Opinion

The path of human civilisation has been set by our ability to create and use metals. It has also made us more destructive – and given us the ability to annihilate ourselves

Ken Burns, the great documentary-maker, returns with a masterful study of the American revolution. The resonances for the present day are hard to miss

The government doesn’t need to legislate for every possible crime. Why? Because most people know the difference between right and wrong – as I discovered

The German right wing extremists are guilty of the very thing they criticised in other parties. Hypocrisy is not a good look, especially in an election year

The interesting, the weird, the curious and the brilliant all exist. Our algorithms just don't want us to find it

People with mental health issues can go to therapy, can seek help and learn to manage their conditions. But it’s important to remember that sometimes there is no happy ending

In a terrible irony, the green technologies we need to move away from fossil fuels rely on minerals that can only be extracted with terrible environmental consequences

A royal massacre, a deadly quake and student protests have left a country in crisis

Enough! Just stop using ‘til when it should be till

A visit to Chilli Family Noodles with superchef Marco Pierre White is a lesson in masterful, good value cooking

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has just released a new penal code. The rules it sets out are relentlessly brutal and backward

On the off chance something good does emerge from this chaotic conflict, don’t rush to give the President any credit for it

The Metropolitan Police claims to have changed, but its reforms fail to address its systemic issues. Five years after Sarah’s murder, I still do not trust them

The German chancellor is in Washington meeting Trump, a man who sees Europe as irrelevant, who supports Merz’s opponents and who is political poison. What can he hope to gain?

We know what happens when the US breaks something and then walks away. The result is catastrophe. The problem is, Trump doesn’t really care

The US and Israeli assault on Iran has the potential to escalate into a broader international conflict. Not only that, but Trump has put the entire global economy in danger

Starmer may think his party is fighting a war on two fronts. But the reality is far worse than that

Even if he loses the general election, Orbán will retain his grip on the country’s institutions, which he has stacked with his placemen. That could spell disaster for whoever wins – and for Hungary

The Reform candidate in Gorton and Denton tried to blame “woke” ideology and “Islamism” for his by-election defeat. Might it be that actually, he and his politics are just not very appealing?

European funds can now be used to provide abortion across the continent. Campaigners have faced personal and political obstacles fighting for this result. Has a real moment of change arrived?

Charles Kushner – Jared’s dad – spent two years in jail after secretly filming his brother-in-law with a prostitute. So naturally Donald Trump made him ambassador to France. It’s been a disaster

The Labour strategy in Gorton and Denton backfired disastrously, and drove its core voters towards the Greens. If it doesn’t change course, the same thing could happen at the general election

The battle for Labour is to keep US-style bigotry out of Britain. To do that, it cannot simply change its language on immigration and race. It must also change policies

Canvassing, former school bullies and a snoring, prosecco-filled Johnathan Gullis are just some of the challenges when campaigning for high office

Author David Marsh spoke to 160 key players - and they painted a picture of a continent losing its way

The PM’s constant u-turns and lack of any apparent plan are a gift for the extremists, who feed off the sense of chaos and drift

Write to letters@thenewworld.co.uk to have your views voiced in the magazine

The idea emerged at a time very different to our own, and now the Silicon Valley tech bros have revealed what was true all along – that the notion of ‘progress’ is riddled with contradictions

Digging into the detail and data to separate the noise from the news

They’re the single largest demographic group in America and arguably the most politically influential – yet they seem to attract the ire and contempt of political figures from all sides

The disposable nappy is a hugely important labour-saving invention. But it is also an environmental disaster that is now worn by toddlers