-at-’em fellows looking for trouble, whilst there is in the arena the Education Bill, concerning which Minister Runcimau is being attacked by canons on the right of him and canons on the left of him, with bishops volleying and archbishops thundering. And what are the possibilities ? War in Europe and a general election in Great Britain. Kaizer Bill is anxious to try his prentice hand in warfare, to prove that he is as great a warrior as Julius Caesar, Alexander, or “ Bobs,” whilst the latter is getting excited, having had dreams about a Germanic invasion of England. Then, taking a glance at other things abroad, there is a further record of the triumphant tour of intrepid Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer who has just “ done” that terra incognita, Tibet. After being the guest of Lord Kitchener in India, Dr Hedin has been decorated by the Mikado, and entertained by the Japanese. This reminds us that the American Ambassador in England, the great journalist, Whitelaw Reid, has been warning the world’s mischief-makers—the Kaiser is obviously the chief figure at which the brick is aimed —that they must keep off the grass, and not mix up U.S.A., China, and Japan in their machinations. China, by the way, now has the chance of making history again, having got rid of that clog on the wheel of progress, the DowagerEmpress, whose passing away has given an opportunity to the modern and progressive party. The trial of Dinizulu, on a charge of high treason, is under weigh and the evidence places the Zula buck in an ugly light. We seem to be on the eve of doing great things in dealing with that deadly disease called cancer, for Professor Laurent, of the Brussels University, claims to have cured 57. cancer cases by his method of injecting formaldehyde. Last week we had the ex-

ceedingly good news that a Nevs Zealander, Professor Rutherforc (late of Nelson, and Christchurch), had been awarded the rich reward of the Nobel Prize G£6ooo) for hit researches in physics, notably radio-activity, including success with radium. And now comes word that Madame Curie, who, with her recently deceased husband, discovered radium, has had the wonderful tribute paid to hei of being appointed Professor oi Physics at the University of Paris, It will thus be seen that the world is pretty active, that the few weeks between now and the opening ol 1909 is big with possibilities.