February
UK prime minister in fresh turmoil after Greens’ stunning election win
Voters in Manchester have delivered an electoral earthquake in a traditional Labour stronghold, piling pressure on both Keir Starmer and populist Nigel Farage.
Everyone in Asia wants a stronger Japan – except China
A more confident Tokyo complicates Beijing’s preferred regional order. For many of Asia’s middle powers, that makes Japan an appealing counterweight.
Royal-backed Thai prime minister wins election in blow to reformists
The result is a significant setback for the pro-democracy movement that had sought to curtail the powers of the monarchy.
Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ prime minister wins landslide election
Sanae Takaichi’s party gained a super majority in a stunning win, with plans to boost the nation’s spending and defence capabilities amid tensions with China.
Japan is ‘full of old men’. Its Iron Lady PM has a special power
She’s popular, disciplined and not especially feminist. Japan’s female prime minister plans to cement power at elections on Sunday using gender in her own way.
Japan’s heavy metal rock star PM could wreck Labor’s China strategy
Takaichi’s election victory means her brand of unapologetic China hawkishness could collide with Labor’s plans to stabilise relations with our largest trading partner.
Japan’s pop-idol prime minister eyes election landslide
Sanae Takaichi is almost certain to cement her grip on power at Sunday’s election, driven by personal popularity and a tough security stance.
Nigel Farage should be wary of poaching ‘talent’ from other parties
Reform UK is struggling to attract serious people willing to stand as candidates in public-facing roles, but a string of Tory defectors isn’t really the answer.
January
Ex-South Korean leader gets prison term in first ruling over martial law
Ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been sentenced to five years for martial law abuses, with a verdict on a more serious insurrection charge due next month.
Takaichi bets on snap election to back China stance, stimulus push
Japan’s PM will next week dissolve the lower house, triggering a national vote to decide all 465 seats. It will be her first electoral test since taking office.
November 2025
Chile joins swing to right as Trump-style candidate heads to run-off
If the polls are correct, Chile will join a series of Latin American countries, including Argentina and Bolivia, that have shifted to the right in recent years.
Wall Street ‘stops sulking’ and makes overtures to Mamdani
Finance titans like Jamie Dimon, Jane Fraser and Bill Ackman are setting aside their scepticism and offering to help the new socialist New York City mayor.
October 2025
Why the Coalition can’t win without losing itself
The Coalition faces not a messaging challenge but a structural impossibility. Voters abandoning them won’t be satisfied by marginally tougher rhetoric.
Japan’s Iron Lady has a tough to-do list
Sanae Takaichi takes control of a tired old party amid a cost-of-living crisis, unsustainable national debt, a tariff war with the US and rising China tensions.
Takaichi set to become Japan’s first female PM
Sanae Takaichi has won the race to lead Japan’s ruling party, putting her on course to emulate her hero, former British leader Margaret Thatcher.
September 2025
‘$1b for a ship tunnel’: Is Norway too rich for its own good?
Norwegians fear their wealth is making them lazy and complacent. Value for money was a key campaign issue in the rich Nordic country’s just-held election.
August 2025
Trump stormed back on a vibe. But it’s all downhill from here
In a nation that has been 50-50 all century, the mistake is to ever believe that someone is in the ascendant. This northern summer is the president’s peak.
How Britain lost the status game
Voters want their government to do something to change the direction of events dragging down the once-powerful empire. But what if it can’t?
July 2025
Problems with the Productivity Commission
Readers’ letters on the Productivity Commission’s submission, corporate taxes, and the power of positivity.
These young nationalists are trying to shake up Japanese politics
Japan’s far-right Sanseito party just broke into the mainstream, with orange vans, YouTube rage, and promises to put the “Japanese First”.
