Xi-Trump summit: reset for US-Chinese relations but tension over Taiwan remains
The initial top line emerging from the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing was that while the two leaders had talked trade, technology and the US war in Iran, the most potentially hazardous issue was Taiwan. The Chinese foreign ministry reported that the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, told the US president, Donald Trump, that “the Taiwan question […]
Who are the main contenders to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister?
It has become a given in Westminster circles that Keir Starmer’s tenure as prime minister could be nearing its end. This is because, fairly or unfairly, the UK public have made up their minds – and they do not like him. Labour MPs know this all too well, having seen the level of animosity on […]
This year’s Venice Biennale marks a major shift in European cultural politics
I was texting a museum director friend in Asia recently. We were discussing whether a trip to this year’s “artworld Olympics”, the Venice Biennale, justified the carbon release. I felt ambivalent. The main exhibition is curated by Koyo Kouoh, whose 2016 edition of Ireland’s Biennale, EVA International, on the 1916 Easter Rising centennial I had […]
Why Putin will have been watching the Trump-Xi summit nervously
The opening headlines from the summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing signal an openness on the Chinese side towards stabilising relations with the US. In his opening remarks, the Chinese president noted that China and the US “should be partners not rivals”. But he warned Trump that a crisis over Taiwan could […]
Eurovision Song Contest: what the science of statistics reveals about an infamous voting scandal
Georgia’s entry Circus Mircus during the controversial second semi-final of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. Michael Doherty/Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-SA The Eurovision Song Contest was founded 70 years ago as a way for Europe, divided after war, to come together by celebrating its music. Every year, several dozen countries across the continent – and, more recently, […]
Heatwaves are now everyday disasters – governments need to do more to protect people
Heatwaves are a growing global threat to human health, wellbeing and livelihoods. Across 12 major European cities during the summer of 2025, a ten-day period of extreme heat led to 2,300 deaths – 1,500 of them were attributed to climate change amplifying temperatures by 1-4°C. Heatwaves were responsible for nearly half a million global deaths […]
Depressed mice successfully treated with smart contact lenses that zap their brains – new study
New Africa/Shutterstock.com Scientists in South Korea have developed experimental contact lenses designed to send electrical signals through the retina and into brain regions linked to mood. In mice, the technology appeared to improve depression-like behaviour. The idea sounds futuristic: a contact lens that could one day help treat depression by stimulating the brain through the […]
A new voting system meant the Welsh election couldn’t have been further from a two-horse race – so why was it portrayed as one?
Even before votes were counted in this year’s Senedd (Welsh parliament) election, speculation among commentators was rife that one campaign narrative had firmly taken hold – that the contest had become a two-horse race between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. Both parties promoted that framing during the campaign, urging voters to see the election as […]
The Music Is Black: A British Story – it’s little wonder this emotional exhibition took over four years to complete
I can only marvel when I consider that the footprint upon which the newly erected V&A East museum now stands was, for many decades, characterised by hard labour and heavy industry. The area, once full of factories, warehouses and poverty, was described by novelists such as Charles Dickens in deeply unflattering terms. In 1857, he […]
Why a new Plaid Cymru government in Cardiff may pose a fresh challenge for Westminster
After emerging as the largest party in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) election, Plaid Cymru is now establishing itself as the next Welsh government. It’s the first administration not led by Welsh Labour since devolution began 27 years ago. For UK Labour, Plaid’s breakthrough could become one of the most significant constitutional and political challenges of […]