If the president’s first term didn’t inoculate the American body politic against tyranny, there is no guarantee that a second dose will work Donald Trump is a despot and the US is a democracy. These things can be true simultaneously but not indefinitely. There is now deadlock in the struggle between a president who would be king and a constitution drafted in repudiation of monarchy. But it is a ba...
If the president’s first term didn’t inoculate the American body politic against tyranny, there is no guarantee that a second dose will work Donald Trump is a despot and the US is a democracy. These things can be true simultaneously but not indefinitely. There is now deadlock in the struggle between a president who would be king and a constitution drafted in repudiation of monarchy. But it is a battle to the death. Tyranny will either break the spirit of the republic or be quelled by it. Since the US is the world’s paramount power, the outcome of this contest has epic consequences for countries, such as the UK, that depend on Washington for security. Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Our writer travels to the eastern Andes in search of one of Ecuador’s most elusive birds I’m out of breath – and not just because I’m desperate to see one of Ecuador’s most elusive birds, the rufous-bellied seedsnipe. To have any chance of success, I’ve come to Cayambe Coca national park in the eastern Andes. At 4,400 metres (14,400 feet), this is the highest altitude I have ever experienced. Fort...
Our writer travels to the eastern Andes in search of one of Ecuador’s most elusive birds I’m out of breath – and not just because I’m desperate to see one of Ecuador’s most elusive birds, the rufous-bellied seedsnipe. To have any chance of success, I’ve come to Cayambe Coca national park in the eastern Andes. At 4,400 metres (14,400 feet), this is the highest altitude I have ever experienced. Fortunately the skies are clear, the sun is shining, and my guide, Juan Carlos, is optimistic. I don’t tell him I have a track record of missing nailed-on certainties. Continue reading...
Senior climate figures warn North Sea drilling would encourage fossil fuel exploitation by developing countries Opening new oil and gas fields in the North Sea would “send a shock wave around the world”, imperilling international climate targets, undermining the UK’s climate leadership and encouraging developing countries to exploit their own fossil fuel reserves, experts have warned. The UK gover...
Senior climate figures warn North Sea drilling would encourage fossil fuel exploitation by developing countries Opening new oil and gas fields in the North Sea would “send a shock wave around the world”, imperilling international climate targets, undermining the UK’s climate leadership and encouraging developing countries to exploit their own fossil fuel reserves, experts have warned. The UK government is under stiff pressure from the oil industry, the Conservatives, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party , some trade unions and parts of the Treasury to give the green light to new oil and gas fields, despite clear evidence that doing so would not cut prices and would have almost no effect on imports. Continue reading...
Beloved characters reinvented in graphic novel coming later this year – just as interest rockets in all things space Sufferin’ satellites! The quintessential British space hero Dan Dare is back, 76 years after he first appeared in iconic comic magazine the Eagle. With all eyes on Nasa’s Artemis II moon mission , and with the big-screen adaptation of Andy Weir’s science fiction novel Project Hail M...
Beloved characters reinvented in graphic novel coming later this year – just as interest rockets in all things space Sufferin’ satellites! The quintessential British space hero Dan Dare is back, 76 years after he first appeared in iconic comic magazine the Eagle. With all eyes on Nasa’s Artemis II moon mission , and with the big-screen adaptation of Andy Weir’s science fiction novel Project Hail Mary , starring Ryan Gosling, going stratospheric at the box office, our love affair with space has been reignited. Continue reading...
Charlie Taylor, inspector of prisons for England and Wales, says dealers should be isolated and ‘assertively managed’ Jailed criminals who are flooding prisons with drugs should be isolated like radical extremists and “assertively managed”, the England and Wales prisons watchdog has said. Charlie Taylor, HM inspector of prisons, said major dealers were living “consequence-free” in jail when they s...
