Looked at objectively, a bilateral trade agreement between Britain and the United States is of relatively small economic significance to this country. Back in 2020, Boris Johnson’s government estimated that a US deal “could increase UK GDP in the long run by around 0.07%” – a figure that is notContinue Reading
No one, least of all consumers and workers, will win the ferocious trade war that Donald Trump has unleashed. This is “a game of who can bear more pain”, in the words of one analyst. And because trade is at the heart of US ties with its biggest tariff target,Continue Reading
The release on Sunday of the first photograph of Pope Francis since his admission to the Gemelli hospital in Rome was an uplifting moment for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. In a message published by the Vatican, he said that he continued to feel “fragile” and was “facing a period of trial”.Continue Reading
In the introduction to a new, seasonal compilation of his speeches on hope, Pope Francis reflects on the legacy of the great German theologian Johann Baptist Metz. Shaped by the early experience of living through the horrors of the Nazi era, Metz’s political theology was a passionate warning against theContinue Reading
Gisèle Pelicot, a 72-year-old woman who had retired to a small village in provincial France, has become a heroine not only to compatriots but to people thousands of miles away, rightly saluted by global leaders and ordinary citizens alike. In refusing anonymity, and insisting that the trial of her ex-husbandContinue Reading
Under most circumstances, a British politician seeking cash from a foreign oligarch would make the approach discreetly. Recipient and donor would worry about the relationship looking improper even if the deal could be done without breaching UK electoral law. Nigel Farage has no such qualms. The Reform leader has boasted ofContinue Reading
Haughty defiance has become Emmanuel Macron’s go-to tone during a second term marred by chaos, acrimony and recrimination. During his prime-time television address to the French nation last week, following the toppling of the centre-right prime minister he appointed only three months ago, Mr Macron loftily declined to take responsibility forContinue Reading
It started with “chav” and has included “carbon footprint”, “omnishambles” and “selfie”. The Oxford word of the year campaign celebrates 20 years of selecting the word – or sometimes two words – that in some way sums up the moment. This year’s winner, decided by public vote, will be announcedContinue Reading
The often denied but obvious involvement of foreign powers in Sudan’s deadly civil war is now firmly in the spotlight. Tens of thousands of people, including many civilians, have been killed since it began last April. Now, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has accused the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) ofContinue Reading
It is approaching a year since the Hamas atrocities of 7 October, in which 1,200 people were killed, and the beginning of the Israeli retaliation. Health authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza say that 41,118 people have now been killed, with 95,125 injured; a quarter of those are believed to have sufferedContinue Reading
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