Opinion

The public saw his combative side, but those closest to him saw his heart

Baku has been a spectacle of greed and entitlement. A binding agreement on phasing out fossil fuels would be better

The right wing press love it, but this ‘scandal’ will join Angela Rayner’s flat and Keir Starmer’s lockdown beer in being quickly forgotten

New Yorkers get to be abstemious, at least most of the time, because their weather allows it. Not so here

Falling fertility rates mean more immigration is needed to grow the economy. Yet lots of boomers hate the idea

A social media rumour about Keir Starmer has attracted millions of views – aided by far right figures who amplify conspiracy theories online

We need a military alliance of European nations, which will require the UK to not just cooperate but to be inside the structure

The church, both Anglican and Catholic, has conspicuously failed to provide the leadership the UK craves

With a declining industrial base, a lack of support for emerging sectors, and a shaky financial landscape, the country’s downturn might be here to stay

An empty square in the centre of the German capital gives a warning from the recent past

My first Berlin adventure began at Checkpoint Charlie. My second began in Islington

Bonhoeffer fought against exclusion and for those who couldn’t fight for themselves

The ‘trollification’ that happens on X, Elon Musk’s online hellhole, deserves a definition

If you love children and happen to live in Russia, the kindest thing you could do would be not to have any

The Spanish press are asking pointed questions about the lacklustre warning system and slow crisis response

IndyRef 2 feels a long way off. The SNP need to show that they have something to offer for Scotland’s short-term future

In September, the senate suddenly announced 10% cuts to the city’s arts budget

As the Portuguese superstar’s football career winds down, his Monopoly career is just taking off

It is time to dispel disbelief and face the grim reality that is unfolding

In times of state corruption and political interference, scientists remain ‘apolitical’ at their peril

Britain’s choice in a Trump trade war is a no-brainer: we must rejoin the single market and customs union, or we’re in deep trouble

Staff have staged an impressive show of unity that may backfire on a paper that is regarded as an unwanted stepchild

These protests have picked the wrong cause. Brexit is what they should be angriest about

Just as he talks of closer relations, Keir Starmer’s perplexing refusal to engage properly with the EU or European experts is adding to a widening divide

Senate Republicans know that Matt Gaetz is unfit to run US law enforcement. But defying Donald Trump is bigger than defending democracy

The Ukraine missile strikes he has permitted won’t change the war – but they must change minds in the EU and UK

Thames Water is on the verge of going bust, is borrowing money from hedge funds and has taken out an emergency loan to see it through to Christmas. How on earth did it come to this?

The phrase has become a favourite of BBC interviewers - and it shows a wider lack of intelligent mission in the corporation’s news and current affairs

Too centralised, too short term, too obsessed with Twitter, our political system is a dysfunctional mess. If we don’t fix it, we’ll all suffer