Charlie Taylor, inspector of prisons for England and Wales, says dealers should be isolated and ‘assertively managed’ Jailed criminals who are flooding prisons with drugs should be isolated like radical extremists and “assertively managed”, the England and Wales prisons watchdog has said. Charlie Taylor, HM inspector of prisons, said major dealers were living “consequence-free” in jail when they should be separated from the majority of inmates, subjected to regular searches for phones, and punished and rewarded according to their behaviour. Continue reading...
Mariam Sabbah, 10, to get specialist care in Britain instead of US, after Trump halted visitor visas for Palestinians A Palestinian child who lost her arm during Israel’s bombardment of Gaza arrived in the UK for specialist treatment on Tuesday, amid ongoing pressure on the British government to step up efforts to help evacuate critically ill and injured children from the territory. Mariam Sabbah ...
Mariam Sabbah, 10, to get specialist care in Britain instead of US, after Trump halted visitor visas for Palestinians A Palestinian child who lost her arm during Israel’s bombardment of Gaza arrived in the UK for specialist treatment on Tuesday, amid ongoing pressure on the British government to step up efforts to help evacuate critically ill and injured children from the territory. Mariam Sabbah arrived at Heathrow airport with her mother, Fatma Salman, and two brothers. They were met by a small crowd bearing gifts, balloons and bouquets. Continue reading...
With just days to go before Hungarians head to the polls, investors and strategists say there’s more room for markets to rally if polls are correct in showing that Prime Minister Viktor Orban ’s 16-year-old experiment in “illiberal democracy” is coming to an end. Citigroup Inc. has recommended buying Hungary ’s domestic bonds and shorting the euro against the forint. Strategists at Societe General...
With just days to go before Hungarians head to the polls, investors and strategists say there’s more room for markets to rally if polls are correct in showing that Prime Minister Viktor Orban ’s 16-year-old experiment in “illiberal democracy” is coming to an end. Citigroup Inc. has recommended buying Hungary ’s domestic bonds and shorting the euro against the forint. Strategists at Societe Generale SA have said the currency, which was trading well above 380 per euro before the US-Iran ceasefire plan, may strengthen beyond 370 if Peter Magyar ’s opposition Tisza party wins power as most opinion polls predict. The bet is that if Magyar forms the next government, he will reset relations with the European Union, put the $220 billion economy on track for an injection of funds frozen by the bloc and possibly even for euro adoption . While the forint has weakened since the start of war in Iran, it’s not far from the strongest level in nearly three years. Opinion polls are often wrong and investors betting on ballot results have been blindsided before. Election wagers, on top of Hungary’s high interest rates, helped the forint to gain 7% against the euro and 21% versus the dollar last year. Here’s how strategists see possible outcomes from Sunday’s vote: Opposition Victory A Tisza victory has become the market consensus expectation, said Giulia Pellegrini , lead portfolio manager at Allianz Global Investors, who sees “Hungary as one of the most interesting risk/rewards and one of the few genuinely idiosyncratic opportunities in emerging markets this year.” Currency traders have piled into forint trades, lured by the chance for regime change and last year’s emerging-market rally. Central bank data, which captures some of these flows, shows foreigners’ long positions peaked just before the Iran war, in a reversal from the net shorts in past years — when the currency lagged regional peers. “A Tisza victory would remove a significant risk premium from Hungarian assets,” said Ku...
Photo: VCG Global markets swung Wednesday after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, pausing a 40-day conflict that had driven sharp moves across assets. Oil prices dropped sharply. Brent crude fell about 8% after the news, following a more than 40% surge over the past month as the conflict disrupted supply. The shift in sentiment rippled through currency markets. The U.S. Dollar Inde...
Photo: VCG Global markets swung Wednesday after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, pausing a 40-day conflict that had driven sharp moves across assets. Oil prices dropped sharply. Brent crude fell about 8% after the news, following a more than 40% surge over the past month as the conflict disrupted supply. The shift in sentiment rippled through currency markets. The U.S. Dollar Index fell. The Chinese yuan strengthened about 0.45% to around 6.83 per dollar in early trading, while the Japanese yen and South Korean won rose roughly 0.7% and 1.4%.