‘Free speech in retreat’- JD Vance warns Europe of ‘threat from within’ February 14, 2025 JD Vance has accused the UK and Europe of a “backslide away from conscience rights”, warning of the “threat from within” and claiming: “Free speech, I fear, is in retreat.” The US vice-president made the comments while addressing European leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday, amid wider concern on the continent [...]
Munich summit: Ukraine on ‘irreversible path to NATO’, Starmer tells Zelenskyy February 14, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the UK remains committed to Ukraine “being on an irreversible path to NATO.” Speaking to the Ukrainian President this morning, the Prime Minister “began by reiterating the UK’s concrete support for Ukraine, for as long as it’s needed”, a Downing Street spokeswoman has said. Sir Keir was “unequivocal [...]
Three Sisters at The Globe: Tragedy reimagined as farce February 13, 2025 The bijou, candlelit stage at The Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse gives the feel of a doll’s house to this production of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Dressed in puffy, floaty period costume and framed against exquisite wood panelling, the actors seem like they’ve been picked up and placed on the stage to read their lines rather [...]
Investors are not taking the Bank of England seriously February 11, 2025 The Bank is clearly far more nervous about inflation than many in the City.
IOC in dock over boxing gender row as IBA takes Trump-inspired legal action February 10, 2025 The International Boxing Association (IBA) has launched legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over its inclusion of gender eligibility row boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting at the Paris 2024 Games. Citing President Trump’s recent order banning trans athletes from women’s sport, the IBA said it was filing official complaints with the attorney [...]
Is the government finally seeing sense on net zero? February 5, 2025 The government has realised that planes will still take off, even in a lower carbon future, so they may as well do it from Heathrow. They should apply the same logic to fossil fuels and allow drilling in the North Sea, says Will Cooling The New Year has clearly brought with it new energy from [...]
Trump’s tariffs: Short-term tactic or the start of a trade war? February 3, 2025 It’s not yet clear whether Trump’s threat of tariffs on the EU are intended as a shock and awe tactic to boost US exports or a more considered effort at reshaping global trade. Either way, we’re in for a period of economic volatility, says Andrew Hammond China, Canada, and Mexico are in the process of [...]
Russian drone and missile attacks kill eight in Ukraine February 1, 2025 At least eight people have died overnight as Russian drone and missile strikes continued to pound Ukraine’s towns and cities, local officials said. Meanwhile, Moscow’s troops continued their grinding advance through the country’s east. A Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Poltava killed at least seven people and injured [...]
Trump says he and Putin could do something ‘significant’ in Ukraine February 1, 2025 US President Donald Trump said his administration has already had “very serious” discussions with Russia about its war in Ukraine and that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon take “significant” action towards ending the grinding conflict. “We will be speaking, and I think will perhaps do something that’ll be significant,” Trump said in [...]
Former Trump ally Mike Pompeo joins London-listed copper firm January 30, 2025 Former US secretary of state and one-time Trump ally Mike Pompeo has joined London-listed copper miner ACG, bolstering its board as it plots a deals offensive and international expansion. ACG, led by a former executive at Russia’s biggest aluminium miner, said the former CIA director would join as a non-executive director and bring “valued strategic [...]