Meng and the Michaels: why China’s embrace of hostage diplomacy is a warning to other nations

Analysis: Beijing’s increasingly hardline approach sends a chilling message The release of two Canadian hostages by China has ended a lengthy feud between the two countries, but experts caution the saga foreshadows a deepening rift between the two nati…

France warns UK of ‘retaliation’ as Jersey braces for blockade in fishing row

Channel island’s government rejected third of French boats and ordered them out of its waters within 30 daysJersey’s government is bracing itself for a blockade of its main port by angry fishers and France said it would look at “retaliation measures” a…

My Secret Brexit Diary by Michel Barnier review – a British roasting

The EU’s chief negotiator found his UK counterparts bizarrely unfocused during the long haul to fix a Brexit deal – and believes they still don’t know what they’ve doneRarely do we see thinking of the other side of a negotiation so quickly, while the t…

16 million in Yemen ‘marching towards starvation’ as food rations run low – UN

Aid worker describes ‘horrific’ scenes in one hospital where starving and malnourished children ‘look like skeletons’At least 5 million people in Yemen are on the brink of famine and a further 16 million are “marching toward starvation”, as the country…

‘Donnez-moi un break’: Johnson deepens rift with France over defence deal

UK prime minister hits out after Paris reacted with fury to announcement of defence pactBoris Johnson has reopened the rift with Paris over the Aukus defence and security deal, urging the French to “prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break”, a…

Is China stepping up its ambition to supplant US as top superpower?

Analysis: Joe Biden has cleared the decks to focus on China. But how imminent is the danger?It may have been an inelegantly, even ineptly, executed pivot, gratuitously alienating key allies, but by leaving Afghanistan and forming the Australian, US and…