Does it matter if Putin uses a body double?
Was it Vladimir Putin or wasn’t it? ‘Vladimir Putin’ was certainly shown on television being helicoptered into Crimea this week,…
Cyclists have been given a licence to ride on the pavement
Let me confess: when I learned that a woman pedestrian had been sent to prison for causing the death of…
The Manchester Arena bombing and the shortcomings of public inquiries
Responding to Sir John Saunders’ third and final report on the bombing at Manchester Arena, Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary…
Should teachers really be going on strike?
It had to happen, didn’t it? After the railway workers, the train drivers, the nurses, the ambulance crews, the civil…
Alireza Akbar’s execution is a tragedy
UK officials from the Prime Minister downwards have condemned the execution of Iran’s former deputy defence minister, a dual British-Iranian…
It’s no surprise Britain can’t cope with snow
If you’ve managed to avoid the dimly-lit pictures of people’s back gardens, you won’t have heard the news: the snow…
Why Britain should welcome Russians fleeing Putin's war
As if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had not already presented quite enough dilemmas for other countries, suddenly there is another…
Why Crimea could be key to Ukraine winning the war
Over the six months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the ambitions of President Zelensky and his compatriots have only grown. From…
The strange morality of sponsoring weapons
Forget fund-raising concerts donating spare clothes and offering your spare room to a refugee family. There’s a better way of…
Liz Truss is right to look at family taxation
Launching her campaign for party leader and prime minister, Liz Truss said something that barely registered amid the big tax-cutting…
Why the Met Police keeps failing
Much has been made of the decision to place the Metropolitan Police in what is often referred to as special…
Boris, Zelensky and Britain's new special relationship
Boris Johnson has been accused of shamelessly using the war in Ukraine for his own political ends. The timing of his…
What's behind Russia's new Z symbol?
National symbols are usually proudly emblazoned for all to see. That’s the point of them. One, though, seems rather to have…
How close is Russia to collapse?
Russia is now as closed off to the world as the Soviet Union was before Mikhail Gorbachev made his first tentative steps…
Are we cheering on Ukraine to destruction?
We’re just ten days into Russia’s assault on Ukraine and the western world has painted itself in Ukraine’s colours. Cities…
Are Russians turning against Putin?
One of the reasons why I judged — wrongly — that Vladimir Putin would not order an all-out invasion of…
The West is doing Putin's work for him
Ukraine, as is periodically observed, means borderland. Geography will forever influence its destiny as an independent state. With tensions between…
How the media helped drive the Ukraine crisis
Western warnings of an ‘imminent’ Russian invasion of Ukraine have grown more insistent in recent weeks with different voices, from…
5,000 helmets and Germany’s dark history in Ukraine
If anyone produces a ‘history in 100 objects’ for the first half of the 21st century, one of those objects…
Bloodshed in Kazakhstan could spell trouble for Putin
Russian troops have now arrived in Kazakhstan in a desperate bid to halt the tide of violence that has swept…
Why Britain should not extradite Julian Assange
Julian Assange is facing extradition after the high court ruled there is no legal impediment to him facing espionage charges in…
Feted abroad, dismissed at home: will Germans really miss Merkel?
As Angela Merkel finally steps down, the verdict on her leadership – at least from overseas – appears to be…
Why won't German politicians talk about migration?
For a country with a reputation for being staid and predictable, the election campaign that closes the Merkel era in…
Hurricane Ida exposes the dire state of American infrastructure
Watching coverage of Hurricane Ida on both sides of the Atlantic, it was hard to escape the impression that politicians…
The descent of Afghanistan
The bomb attacks at Kabul airport were what US and allied commanders overseeing the mass evacuation had most feared. In…
