Opinion

Everyone knows No 10 briefs against members of the cabinet, but Starmer told the Commons it doesn’t. That, in a nutshell, is why political trust is dying out

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

Flags waved, Trump ranted and raved, an ex-royal was depraved and the PM looked like he couldn’t be saved. It’s been one hell of a year

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The president is moving beyond politics – and seeking to claim control of what Americans watch

French right wing MEPs are leading a campaign to ban words like ‘steak’ and ‘sausage’ from vegan food

If they check my social media posts at the border, I might well be on the first plane back, which tells you Trump’s talk about free speech is nothing but a sham

Every year the president hosts a White House reception for the Washington press pack. This year he’s cancelled it, which perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise

Terranera, a tiny mountaintop hamlet of 50 residents, doesn't organise its festivities by the Christian calendar or tradition

A new nativity display in the centre of Brussels is so widely detested that it might have to be taken down early

If you really want to understand this country and who we are, you need to come here in December

The Golden Flake Tavern, Greggs’ new pub, brings colas (and beers) to Newcastle

Our founder and editor-in-chief’s weekly highlights from the magazine

After the murder of Jewish Australians on Bondi beach, the instinct is to use grief as a way to bolster preconceived arguments. But certainty itself carries its own dangers

The president’s social media messages about the murdered director reveal him as a humourless, bitter bigot

An endorsement from the porn star underlines the hypocrisy at the heart of Nigel Farage's party

Politicians and activists must do better than using slaughter to justify their points of view

His motives for calling on religion look less like a personal awakening and more a cynical marketing ploy

Non-French speakers don’t fully understand the phrase “sales connes”. But we do, which makes the president’s wife using it even more awful

If you want to get near the US president, your face has to fit. And if it doesn’t, sorry - it’s time to go under the knife

The president said he had brokered a peace between the Thai and Cambodian governments. As ever, with the US president, the truth is very different

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Young people got depressed, anxious and led astray long before social media arrived. So is the new ban in Australia really going to do any good? And if so, how will we be able to tell?

Lacking roots doesn’t mean lacking ties, and people will always matter more than places do

Genetic screening of prospective pets to deduce behavioural traits can’t tell you much about your dog’s personality

The pain she suffered at the hands of powerful men was ultimately too much to bear, but 2025 will be remembered as the year of her vengeance

Badenoch may suddenly have a spring in her step, but her snark and stunts reveal a lack of serious ideas

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

The latest edition of the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait prize exhibition features subjects looking for a connection

The Swiss want their unique singing tradition to be given prized status as part of the world’s cultural heritage – but some nations are struggling to join in

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