EU-China talks on trade imbalance is best news for their relations in yearsEU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and China’s commerce minister begin a process to address the widening trade gapTue Jun 30 2026 - 07:00
Analysis: US and Iran to stop tit-for-tat strikes, but obstacles to peace remainWashington’s Gulf allies have lost faith in US security guarantee, offering Iran an advantage as it asserts its control over Strait of Hormuz Mon Jun 29 2026 - 06:45
Dragon boats, ancient rituals – and a modern fear of being left behindAmid holiday celebrations in Beijing, a friend’s stark worry captures the anxiety of a weakening jobs marketFri Jun 26 2026 - 06:00
Israeli companies that make weapons killing children in Gaza set for European growthUN report identifies weapons used in Israel’s targeted killing of Gaza children, as well as the military units responsibleThu Jun 25 2026 - 06:51
African and Caribbean nations push to put slave-trade reparations firmly on global agendaGlobal Briefing: Conference in Ghana calls for a formal apology from countries that benefited, financial compensation, debt relief and the return of looted artefactsWed Jun 24 2026 - 06:51
Cuba makes sweeping changes to its socialism model but are they enough for Trump? US president mused last week that invading Cuba would be an easier military operation than his war against IranTue Jun 23 2026 - 06:22
They’ll say Starmer was a triumph on the world stage. It’s not trueHis achievements abroad are outweighed by failures of strategy, judgement and political courageMon Jun 22 2026 - 07:30
China endorses Myanmar president and keeps door open to economic corridorBeijing’s primary interest is in ensuring instability in the neighbouring country does not spill over into ChinaFri Jun 19 2026 - 05:15
South Africa struggles to stop anti-immigrant violenceGhana and Nigeria among countries to remind South Africans of solidarity shown during fight against apartheid Thu Jun 18 2026 - 06:45
Taliban’s growing partnership with Russia could have significant consequencesRussia has signed a military agreement with Afghanistan that could allow Moscow to extend its influence and shape regional securityWed Jun 17 2026 - 06:40
Trump’s failure in Strait of Hormuz accelerates move towards a post-US worldWashington ignored allies’ interests in its illegal Iran war, and they are now likely to become more independent from the United StatesTue Jun 16 2026 - 07:37
Iran peace deal will not restore pre-war status quo in Strait of HormuzGlobal Briefing: Washington has upended its decades-long Middle East strategy of keeping energy and trade flowingMon Jun 15 2026 - 07:37
‘He had one dream’: The Mayo De La Salle brother who built a top Asian art collegeSingapore's Lasalle College of the Arts started as a school with 27 students is now one of the leading art colleges in southeast AsiaFri Jun 12 2026 - 05:59
Canada is banning social media use for children under 16; what steps have others taken?As Ireland promises to push for similar legislation, lawmakers should look at experiences beyond the English-speaking worldThu Jun 11 2026 - 06:53
Pope Leo XIV challenges EU over migration and rearmament policiesPontiff tells politicians in Spain that migration is challenging conscience of nations, and that military deterrence can never build lasting peaceWed Jun 10 2026 - 07:06
Why you should support a small, neutral, democratic former colony island in the Atlantic at the World CupHere is an Irish player to support at the World Cup (no, it’s not Declan Rice)Tue Jun 09 2026 - 06:48
Why Xi Jinping is meeting Kim Jong-un in PyongyangGlobal Briefing: The visit has implications for the future of the Korean peninsula and the whole of east AsiaMon Jun 08 2026 - 06:37
European Union and China tooling up for trade war that could hurt bothGlobal Briefing: It may prove difficult for the EU to reconcile the enthusiasm of member states led by France with the reticence of Germany and SpainThu Jun 04 2026 - 06:43
Armenians look towards EU, but Russia is watchingArmenia’s foreign policy direction has become a big issue in advance of Sunday’s parliamentary electionsWed Jun 03 2026 - 06:27
Surprise in Colombia gives Trump another Latin American boostAbelardo de la Espriella’s win in the first round of presidential election suggests country could become latest in region to swing rightTue Jun 02 2026 - 06:43
‘Every day feels exhausting’: Four students confront China’s high-stakes college entrance exams Four Chinese students on sitting the gaokao, a challenging national test that will shape their futuresTue Jun 02 2026 - 06:00
Singapore mobilises international response over fears seabed becoming global battlefield Underwater fibre-optic cables carry more than 95 per cent of intercontinental data traffic Mon Jun 01 2026 - 06:42
China’s quiet reform could reshape life for hundreds of millions of migrant workersA long-awaited easing of residency restrictions may boost consumption – and begin to level the playing field for China’s urban workforceFri May 29 2026 - 06:00
Alberta is flirting with independence. Is Canada facing a messy break-up? Prime minister Mark Carney has warned of a Brexit-like mistake Thu May 28 2026 - 06:44
Bolivian president Rodrigo Paz struggles to quell powerful anti-austerity protests Global Briefing: Major cities see protests and road blockades in the past four weeks over measures that hurt poorer Bolivians and benefit the wealthiestWed May 27 2026 - 06:50
