Series
Rogue states, danger zones and hotspots: We explain
Journey with us to these far-flung regions – from China and North Korea to Iran and the Arctic – to understand the tensions shaping our world.
- Explainer
- Donald Trump
Born to be a little wild, but no rebel without a cause: Inside the world of Japan’s first female PM
She plays drums for fun, barely sleeps – and is enjoying a wave of popularity right now. What challenges does Sanae Takaichi face as she settles into Japan’s top job?
- Angus Holland
- Explainer
- Cuba
The US once held huge sway in Cuba. Now it wants a new deal
Without oil from Venezuela, the island nation is in crisis. Now Trump says he will ‘take’ it. How did Cuba get here? What’s next?
- Angus Holland
- Explainer
- North Korea
How has the Kim dynasty kept its grip on North Korea?
Tensions between North and South bubble along on the Korean peninsula as the Kim regime maintains its grip on power. How did one people become divided? Where did the North’s regime come from?
- Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Once the epitome of glamour, Venezuela is in crisis. How did it get to this?
After months of military build-up, the US attacked Venezuela and took President Nicolás Maduro and his wife into custody. Why might this intervention feel like deja vu?
- Angus Holland, Jackson Graham and Felicity Lewis
- Explainer
Tropic thunder: Why Trump wants the Panama Canal back
The critical waterway has a complex history. Why does Trump want it back? And what does China have to do with it?
- Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
- Explainer
‘This is not a joke’: Could the US take control of Greenland?
Donald Trump has upped the ante in his efforts to ‘get’ the Danish territory. Could he do it?
- Angus Holland
- Explainer
Beyond the eccentricities: Why the ex-Soviet ‘Stans’ are having a moment
The five countries known as Central Asia are leveraging their unique heritage, resources wealth and geopolitical edge – and tourism numbers are up. Who wants in? What can you find there?
- Angus Holland
- Explainer
Despot, radical … peacemaker? Meet Saudi Arabia’s millennial prince MBS
Reformer, tyrant or both? Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is reshaping his kingdom. What does it mean for the world?
- Sherryn Groch
- Explainer
The ‘miracle’ nation at 60: How Singapore thrived against the odds
It’s six decades since Singapore’s leader set out his program to “make this place tick”. What’s behind the city-state’s success? Is it true that everyone gets a flat? And is there a catch?
- Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
- Explainer
‘The Great Satan’: How the era of the ayatollahs began
Iran has a new Supreme Leader, only its third in nearly half a century. Here’s how the clerics came to power – and held on to it.
- Angus Holland
- Explainer
‘A completely new world’: The last US-Russia nuclear treaty has expired
Since the dawn of the nuclear age, there have been efforts to limit nuclear arms. What does this treaty’s lapse mean for the world?
- Angus Holland
- Explainer
‘I am Giorgia’: the far-right leader and the confounding world of Italian politics
Italy’s first female PM is also the first to govern from the far right in decades. Has Giorgia Meloni’s agenda changed in power? Where did her politics come from? And why has Italy had 68 governments since World War II?
- Angus Holland
- Explainer
‘The escalation risks are real’: Why India and Pakistan fight over Kashmir
Why is this part of the world so fraught? Could India and Pakistan’s friction escalate into a nuclear exchange?
- Angus Holland and Kayla Olaya
- Explainer
Miniskirts and mujahideen: How did Afghanistan come to be defined by war?
It was once a stop on the hippie trail and inspiration for the Lonely Planet guidebooks. So how did Afghanistan come to be defined by war and terrorism?
- Maher Mughrabi
- Explainer
Pirates, hotspots and choke points: inside the perilous world of shipping
Most of the world’s traded goods come to us on huge vessels by sea. We don’t give it much thought – until they run into trouble.
- Matt Wade
- Explainer
A dozen undersea cables connect Australia to the internet. What happens if they get hacked – or cut?
Hundreds of undersea cables link up the worldwide web, with about a dozen connected to Australia. How does this little-known network work – and what happens if it’s sabotaged?
- Sherryn Groch and Felicity Lewis
- Explainer
Why are microchips made in Taiwan at the centre of a global tussle?
Microchips are key to powering the world. What will it take to win in this vital (and secretive) multi-billion-dollar world?
- Eryk Bagshaw, Jackson Graham and Daniel Ceng
- Explainer
The planet’s population will get to 10.3 billion – then drop. Why?
India overtook China as the world’s most populous nation in 2023 but far bigger population shifts are transforming the world. Where will all the people be in 2100?
