World
JK Rowling is no bully
I see JK Rowling is being cruel again. Her nasty streak is off its leash. She’s bullying random people and…
Elon Musk has won a victory for free speech in Australia
In the unedifying clash of heads between billionaire Twitter/X owner, Elon Musk, and Australia’s e-safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, there…
Catalans appear to be growing tired of independence
Spain’s Socialist party (PSOE) won crucial elections in Catalonia over the weekend, beating a pro-independence bloc whose support has been…
Obesity isn’t behind the sicknote crisis
The European Congress on Obesity is an annual treat for health journalists, because it guarantees a week of ready-made stories…
What Sunak’s big speech reveals about his election strategy
Rishi Sunak has this morning given a speech aimed at framing the choice at the next election: security with the…
David Cameron’s top six blunders in six months
How time flies. Half a year has passed since former prime minister David Cameron made a shock return to frontline…
Police to interview Angela Rayner over second home
Another day, another development in the curious case of Angela Rayner’s tax affairs. It now transpires that the deputy Labour…
Sunak’s dire warning will fall on deaf ears
Even on the most optimistic reading, Rishi Sunak is drinking in the last-chance saloon. Today the Prime Minister is delivering…
The Harvard man who became Xi Jinping’s favourite academic
Xi Jinping is a busy man. He holds down three jobs. As General Secretary of the Chinese Communist party (CCP),…
The Elphicke affair has made Starmer look incompetent and unprincipled
The defection of Natalie Elphicke to Labour was, no doubt about it, a political coup de theatre. What wasn’t immediately clear, but is becoming clearer now the curtain…
What the Shoigu reshuffle means for Putin’s war machine
There was an expectation that the appointment of Vladimir Putin’s new government would see some change in the Russian security…
JK Rowling is playing with fire
The transgender debate has a habit of bringing out the worst in people. It’s no wonder, really. It’s an issue…
Working in Brussels, I saw the dark side of the EU
To this day, many Remainers see the vote to leave the EU as an entirely self-inflicted wound. But is that…
Sergei Shoigu out as Russia’s defence minister
It’s reshuffle time in Moscow and it seems that Sergei Shoigu, who has served as Vladimir Putin’s defence minister for…
The dignity of Eden Golan
Two questions dominated last night’s Eurovision Song Contest final in Malmo, Sweden. First, whether 20-year-old Eden Golan, Israel’s entrant, would…
The legacy of devolution – 25 years on
Winnie Ewing, SNP royalty – Madame Écosse to those who had served alongside her in the European Parliament – opened…
Natalie Elphicke row deepens
Was Keir Starmer’s decision to welcome the Tory right wing MP Natalie Elphicke to the Labour party a genius strategic…
I’m proud of my mayoral campaign
In 18 months of campaigning to win the battle to be mayor of London – spoiler: I didn’t win –…
Chinese society is rapidly militarising
The reports in China’s state media speak about ‘advancing national defence education in the new era’, teaching students to be…
Why are the yakuza stealing Pokemon cards?
A high-ranking member of the yakuza (Japanese mafia) has been arrested in Tokyo for selling stolen Pokemon cards. Keita Saito was…
The Arts Council wastes money – and is bad news for art
‘You’re gay.’ That was the first tip I got from a friend who writes applications for Arts Council grants. He…
Why Israel is crucial to Eurovision
Eden Golan has qualified for the final of tonight’s Eurovision Song Contest and will represent Israel in the world’s most-watched…
The FTSE 100 hits a new high – but don’t celebrate yet
Another day, another all time high. As the week closed, the FTSE 100 index hit 8,433 — the highest level…
The bizarre sexual politics of the French
‘More sex please, we’re French,’ declared, in effect, France’s president Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, demanding that his compatriots counteract a…
Why is Russia’s economy booming despite sanctions?
Over two years on from the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is the most sanctioned nation in the world. And yet the country’s…
