Affairs
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Is New York’s scaffolding getting a glow-up? Expectations are low – but rising
Scaffolding, or sidewalk sheds if you want to get technical, is as much a part New York’s fabric as flooded subways or breakfast bagels. But does it have to be so ugly and ubiquitous?
Japan’s 10 buzzwords of 2025 reveal a snapshot of a country in flux
From climate anxiety to soaring rice prices and a momentous leadership transition, Japan’s annual buzzwords offer a window into how the country faced 2025’s changes and challenges.
Asia 2026 forecast: Vietnam, Malaysia and China lead the way
Here in Thailand, 2026 promises to begin with a bang. The country’s prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, who is currently in charge of a caretaker government, has called early elections even earlier than expected and…
A letter from Magdeburg to Sydney: terror, grief and the road to justice
Writing in the wake of a terror rampage in Sydney, and one year after a deadly car attack shattered Magdeburg’s Christmas market, Blake Matich reflects on grief, resilience and how communities restore order.
As Trump’s threats bring war closer with Venezuela, what is the mood on the ground in its cities?
For struggling Venezuelans, the idea of a US invasion looms large. But for many, US boots on the ground are the least of their worries.
Brown University shooting proves that no campus is safe, further deterring international students
Another day, another school shooting in the USA. This time, my son was inside. As we try to process the tragedy, we must ask what this persistent violence is doing to American universities.
Denmark 2026 forecast: Diplomacy, downfall and Donald Trump
Looking back on 2025, it is hard not to conclude that the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has played a good hand badly. It’s an assessment that applies as much to her own political…
Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza on surviving Putin’s gulag – and the moment when he thought he would be executed
Poisoned twice and sentenced to the longest term ever handed down to a Russian government opponent, Kara-Murza details his confinement in a Siberian prison and why he returned to fight for his country.
In the darkness of the Bondi Beach massacre, a civilian’s heroism gives Albanese a clear path forward
The Bondi Beach attack was callous and anti-Semitic but the fallout could provide further ugliness yet. The reaction, like the actions of Ahmed al Ahmed, must be brave and unequivocal.
Trump’s new National Security Strategy picks a side. Hint: it’s not Europe’s
The White House has released a new 33-page National Security Strategy that formalises the Trump administration’s foreign policy and should leave no one in doubt, least of all Europe.
