How other countries are responding to surging oil prices - and why Spain is in a good positionFrom France to the UK, governments across the globe are scrambling to take a range of measures to cushion consumers from increasing energy costsWed Apr 15 2026 - 14:11
China courts America’s allies as US-dominated world order recedesBeijing presents itself as a responsible and reluctant hegemon, as Xi Jinping meets leaders from UAE, Vietnam and SpainWed Apr 15 2026 - 06:38
US blockade of Iran is risky escalation but peace still has a chanceBlockade is primarily an instrument of economic coercion to gain leverage in talks process that remains aliveTue Apr 14 2026 - 06:38
EU needs to rein in Hungary expectations after Viktor Orbán’s election defeat Election victor Peter Magyar opposes accelerating Kyiv’s EU admission and rejects the migration and asylum pactMon Apr 13 2026 - 06:46
China can never accept Taiwan independence, Xi tells Taiwanese opposition leaderXi Jinping tells Cheng Li-wun that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait ‘are all Chinese’Fri Apr 10 2026 - 15:43
China played a quiet but crucial role in the US-Iran ceasefireDiscretion about the role it may have played in persuading Iran to accept the ceasefire reflects China’s general approach to mediationFri Apr 10 2026 - 06:00
Vietnam’s top leader expands his powerTo Lam gets greater authority to push through reforms aimed at maintaining Vietnam’s high economic growthThu Apr 09 2026 - 06:21
Trump’s acceptance of Iran’s terms for talks is astonishingIran could emerge from this conflict in a much stronger geopolitical position than it wasWed Apr 08 2026 - 06:32
Ghana joins effort to make it easier for Africans to move around the continentExcessive border restrictions limit trade, investment and tourismTue Apr 07 2026 - 06:53
War and Peace: A tale of two Easter messages from Donald Trump and Pope Leo Leo uses Easter Sunday address to urge peace; Trump threatens to bomb Iran’s civilian infrastructure in expletive-stuffed post Mon Apr 06 2026 - 06:42
In a Beijing park, a tale of grief and consolation unfoldsAs red songs ring out on a Sunday afternoon, a friend shares a story of pandemic loss and the search for solaceFri Apr 03 2026 - 00:00
Trump pledges to take Iran ‘back to the stone ages’ in televised addressUS president declares Iran military operation is almost complete but will continue for another two or three weeks Thu Apr 02 2026 - 06:50
Iran war: No mediator role for China despite unveiling peace proposal with Pakistan Beijing’s restraint in current conflict reflects its economic links with Gulf states and its strategic partnership with IranWed Apr 01 2026 - 07:26
Can Mongolia’s third prime minister in under a year stay in the job? Global Briefing: Protests have continued for months over high prices, fuel shortages and plans for a highway to ease Ulaanbaatar trafficTue Mar 31 2026 - 06:51
Taiwan’s opposition leader to visit Beijing in landmark meetingInvite from China’s Xi Jinping comes amid tension over Taiwan’s rising defence spendingMon Mar 30 2026 - 14:53
Four regional powers may offer best chance to end Iran warPakistan signals readiness to host US–Iran talks as conflict escalates across the GulfMon Mar 30 2026 - 06:58
‘We understand the value of peace’: War in Iran prompts Asian leaders to mend tiesOn a peaceful island off the southern coast of China, politicians, business figures and diplomats meet at the Boao Forum for AsiaFri Mar 27 2026 - 06:00
Blaming Israel for US war on Iran lets Trump off the hook for reckless decisionTrump’s decision to go to war against Iran is fulfilment of an ambition cherished for decades in both parties on Capitol HillThu Mar 26 2026 - 07:08
European leaders rebuked by voters Election results from Denmark to Italy showed high levels of discontent with incumbents, and the effects of the Iran war could fuel desire for change Wed Mar 25 2026 - 06:54
Russian oil tankers carry oil for Cuba and a message for friends and the USWar in Iran has given Vladimir Putin a boostTue Mar 24 2026 - 06:38
Iran war could push tens of millions globally into acute hungerWar is severely affecting poorer countries where higher energy costs and shortage of fertiliser are forcing up food pricesMon Mar 23 2026 - 06:48
In Beijing, a ballet from Mao’s era still brings the house to tearsA night watching the National Ballet of China reveals how the Cultural Revolution classic continues to move — and divide — generationsFri Mar 20 2026 - 05:34
EU pulls funding for Rwandan force amid murky scramble for gas in Mozambique French energy company rejects allegation of complicity in war crimesThu Mar 19 2026 - 06:28
Kazakhstan’s president secures sweeping powers in constitutional overhaulNew constitution backed by landslide vote could see Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stay in power beyond 2029Wed Mar 18 2026 - 06:33
Trump seeks to delay trip to China ‘a little bit’ amid Iran warUS president was at pains to avoid any suggestion that move was a snub to Xi JinpingTue Mar 17 2026 - 06:47
