Today
Budget bungle blows UK chancellor’s big day
Rachel Reeves’ new plan is targeting workers and the wealthy. But a gaffe in which key measures were published prematurely stuffed up the sales pitch.
Yesterday
Talking about restraint is easy, following through will take courage
Shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien will need to work harder if he is going to show voters the Coalition is the party of strong economic management.
Farage under fire over racist schoolyard ‘banter’
An investigation by the left-wing Guardian newspaper has stoked a debate about whether the possible next Prime Minister of Britain is a racist.
This Month
The one question that makes Trump squirm more than most
The US president made no mention of Taiwan in a call with Xi Jinping. The US has a policy of strategic ambiguity, but Donald Trump takes it to the next level.
Putin is now getting squeezed. Will he lash out?
Two major hurdles remain in bringing an end to the Russian-Ukraine war – including getting the Russian leader to accept some concessions.
One of the AI giants will lose (huge). But investors don’t need to
As long as you’re not betting on one particular company or one particular debt offering, relax and enjoy the ride.
The black widows chasing ‘coffin money’ in Putin’s war
In an emerging cottage industry, women are tricking soldiers into marriage to get death payouts. It is predatory opportunism exacerbated by the conflict.
How the Best Universities Ranking is created
The Financial Review’s ranking of universities uses traditional measures of excellence alongside student satisfaction and equity data.
Trump is bullying Ukraine into a deal. It just might work
The US president has bludgeoned Ukraine back to the peace table. European leaders are desperate for a look-in. But is peace near?
Why China wants to price more iron ore contracts in its own currency
Beijing is using its market power in iron ore to pressure BHP as it moves to expand yuan-based trade and reduce reliance on the US dollar.
What’s happened 100 days after Chalmers’ economic roundtable?
The government needs to present a much more substantive policy agenda on deregulation, tax and budget repair to jumpstart productivity and boost Australians’ living standards.
Trump wants a Nobel. His new peace plan hands Putin the prize
The US president’s confidential 28-point scheme to end the invasion has been branded a capitulation of war-weary Ukraine to the Russian leader.
Why a fight over immigration is not the answer for Sussan Ley
The Coalition is failing to attract Gen Z and Millennial voters, but there are also worrying signs for the government in the latest polling data.
Top economic boffin: ‘Seeds of the next financial crisis being sown’
Australian investors are at risk as the US and China look for disruptive ways to exert leverage over each other’s economy.
Liberal women inherit a crisis they will struggle to fix
The party might be headed for a historic outcome, with female leaders in NSW, Victoria and Canberra, but it is still failing to learn from election losses.
The smart money has finally found a way to actually short the AI boom
So far, most attempts at betting against artificial intelligence have backfired as Silicon Valley giants have sucked up capital and driven markets higher.
Putin’s secret sabotage attacks on Europe are not fooling anyone
Russian operatives are suspected of blowing up a rail line in Poland that carries supplies to Ukraine in what experts say is a strategy to sow discord in Europe.
Trump’s Epstein backflip means Republicans avoid this scary question
Before the US president changed his mind, a vote in favour of releasing the files would have earned his wrath. But a vote against would have angered MAGA.
Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ won over Trump. Now she faces a bigger test
Sanae Takaichi is managing her first real foreign-policy crisis as China ratchets up the pressure in response to her remarks about Taiwan.
Labour gets tough on immigration to stop Farage becoming PM
The UK government is borrowing from hardliners’ political playbook by unveiling a crackdown on would-be immigrants crossing the English Channel.