Are diverging geopolitical interests among Quad members making it an irrelevance?Trump has shown little interest in group comprising the United States, India, Japan and Australia that was at core of US efforts to counter ChinaTue May 26 2026 - 06:42
Iran looks to have won important concessions in Trump’s ‘largely negotiated’ peace dealTehran has reportedly made no commitment ‘to hand over nuclear stockpiles, shut down facilities or not to build a nuclear bomb’ Mon May 25 2026 - 07:12
Moving to a new beat: China’s businesses buoyed in BrazilStruggling in a flat domestic market, many businesses are expanding overseas Fri May 22 2026 - 06:00
EU moves toward idea of talking to Russia but needs to decide on envoy and mandateMood in EU has shifted in recent weeks as Donald Trump’s efforts to end the Ukraine conflict appear to have stalledThu May 21 2026 - 07:08
Beijing’s split-screen diplomacy underscores shifting global alignmentsThe protocol on Trump and Putin’s visits to China was almost identical – but the tone and the body language were strikingly differentWed May 20 2026 - 18:52
Xi Jinping and Putin warn against return to ‘law of the jungle’Russian and Chinese presidents meet in Beijing and say western powers can no longer dominate global affairs in spirit of the colonial eraWed May 20 2026 - 11:34
Ebola outbreak in DRC made worse by impact of conflicts in regionDemocratic Republic of Congo’s armed conflicts are driven by an international scramble for mineral wealthWed May 20 2026 - 06:39
Donald Trump’s dilemma: How to end the war in Iran?US president signals ‘full, large-scale assault’ on Iran but declares hours later he is holding off on a fresh attackTue May 19 2026 - 07:02
Taiwan debates what constitutes independence in wake of Trump visit to ChinaTrump’s remarks casting doubt on future arms sales to Taiwan have alarmed the self-governing islandMon May 18 2026 - 06:58
China calls for Strait of Hormuz reopening ‘as soon as possible’ at Trump-Xi meetingXi says China will not provide military equipment to Iran and ‘would like to help’ on issue, Trump says in Beijing Fri May 15 2026 - 16:33
Thorny issues set aside as Trump and Xi reach rosy consensusFundamentals of the US-China relationship remain the same after US president’s visitFri May 15 2026 - 15:25
Xi Jinping warns Donald Trump that ‘mishandling’ Taiwan issue could lead to conflict Chinese president met Trump in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People for more than two hours on ThursdayThu May 14 2026 - 18:33
Behind the pageantry, Beijing delivers stark Taiwan warning to TrumpXi Jinping warns that any effort to steady US-China ties hinges on how Washington handles TaiwanThu May 14 2026 - 17:25
Xi Jinping tells US chief executives that China will ‘open wider’US firms want increased access to the Chinese market, while Beijing wants an easing of restrictions on advanced semiconductorsThu May 14 2026 - 17:17
Kyrgyzstan’s authoritarian president and his enforcer have fallen out Global Briefing: Security chief Kamchybek Tashiev was fired in February and faces charges of plotting a coupThu May 14 2026 - 07:09
Europe must shape its post-Ukraine war destiny as difficult choices loomThe EU should consider its approach to lifting economic sanctions against Russia, and a future security architecture for the ContinentWed May 13 2026 - 06:58
Trump meets Xi: What both sides want from high-stakes summitUS and China hope to reach an agreement that buys them enough time to build greater resilience against each otherWed May 13 2026 - 06:00
Scolding Macron strikes bum note for France reset with AfricaFrench president sought move to partnership with African leaders at Kenya summit, but video clip of him admonishing audience for chatter goes viralTue May 12 2026 - 06:40
Southeast Asian countries try to increase co-operation to reduce impact of US war on Iran Leaders’ summit dominated by question of what to do about fuel shortages Mon May 11 2026 - 06:39
Same tune by a different Song brings back memories of a pivotal time in ChinaThe 2001 Chinese hit Better and Better celebrated the turnaround in living standardsFri Apr 24 2026 - 06:00
US talks to Cuba, but Cuban-American demands appear obstacles to dealHavana cannot afford US claims for compensation over 1959 revolution, a key demand of Cuban exiles in FloridaThu Apr 23 2026 - 06:58
Peace deal is possible between US and IranMany issues remain to be resolved but a framework for agreement could be reached if talks resume in Islamabad this week Wed Apr 22 2026 - 07:08
Beijing riled as Japan joins US and Philippines military exercise in South China Sea China warns of countries ‘setting themselves on fire’, amid a bigger shift in regional securityTue Apr 21 2026 - 06:36
‘We were wearing green Irish jerseys’: How Irish student footballers made history in China in 1976 For a group of former UCD students, a return trip to China marks half a century since an improbable tour that unfolded at a pivotal moment in the country’s historyMon Apr 20 2026 - 12:00
Bulgaria’s likely next leader is friendly toward Russia but no Viktor Orbán Early returns point to election win for former president Rumen Radev’s centre-left Progressive Bulgaria partyMon Apr 20 2026 - 06:44