Ireland can learn from China for MetroLink and Cork Light Rail, says Jerry ButtimerMinister of State says he has ‘matured in my approach’ to China, whose record on human rights he has criticisedMon Mar 16 2026 - 10:16
China and India show Trump that diplomacy can workMany countries think it’s better to talk to Iran than to send warships to the Strait of HormuzMon Mar 16 2026 - 07:28
A €2 increase in pension sparks rare debate over China’s prioritiesBeijing doubles down on ambitious plans built around long‑term strategic power, while delegates question a derisory pension hikeFri Mar 13 2026 - 05:18
South Korea’s defences weakened by US war in Iran The United States is burning up its anti-missile munitions at a furious rate as Iran continues to strike at targets across the Middle East.Thu Mar 12 2026 - 07:02
Trump seeks to use force to secure influence over Latin AmericaLeft-wing leaders from Brazil, Mexico and Colombia notably not involved in US president’s forceful regional initiativeWed Mar 11 2026 - 06:55
EU should resist Ursula von der Leyen’s foreign-policy power grab The commission president has often taken positions that have not been agreed by member statesTue Mar 10 2026 - 06:14
China condemns US war on Iran but keeps welcome extended for Trump visitBeijing makes it clear it remains enthusiastic about improving relations between the two countriesMon Mar 09 2026 - 06:40
China calls for immediate ceasefire in Iran and warns against regime changeForeign minister urges all sides to return to the negotiating tableSun Mar 08 2026 - 08:27
Nobody knows when the Iran war will end because nobody, including Trump, can say why it startedAs war spreads across the Middle East there are multiple possibilities for how it will continue or endSat Mar 07 2026 - 06:00
In ageing China, one daughter’s search for her mother reveals a nation’s dilemmaDementia, dwindling support and the legacy of the one‑child policy collide in a family’s fight to copeFri Mar 06 2026 - 01:00
China sets lowest economic growth forecast for 35 yearsThe target for 2026 of 4.5-5% is far below double-digit growth targets that were routine up to a decade agoThu Mar 05 2026 - 16:25
Nepal’s election will test the political power of the youthOutcome is also important for China and IndiaThu Mar 05 2026 - 06:43
Why has Washington imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s army?Global Briefing: Concern for human rights may not be the Trump administration’s only motiveWed Mar 04 2026 - 06:48
China signals support for Iran – while keeping its distanceBeijing offers diplomatic backing after US–Israel strikes but avoids commitments that could disrupt its wider Gulf tiesTue Mar 03 2026 - 14:57
Pakistan and Afghanistan have reasons to escalate conflict, but neither can afford to Taliban is eager to assert its sovereignty while Pakistan is worried about India’s influence in AfghanistanTue Mar 03 2026 - 06:47
Trump’s attacks on Iran reveal an American military power unrestrainedFew of America’s allies have condemned its action, despite most tacitly acknowledging it to be illegalMon Mar 02 2026 - 07:33
As AI anxiety jolts Wall Street, China wonders what all the fuss is aboutThe country’s economic structure – and its stubbornly analogue bureaucracy – may cushion the shock that terrifies the USFri Feb 27 2026 - 06:00
Talk of European states developing their own nuclear umbrella is fancifulAny autonomous nuclear shield would breach the Non-Proliferation Treaty and be hugely expensive and technologically challengingThu Feb 26 2026 - 06:40
State of the Union speech: Trump says little on Europe, China as foreign policy sidelined Trump was well over an hour into the longest State of the Union address in history before leaving domestic politicsWed Feb 25 2026 - 07:16
Suffering spreads in Somalia amid falling aid and growing interest in its natural wealthCountry faces similar conditions to those that brought it to the brink of famine in 2022Tue Feb 24 2026 - 06:37
Court ruling leaves Trump heading to China without tariffs leverStriking down of some tariffs strengthens Xi Jinping’s hand in talks over trade and other elements of China-US relationshipMon Feb 23 2026 - 06:32
Dancing robots, digital red envelopes and hurried hair cuts see in Chinese New YearStreets near Beijing’s main temples were crowded with people lining up to burn incense and pray for good fortuneFri Feb 20 2026 - 05:56
Will Donald Trump use the Chagos Islands to bomb Iran?If the US president wishes to use the Diego Garcia base for his next attack, he will need Keir Starmer’s approvalThu Feb 19 2026 - 06:35
Peru’s deepening relationship with China sees US cry foul over ‘sovereign rights’As Peru loses its seventh president in 10 years, Washington is getting anxious about Lima’s burgeoning relationship with BeijingWed Feb 18 2026 - 06:40
Europe swaps an energy dependency on Russia for one on the USDonald Trump could use gas-export controls or emergency powers to halt or reduce sales to EuropeTue Feb 17 2026 - 06:38
