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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Homes with great fireplacesFeature Featuring a suspended fireplace in Washington and two-sided Parisian fireplace in Florida
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Is $140,000 the real poverty line?Feature Financial hardship is wearing Americans down, and the break-even point for many families keeps rising
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Film reviews: ‘The Secret Agent’ and ‘Zootopia 2’Feature A Brazilian man living in a brutal era seeks answers and survival and Judy and Nick fight again for animal justice
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Europe sets 2027 deadline to wean itself from Russian gasIN THE SPOTLIGHT As negotiators attempt to end Russia’s yearslong Ukraine invasion, lawmakers across the EU agree to uncouple gas consumption from Moscow’s petrochemical infrastructure
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Is Europe finally taking the war to Russia?Today's Big Question As Moscow’s drone buzzes and cyberattacks increase, European leaders are taking a more openly aggressive stance
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Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
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Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
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Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
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The $100mn scandal undermining Volodymyr ZelenskyyIn the Spotlight As Russia continues to vent its military aggression on Ukraine, ‘corruption scandals are weakening the domestic front’
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Trump pushes new Ukraine peace planSpeed Read It involves a 28-point plan to end the war
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Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
