The starkest poverty for 60 years is hurting democracy
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown in The i Paper
The UK is the world's sixth largest economy, yet roughly six million Britons are locked in "very deep poverty", writes Yasmin Alibhai-Brown in The i Paper. Those living an "almost subsistence existence", who "see no prospect of life improving", are "highly unlikely to vote", so the next election could be "the most unequal in 60 years". Good democracies "include and develop" their poorest citizens. "Ours excludes and neglects them."
Will the hard right really sweep Europe in 2024? If it does, here's what could happen
Nathalie Tocci in The Guardian
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There is much talk of a "renewed far right surge" in Europe, writes Nathalie Tocci in The Guardian. This fear has "ebbed and flowed" since several major far-right gains last year, and is "back with a vengeance" after Geert Wilders' triumph in the Netherlands. Political winds in Europe are "clearly blowing to the hard right", threatening support for Ukraine, consensus on migration and climate goals. "None of this bodes well."
The Crown is going out in a blaze of camp glory
Alexander Larman in The Spectator
Say what you like about "The Crown", says Alexander Larman in The Spectator, but the show has "gone out in a blaze of either glory or outrage". What began as "a reasonably sober and nuanced drama" has transformed itself into "Eastenders with RP accents". "Purists and royal historians will carp at its tastelessness and excess, but for sheer unbridled entertainment, there's unlikely to be anything to match it this Christmas."
In Ukraine, the risk isn't stalemate. It's defeat
Lee Hockstader in The Washington Post
An "unspeakable potential endgame" in the Russia-Ukraine war is "being uttered out loud", says Lee Hockstader in The Washington Post: "Kyiv is at risk of losing." Ukraine's fate is "hanging in the balance", not because of its inability to recapture territory nor Russia's advantages, but thanks to US Republicans and Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán impeding aid from the US and the EU.
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Denmark’s record-setting arms purchase raises eyebrows and anxietyIN THE SPOTLIGHT By eschewing American-made munitions for their European counterparts, the Danish government is bracing for Russian antagonism and sending a message to the West
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What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
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Poland downs Russian drones in NATO airspaceSpeed Read Polish airspace was “violated by a huge number of Russian drones,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
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'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
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Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU officesSpeed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
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China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
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Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peaceSpeed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
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What will security guarantees for Ukraine look like?Today's Big Question From boots on the ground to economic sanctions, here are the measures that might stop Russia taking another bite out of Ukraine
