The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continued to shake BP. The firm announced that its unpopular chief executive Tony Hayward would step down on October 1st. Robert Dudley, its American executive director, will replace him. BP reported a loss of $17 bill… more »

Tens of thousands of files were leaked from the American armed forces to WikiLeaks, a website. They related to the conduct of the war in Afghanistan and sharpened a perception that Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, the ISI, has been backing the Ta… more »

Delegates representing some 70 countries descended on Kabul for a conference on the future of Afghanistan, the first to be held in the country since an American-led coalition routed the Taliban in 2001. President Hamid Karzai presented an optimistic plan… more »

China and Taiwan signed one of their most significant agreements since 1949: a deal designed to liberalise trade and investment across the Taiwan strait. Hundreds of tariffs will be reduced in both directions. Both governments are eager to convince Taiwa… more »

The UN Security Council approved a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme. Both China and Russia, traditional allies of Iran, voted for the measures. Brazil and Turkey, non-veto-wielding members who have negotiated their own nu… more »

Israel caused an international furore when its commandos shot dead nine protesters on a Turkish ship that was bound with humanitarian supplies for Gaza, which Israel has been blockading. The commandos boarded the ship before dawn in an effort to prevent… more »