Today
British PM stumps up for Taylor Swift tickets after donations furore
With his popularity in freefall, Keir Starmer has tried to make amends for his freebie frenzy by paying back $12,000 worth of gifts out of his own pocket.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Israel vows Iran will pay ‘heavy price’, Lebanon combat intensifies
Israel and Iran traded verbal blows, while in Lebanon the first direct troop clashes claimed lives on both sides.
- Hans van Leeuwen and Matthew Cranston
This Month
- Opinion
- Opinion
Japan’s incoming PM has barely the concept of a plan
Faced with the option of a successor to Shinzo Abe or his polar opposite, Japan’s ruling party has broken with more than a decade of orthodoxy.
- Gearoid Reidy
- Analysis
- UK politics
‘Do you miss me yet?’ Britain’s zany ex-PMs back on centre stage
Boris Johnson and Liz Truss return to the limelight, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s travails leave Tories daring to dream of a swift resurrection.
- Hans van Leeuwen
September
AUKUS was part of plan to punish Macron, says Boris Johnson
Writing in his upcoming memoirs, the former UK prime minister accused the French president of being a “positive nuisance” during talks to leave the EU.
- Updated
- Daniel Martin
‘Asian NATO’ backer to become Japan’s new PM
The country’s ruling party picked former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba as leader, setting him up to become prime minister, a move that risks irritating China.
- Alastair Gale and Yuki Hagiwara
- Updated
- AUKUS
‘Utterly untrue’: Keating berates Marles over AUKUS defence
Paul Keating launched fresh criticism of the $368 billion agreement, part of internal Labor squabbling over the pact, which has not gone unnoticed in the UK and US.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen and Matthew Cranston
- Updated
- Middle East tensions
Fighting continues as US, France push for ceasefire
The US and its allies proposed a three-week truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon in a bid to head off an all-out war.
- Updated
- Henry Meyer and Michael Shear
- Opinion
- Opinion
Why even good politicians are unpopular these days
It’s not just Keir Starmer – political leaders are on the nose around the world, and it’s not all their fault. Decades of peace and affluence have raised expectations.
- Janan Ganesh
- Analysis
- UK politics
Why Britain’s PM faces political firefights on all fronts
A combination of bad politics and unpopular policy has left Sir Keir Starmer on the back foot. And there isn’t even a Tory opponent who can lead the attack.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Opinion
- UK politics
Keir Starmer’s honeymoon hardly got started
The UK prime minister already has a marginally lower approval rating than the recently deposed Rishi Sunak. Even by modern standards, the fall has been swift.
- Matthew Lesh
Starmer calls for return of ‘sausages’ from Gaza in conference gaffe
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer misread his script – which called for the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 last year.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen
Macron appoints right-wing cabinet to end paralysis
The government still faces two challenges in the coming weeks: the risk of a no-confidence vote and a tight budget deadline.
- Roger Cohen and Aurelien Breeden
Critical mineral exporters edge closer to US breakthrough
Anthony Albanese pushes Joe Biden to classify Australia’s critical minerals as “American made” to win favourable treatment, as allies counter China’s grip on the sector.
- Matthew Cranston
- Analysis
- Brexit
Brits regret Brexit, but can the country turn back?
Boris Johnson ‘got Brexit done’, but most Brits now seem to wish he hadn’t. Polls show more people see it as a failure, and would even vote to rejoin the EU.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Putin’s propaganda queen admits covertly working to get Trump elected
While the Kremlin has denied US claims of meddling in the election, Margarita Simonyan proudly admits her work is at the behest of the Russian government.
- Robyn Dixon
Ukraine long-range strikes into Russia won’t be a game changer: US
The warning from the US was in response to Volodymyr Zelensky’s repeated plea for Western nations to supply more long-range missiles to his war-torn country.
- Phil Stewart and Sabine Siebold
Macron turns to veteran Brexit hardman as French PM
The French president, boxed in by the parliamentary deadlock he created via a snap election in June, has named 73-year-old Michel Barnier as prime minister.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Analysis
- Analysis
No one is talking about the world’s worst humanitarian crisis
Sudan’s catastrophic war could kill millions and spread chaos across Africa and the Middle East as huge numbers of refugees flee the country.
- The Economist
- Opinion
- Opinion
Kishida was better on the foreign stage than at home
The outgoing Japanese PM strengthened international ties and was decisive on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, he missed the opportunity to fix the economy.
- Shiro Armstrong