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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Courgette and leek ijeh (Arabic frittata) recipeThe Week Recommends Soft leeks, tender courgette, and fragrant spices make a crisp frittata
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Trump’s power grab: the start of a new world order?Talking Point Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the US president has shown that arguably power, not ‘international law’, is the ultimate guarantor of security
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Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
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US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
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Trump’s Greenland threats overshadow Ukraine talksSpeed Read The Danish prime minister said Trump’s threats should be taken seriously
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What will happen in 2026? Predictions and eventsIn Depth The new year could bring peace in Ukraine or war in Venezuela, as Donald Trump prepares to host a highly politicised World Cup and Nasa returns to the Moon
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All roads to Ukraine-Russia peace run through the DonbasIN THE SPOTLIGHT Volodymyr Zelenskyy is floating a major concession on one of the thorniest issues in the complex negotiations between Ukraine and Russia
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Russia’s ‘weird’ campaign to boost its birth rateUnder the Radar Demographic crisis spurs lawmakers to take increasingly desperate measures
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US offers Ukraine NATO-like security pact, with caveatsSpeed Read The Trump administration has offered Ukraine security guarantees similar to those it would receive from NATO
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The Alps start the countdown to ‘peak glacier extinction’IN THE SPOTLIGHT Central Europe is losing ice faster than anywhere else on Earth. Global warming puts this already bad situation at risk of becoming even worse.
