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Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney at Parliament House in Canberra.

A political rock star comes to Canberra. Did he match the hype?

The Canadian prime minister set the foreign policy world alight with a speech early this year. He arrived in Australia on a mission to show that middle powers matter.

  • Matthew Knott

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Vladimir Putin: Blood oil

Australia urged to make tough call on Russian oil as Putin’s influence surges

Russia has become the fifth-most powerful country in Asia, as its president weathers sanctions introduced since invading Ukraine. 

  • Matthew Knott
Xi Jinping looms large over the US-Australia relationship.

‘China doesn’t want to do that’: Trump’s bravado comes at a critical time

Xi Jinping wasn’t in the room, but he was top of mind as Anthony Albanese and the US president met. As was Taiwan.

  • Matthew Knott and Lisa Visentin
US President Donald Trump walks away following the group photograph at the G7 Summit in Alberta.

The view from isolation: Amid relentless ill tidings, at least the faithless fairy wrens make sense

A spot of seclusion prompts an uncomfortable musing on the world’s ailments.

  • Tony Wright
Randwick council cleaners remove antisemitic graffiti from houses in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

What if the antisemitic tide has a bigger target: Australia’s stability?

If foreign malign forces masterminded some of this wave of attacks, as authorities suspect, Australia will not be alone.

  • Lydia Khalil
PNG Prime Minister James Marape and Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese announcing the PNG NRL team … as Peter V’landys waits in the wings.

The NRL’s newest recruit PNG is good for sport and Pacific politics

The announcement that a team from Papua New Guinea will enter the NRL competition is a smart play.

  • The Herald's View
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Australia’s arm-wrestle with China is all over the billboards

Anyone who doubts Australia and China are in what Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong called a “permanent contest” in the Pacific needs to think again.

  • Richard McGregor
The Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Rail project in Indonesia was successfully finished four years behind schedule and US$1.2 billion over budget.

China’s cash promises in South-East Asia are coming up short, report says

President Xi Jinping launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, immediately winning over many foreign governments with promises of unprecedented investment.

  • Zach Hope
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos jnr has moved to strengthen relations with the United States and its allies since taking office last June.

Philippines’ Marcos Jr gets red carpet treatment in Australia

The son of notorious dictator Ferdinand Marcos is the only South-East Asian leader to take the Lowy Institute’s stage during next week’s ASEAN summit.

  • Kishor Napier-Raman and Noel Towell
Phil Kearns has been the public face of Australia’s successful bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Former Wallabies skipper Phil Kearns gets some extra mojo

Kearns is CEO of home builder AV Jennings, which like the Wallabies, is well past its glory days.

  • Kishor Napier-Raman and Noel Towell