- Matt Wade and Angus Holland
- Explainer
It’s the coldest, windiest place on Earth. But who actually runs Antarctica?
In 1959, a dozen nations signed up to look after Antarctica for the good of all mankind. Today, the polar club is still growing. What do nations want in Antarctica? What rules must they play by?
- Felicity Lewis
- Explainer
The secret agents had a message: Take down the app or go to jail. How is the internet splintering?
Cracking down on the net was like nailing jelly to a wall, Bill Clinton said in 2000. But governments have found myriad ways to filter, block or slow it. And now some nations want nets of their own. Why?
- Sherryn Groch and Nick Bonyhady
- Explainer
Can Israel’s Iron Dome withstand Hezbollah’s rockets?
What is the Iron Dome? Could Hezbollah overwhelm it? And what is David’s Sling?
- Jackson Graham and Angus Holland
- Explainer
‘Le TikTok king’: Meet the 29-year-old fronting France’s far right
Snap elections in France in 2024 put a spotlight on the leader of its major far-right party. Who is he? And why is French politics in turmoil?
- Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Why is there so much tension over Taiwan?
Taiwan has lived under a cloud for more than half a century. Now that China has set its sights firmly on it, tensions are high and rising.
- Eryk Bagshaw
- Explainer
What’s life like on the International Space Station – and why is it closing?
The age of international space stations is ending. China has its own base off-Earth; India wants one too. What are nations up to in space?
- Sherryn Groch
- Explainer
Famed for polar bears and midnight sun, Svalbard is a potential hotspot. Why?
The cluster of islands in the icy high north is a visa-free zone – but that doesn’t make it trouble free. What’s so special about Svalbard?
- Felicity Lewis
- Explainer
‘A battery in a rock’: The ancient treasures kilometres under the sea
As scientists find wonders on the deepest seabeds, miners and governments are looking at other riches. What’s at stake way beneath the waves?
- Sherryn Groch
- Explainer
The Gaza Strip explained: A brief history
Once a trading hub, Gaza has been controlled by various powers in the past century. Who lives there now? And what is the history of the Gaza Strip?
- Jackson Graham, Angus Holland and Matt Wade
- Explainer
‘Follow the Party forever’: How to get into the Communist Party of China
The CCP is integral to life in China but getting in isn’t easy, and staying a member is a life’s work. What are the benefits? And who’s really in charge?
- Eryk Bagshaw
- Explainer
Who is Xi Jinping, the world’s most powerful politician?
Once a princeling, Xi spent his teenage years living in a cave. Now he is the longest-serving leader of China since the ’70s. How did he do it? And what are his plans for China?
- Eryk Bagshaw
- Explainer
Is Havana syndrome a new method of covert sabotage – or all in our heads?
A mystery illness has been hitting diplomats and spies around the world. But is it an attack or something else?
- Sherryn Groch
- Explainer
How a Bollywood backdrop became the highest battleground on Earth
High in the Himalayas, soldiers have fought hand-to-hand at a border hotly contested by two nuclear-armed giants. Why are they fighting and what is the fallout?
- Matt Wade
- Explainer
Hackers can stop the trains and the lights. But could they start a war?
Total meltdown or death by a thousand hacks – how bad could a cyberwar get? And where is the line between espionage and all-out attack?
- Sherryn Groch
- Explainer
‘It’s mine, it’s mine’: How do you find a Dalai Lama?
Smoke, oracles, a drum and a walking stick helped monks discover the Dalai Lama. But superpowers will one day wrangle over his successor.
- Matt Wade
- Explainer
King Charles has paused public duties. Who steps in when a monarch is unwell?
What are the rules and protocols when a British King or Queen can’t perform their duties?
- Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
- Explainer
‘Like the Wild West’: Who owns the moon and what’s up there?
Missions are blasting off again for the moon as the new space industry hits its stride. Why go back? And what will be the rules of conduct?
- Sherryn Groch and Felicity Lewis
- Explainer
Why can’t the world’s peacekeeper stop the fighting in Gaza and Ukraine?
Two regional conflicts are threatening global peace. Could the United Nations step in – and, if so, why hasn’t it?
- Angus Holland
Other series
Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026
This year’s laugh fest has kicked off, with more than 2000 performers stepping up to the mic. Here, our writers take a closer look
- 7 stories
Hate of origin: Inside football’s most intense rivalry
Essendon and Hawthorn have hated each other for more than 40 years, from some old-fashioned thuggery and a fake drug scandal in the mid-80s to last year’s failed bid by the Hawks to poach the Bombers’ captain.
- 5 stories