Zimbabwe’s president stays put as succession drama plays out
Emmerson Mnangagwa (84) will remain in office after his term ends in 2030, as vice-president accuses him of following Mugabe’s path
Global Briefing
The Global Briefing newsletter. Denis Staunton's guide to understanding world events - what’s happening, why it matters and how it affects you
Alberta vote boosts Mark Carney but referendum leaves Canada weaker
Prime minister gets breathing space to pursue international goals, such as closer ties with European Union
Trump wants to talk nuclear disarmament with China and Russia. Beijing does not
China has long argued its nuclear arsenal is so far behind those of Russia and the US that it should not be included in arms talks
Why Trump, Putin and Xi are all courting Central Asia
US, Russia and China compete for influence in region that is geographically important and has huge resources of oil, gas and rare earths
Serbian students aim to graduate from antigovernment protests to forming new government
Anger at establishment led by Aleksandar Vučić has spawned movement that could enable the Student List to form government later this month
African countries look beyond the big three credit ratings agencies
Global Briefing: Continent’s leaders hope the new African Credit Rating Agency can help them save tens of billions of dollars in interest payments
South Korea goes on missile manoeuvres amid tensions with Washington
Seoul’s test launch of hypersonic missile is a hedge against US betrayal after Washington restricts intelligence sharing
Trump’s energy ceasefire is unfair to Ukraine but could it bring something better?
A comprehensive energy ceasefire beyond oil refineries could perhaps follow and open the way to a full ceasefire before winter
French students at forefront of global stirring of disaffected youth
Global Briefing: While education budgets are squeezed, EU governments are borrowing billions of euros to spend on defence
How Israel lost the world’s support after October 7th
Global Briefing: Three years after Hamas’s attack, the war in Gaza and mounting international outrage have made Israel more isolated and possibly less secure
A shift right for Brazil will damage its role as counterweight to the US on global issues
Right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro is the favourite to win election runoff with incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Oil refiners US and China have the leverage amid rising fuel prices
Donald Trump’s recent threat to halt diesel exports would have had calamitous consequences for Europe
US troops invaded Iraq 23 years ago. Now Iraq and Iran are celebrating their departure
US troops invaded Iraq in March 2003 amid the bogus claim that Saddam Hussein had developed weapons of mass destruction
Was Burnham’s speech to Labour Party conference a turning point on Brexit?
Global Briefing: UK prime minister pledged to consider all options on Europe, including single market membership and rejoining EU as a full member
US-Denmark deal on Greenland is a reward for American bullying
Document compromises Danish sovereignty over Greenland and gives Washington a bigger role in deciding what happens on the island
Are global controls needed for AI? The United States doesn’t think so
China, the other major player in developing AI, is not opposed to international oversight of the technology within UN framework
Sudan’s people suffer while rival forces are trapped in the logic of war
Global Briefing: A new US approach to pursuing peace in the country has yet to meet success and has put the Trump administration at odds with Saudi Arabia
Gaza ‘the world’s largest graveyard for children’, Erdogan tells UN, as Israelis walk out
Speakers at the UN in New York identified Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank as an affront to the UN
‘Anything could happen with me’: Trump can’t decide on his Iran strategy
Trump has left open the possibility of meeting Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian in New York this week
The US declared it has deployed weapons in space. How will China and Russia react?
The US, China and Russia have all developed anti-satellite systems, some of them ground based but others operating in orbit
Greece’s growing ties with Israel spark tensions with Turkey
Global Briefing: Athens last month signed a €3 billion air-defence deal with Israel
Morocco heads to polls, but king and football hold sway over political future
Global Briefing: Election on Sunday comes amid unhappiness over lavish spending on 2030 World Cup and underfunding of public services
Peru balances relations with the US and China
Lima joins a Trump coalition to use military force against drug cartels but has China as its biggest trading partner
West fears AI may kill us all but China and others see ‘immense’ opportunity
Developing countries hope that AI will allow them to leapfrog entire stages of technology development
Brics nations seek payments system free of the dollar and US sanctions
India’s Narendra Modi hosts a meeting of Brics leaders this weekend, with China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin attending
The highest paid world leader is getting a pay rise of almost €1m
Global Briefing: Lawrence Wong says higher salaries are needed to attract capable people into politics and maintain standards of government
South Korea has not deployed forces in the US-Iran war - and Trump’s not happy
Tehran warns of ‘serious consequences’ if Seoul sends forces to the Strait of Hormuz
There was one important breakthrough at the Russia-Ukraine peace talks
US envoys were joined for final hour of talks in Kyiv by advisers from Germany, France and Britain
Pete Hegseth’s military purge comes at a risky moment for Pentagon
Global Briefing: US defence secretary’s campaign against ‘wokeness’ is causing unease among some Republicans
Netanyahu has new protector inside European Union
Israeli government has waged an intense campaign to dissuade governments from backing EU action over Gaza
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni faces a challenge from the right
Macho ex-general calls for a ‘Mediterranean patriarchy’
Starting gun fires on Europe’s make-or-break election in France
Emmanuel Macron’s potential successors have no apparent grand vision for Europe’s future
What on earth is a Gymnich and why is it coming to Wicklow?
EU ministers are gathering in Druids Glen hotel next week for a candid discussion of foreign policy challenges
Things look surprisingly rosy for North Korea’s Kim Jong-un
Russia, China and the US all want better relationships with the dictator
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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