Politics

Government, policy, institutions, and political power dynamics.

All Policy Elections Governance Law & Justice Diplomacy

Briefing: Meat prices are surging across Europe — and these countries are feeling it most

Strategic angle: Livestock shortages, animal disease and strong demand have pushed up meat prices across Europe, with some countries seeing increases of more than 20%.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: ‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts

Strategic angle: Countries across the continent have spent more than $2bn on Chinese tracking technology that is not ‘necessary or proportionate’, new report finds.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Russia steps up drone attacks on Ukraine's railways

Strategic angle: Russia has been targeting Ukraine's railways in an effort to disrupt the country's economy and supply lines.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Preliminary inquiry indicates US was responsible for deadly strike on Iranian elementary school

Strategic angle: The bombing of the school and its casualties involving children has become a focal point of the war, marking one of the highest civilian casualty events caused by American military operations in recent years.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Senegal passes law doubling penalty for same-sex relations to 10 years in prison

Senegal’s parliament intensifies crackdown on the LGBTQ community with new legislation.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Trump says Democrats must cheat to win. What do his supporters think?

Strategic angle: NPR spent several days traveling across a pair of swing districts in Pennsylvania to find out. The answers show how much has changed since the 2020 election.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: 'The Islamism of the Iranian regime is now reduced to a rather worn veneer'

Strategic angle: The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader signals a form of defeat in the ongoing war waged by the US and Israel.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Middle East war live: Israel strike kills 7 in central Beirut as Gulf ship attacks surge

Strategic angle: Lebanon reported that an Israeli strike on Beirut's seafront resulted in seven fatalities, coinciding with increased missile attacks from Hezbollah.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Quit fossil fuels to stem deadly floods in Brazil’s coffee heartland, say scientists

Strategic angle: Global heating linked to rising risk of extreme rain that causes devastating landslides and rising coffee prices.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Benjamin Netanyahu, a prime minister without checks and balances

Strategic angle: The strikes in Iran have further reduced the political space for opposition in Israel, even as concerns mount over a possible ground offensive in Lebanon.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Dozens of civilians killed in drone strikes in southern Sudan

Strategic angle: The region, rich in resources, has become a battleground amidst ongoing conflict.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: The government is investigating new claims that DOGE misused Social Security data

Strategic angle: The fallout from DOGE staffers' efforts to access sensitive Social Security data continues as an agency watchdog disclosed a new investigation into 'potential misuse' reported by a whistleblower.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Fifteen years after Fukushima and 40 years after Chernobyl, what have we learned?

Strategic angle: Major disasters have reshaped nuclear safety management and perceptions of risk.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: US announces investigations into what it claims are unfair trade practices by dozens of countries

Strategic angle: The move opens the door to penalties like additional tariffs and targets the European Union, China, Japan and India, among others.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Trump stands by claim that Iran could have struck girls’ school

Trump maintains his assertion regarding a potential attack on a school in Iran.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Iran’s sea mines raise fears of Strait of Hormuz oil disruption

Strategic angle: Tehran may seek to choke off oil traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, raising fears it could deploy sea mines.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

As energy prices soar, Russia emerges as major winner of Middle East war

Russia has capitalized on rising energy prices amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, overshadowing its war in Ukraine.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: US lawmakers probe Epstein’s wealth as ex-accountant testifies on finances and ties

Strategic angle: US House lawmakers investigate Jeffrey Epstein's financial empire through testimony from his former accountant.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: US to release 172 million barrels of oil from strategic reserve to combat energy price hike

Strategic angle: The Biden administration aims to alleviate rising energy prices by tapping into the strategic petroleum reserve.

Editorial Staff Mar 12

Politics

Briefing: Kanye West ordered to pay $140K in Malibu mansion renovation lawsuit

Strategic angle: A handyman had sought $1.7m from the rapper over claims of unpaid work, medical expenses, and being unfairly fired.

Editorial Staff Mar 12