CATEGORIES

'A complete mess' - Why British ministers can't seem to solve the small boats crisis

The former home secretary Priti Patel had a whiteboard behind her ministerial desk on which she had written a list of her priorities. For much of her time in office the top three issues were: deal with small boats, cut crime, protect national security. When she left the cabinet in September, Patel was unable to point to much progress on priority No 1, and the situation she bequeathed Suella Braverman has disintegrated into chaos.

Motivational messaging maintains morale as winter bites

Vital information ecosystem promotes defiance and optimism amid Russian strikes and energy blackouts

A city waits Russians loot Kherson as battle lines are redrawn

Things are disappearing in the Ukrainian city of Kherson at a rapid rate. Russian troops are taking away ambulances, tractors and stolen private cars. Cultural things are going too: archives, and paintings and sculptures from museums. Even the bones of Catherine the Great's friend and lover, Grigory Potemkin, have been grubbed up from a crypt in St Catherine's cathedral and spirited away.

For Palestinians, Netanyahu's victory is merely a changing of the prison guards

Benjamin Netanyahu has made an impressive comeback after his ousting in 2021 amid corruption B allegations. In last week's election, his party, Likud, received more votes than any other party and his far-right allies came third, paving the way for a Likud-led coalition government. Although forming a coalition isn't an easy game - indeed, Netanyahu has failed in the previous four elections to do so - this time he's expected to form a comfortable majority bloc with ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties.

Facing the abyss: Pro-Arab and left wing parties pay a high price for divisions

Last summer, a broad coalition succeeded in kicking Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of Likud, out of office. He is currently standing trial on corruption charges, which he denies.

Look who's back

The scandal-ridden political behemoth is on the verge of a third stint as prime minister this time at the helm of the most extreme rightwing coalition the country has seen. How did it come to pass?

The BBC marks scenes from our lives - aren't we lucky to have it?

Mondays are washdays. In the kitchen, steam rises from the sink and my mother squeezes sopping wet clothes through the mangle. On the radio a man sings Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' from the musical Oklahoma. Later in M my childhood other songs made their mark: Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better), (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?. But the opening number in Oklahoma is the first music I can remember and put a name to: a memory preserved, possibly, via the song's association with sunshine and sunshine's importance to washdays.

Wavering over support for Kyiv, US Congress plays Putin's game

On 24 October, 30 members of the House Democratic Progressive Caucus released a letter to Joe Biden calling for a \"proactive diplomatic push\" on Kyiv to work toward a ceasefire and \"direct [US] engagement\" with Moscow to end the Russia-Ukraine war. One week earlier, Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy's no \"blank cheque\" for Ukraine comment raised questions about future congressional support for US assistance to that embattled country.

Thanks to Brexit Northern Ireland faces another pointless election

Last month, amid all the turmoil in the Tory party, there was a brief flurry of interest in the emergence as a candidate for prime minister of the man more than one British reporter referred to as \"the Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis\".

‘When someone dies prematurely, you're left careering in a different direction’

They were the golden couple of British acting, but Helen McCrory’ death last year left Damian Lewis shattered. Now he is putting the pieces of himself back together and finding a new creative energy in music

West Africa's future MEGALOPOLIS

The stretch of coast between Abidjan in Ivory Coast and Lagos in Nigeria is on course to become the largest continuously populated zone on the planet. But a lot needs to change to help it flourish

Kanye West's empire in ruins after antisemitic outbursts

In 2009, Kanye West was riding high. 808s & Heartbreak, his fourth studio album, proved a resounding critical and commercial triumph. A foray into clothing design had culminated in a Paris fashion week sneaker show with Louis Vuitton and a shoe line with Nike.

‘Despair not an option’ Obama fires up anxious Democrats

When Barack Obama came to campaign last week, Emma Berlage wouldn't have missed him for the world. \"It's a Friday night... and everybody's here,\" the 24-year-old said.

Twitter heaven or hellscape?

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has finally won control of the media's favourite online platform. Will he press on with his free-speech agenda?

Families fight for answers in E coli case

Nestlé faces 250m civil suit after two children died and dozens affected by infection linked to factory-made pizza

The chef putting his country's cuisine back on the map

In a war, there are many different fronts and forms of resistance Ievgen Klopotenko, a Ukrainian chef, is fighting with soup.

Into darkness Russian assault on power grid is the strategy of nihilism

Russia's cynical decision to target Ukraine's network of hydroelectric power stations on Monday represents a further, dispiriting escalation in its efforts to destroy the country's power supply.

Anger grows over deadly Halloween crowd crush

South Korea was in mourning as an investigation opened into the deaths of more than 150 people, mostly young adults, when a huge Halloween party crowd surged into a narrow alley in Seoul.

Lula’s to-do list Poverty, housing and the Amazon are at the top

While many Brazilians will have woken up with a hangover after celebrating the defeat of Jair Bolsonaro, president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will soon have his own headaches to deal with. He takes power on 1 January 2023 and will be charged with rebuilding a nation that has been left damaged and bitterly divided after four years of Bolsonaro's far-right policies.

Lula vows to protect the Amazon after era of destruction

The politician tipped to become Brazil's new environment minister has paid tribute to the murdered British journalist Dom Phillips and said Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's incoming government will battle to honour the memory of the rainforest martyrs killed trying to safeguard the Amazon.

Short change? Activists are divided over the value of direct action

Disruptive tactics have gained huge global coverage but are they alienating the people that they most need to reach?

What is loss and damage?

After a catastrophic climate year, expect to hear lots about loss and damage at Cop27, but what does it mean and why is it so contentious?

Too hot to handle?

The effects of global heating could soon reach a tipping point, but there are fears the summit in Egypt will get bogged down in recriminations as the damage accelerates

Nouveau Rishi

The former chancellor looked finished when he lost to Liz Truss, but now Rishi Sunak is Britain's third prime minister in two months. Can a man twice as rich as the king lead the country through a cost of living crisis?

Diversity Multicultural Milestone As UK Has Its First PM Of Colour

Sunak also becomes the first Hindu to lead the countryina symbolic moment for ethnic minority representation

Putin's Hidden Hybrid War Is Designed To Break Europe's Heart

Nato planners have always worried about the Storskog border crossing in Finnmark, where Arctic Norway comes face to face with Russia. In Soviet times, the 195-km frontier was a potential flashpoint. The Red Banner Northern Fleet's nuclear-armed submarines are still based at nearby Murmansk, on the freezing Barents Sea.

Ring Of Power Ruthless Xi Settles In For Another Five Years

Xi Jinping named acolytes in key political positions last Sunday as he was confirmed as China's leader for a precedent-breaking third term after a weeklong political meeting that eliminated rivals and strengthened his power.

'Social Media Firms Are Undermining Democracy'

YouTube and Facebook are allowing disinformation to be spread about Brazil's election campaign in an already polarised and violent election, according to a report by human rights organisation Global Witness.

Open House? Republicans plan to sink key Biden legislation

A standoff over the debt ceiling. Aid to Ukraine on the chopping block. And impeachment proceedings against homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas - or perhaps even president Joe Biden himself.

Despite turmoil, star ballerina strikes note of optimism

Cuba's favourite ballerina, Viengsay Valdés, will run on to the stage of the island's National Theatre on 2 November, fairly certain that it won't collapse beneath her.