Boris gets boring
After the shimmering showbiz of the G7 summit, the prime minister has been forced by a pesky Covid variant to be dull and sensible. He hates nothing more
Slow views
Machines have become our managers
Digital surveillance of employees has gone mainstream during the pandemic, but it’s not always effective and it erodes human dignity. Governments, companies and workers need a plan for the future
Calling out rape culture was just the start – now we must act
Ofsted’s report on schools is right to call for action against “normalised” sexual harassment. But if we are to know its full extent, all students should be able to share their experiences without fear of retribution
Think globally, act locally
From Kerala to Keele to Kinshasa, the fight against Covid requires international will and resources, and community knowledge and trust. The G7’s pandemic strategy must be geared accordingly
The Treasury is failing schoolchildren
By going along with his chancellor, Boris Johnson is failing them too. He has one more chance to put that right
Talking to the press isn’t always easy – even for highly paid professionals
Naomi Osaka’s row with the French Open was a reminder that all types of people face mental health struggles. As a start, the media should dial down their pre- and post-match scrutiny
Prick of conscience
The G7 summit must make global vaccine roll-out its highest priority. Covid respects no border, and will continue to mutate until the citizens of all nations – rich and poor – are vaccinated in high numbers
Dystopia revisited
Like Orwell before her, Margaret Atwood warned us what was coming
Mum’s not the word
Sangita Myska and her husband tried for years to have a child. But there was one option they, and society, had ignored for a long time
The missing note
For Anand Menon, a politics and
foreign affairs professor at King’s
College London, an early bout of
Covid turned out to be the least
of the hardships he suffered during
the most difficult year of his life
Dawkins is wrong – grossly wrong – about Down’s syndrome
The author of The God Delusion made his name as a scientist, but he’s increasingly peddling his own brand of baseless religion. If only he could have been at Eddie Barnes’ 20th birthday party…
Apple is gaming the system
The tech company’s battle with Epic Games is about something big: the future of the digital realms we all inhabit. That future must be different to the present
Friends: The One Where We Mourn The Long 90s
The gang of six’s get-together was a bittersweet memorial for a world that was only ever a fantasy. The series was a product of its time; its characters unprepared for the age we now inhabit
The second Cummings
The prime minister’s erstwhile chief advisor has accused him of leading a chaotic government responsible for tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths. Here, a former Number 10 speechwriter analyses Dominic Cummings’ testimony
Palestine today: new forms of subjugation and solidarity
International support for Palestinians offers hope to two cousins separated between the United States and Palestine
The Sword of Domocles
The cross-examination of Cummings this week will be that rarest of things: authentic political box office. He won’t bring the prime minister down. But he can certainly make his life miserable
Conflict in the Middle East, antisemitism on British campuses
Whenever violence flares up between Israel and the Palestinians, harm is done to students thousands of miles away. A more robust response is needed
In vaccinated Britain, the government mustn’t repeat the mistakes of September
Boris Johnson met with scientists, his ministers and other advisers last autumn to decide what to do about rising Covid cases. The course he chose contributed to a terrible second wave
Sport and money don’t mix well
The European Super League is just the latest example of a decades-long intrusion of business into sport. The people driving these changes don’t understand what they’re playing with
For one nation battling Russian influence, the Olympics aren’t just games
During decades of Soviet rule, Lithuanian basketball became a proxy independence struggle. As geopolitical tensions in the Baltic states rise, the sport is once again a venue for political competition
Multitudinous man: Bob Dylan at 80
The singer-songwriter-author-filmmaker-artist-provocateur also becomes an octogenarian next week. He still means as much as ever
Only football can do this
The words, two decades ago, of an elderly fan to a younger one. The past weekend proved them true all over again
Indian summer
Boris Johnson’s roadmap for lockdown easing is now imperilled by a rampant Covid variant. On 14 June, he must make one of the most difficult decisions of his life
The Tortoise Take: A phoney war
By their crass undermining of the independence of the cultural sector, ministers are threatening a precious principle of public life – and encouraging polarisation over the nation’s heritage
Mixed emotions
The glib notion of a “post-racial” world is especially meaningless to those of mixed-heritage – the fastest growing ethnic group in the country
Presenting GMB helped me remember why the media matters
Television still has tremendous reach – and, when it comes to issues like mental health, it’s using that reach for good
The Queen’s Speech
The State Opening of parliament lacked pomp and – more importantly – purpose. A former Number 10 speechwriter judges the government’s legislative plan to be both vague and grubby
These are the disappearing nations
Parts of the Pacific are threatened by rising tides and extreme weather events. This Photo Essay looks at some of the islands most at risk
Same old Labour
Last week’s elections show that the political centre of gravity is shifting towards social conservatism matched by high public spending. In this new landscape, Keir Starmer is nowhere
The Tortoise Take: Be more Biden
The US president understands that this is an age to borrow and spend. The UK’s chancellor, Rishi Sunak, should be no less ambitious
Crisis on campus
It’s a terrible time to be a student. Covid-19 has exposed that mental health support at universities is inadequate – but young people have ideas about how to fix it
Climate is the new front in the culture wars
The far right has stoked up fear of immigration, elites, and multiculturalism. Now, extremists are turning their attention online to the alleged threat of the green agenda – with an eye to discrediting COP-26
Here comes Hong Kong
Thousands of Hong Kongers will soon arrive in the UK, prompting fears they will be ill-treated, or that there may be a second Windrush scandal. But, in one London suburb, a model of civic integration is emerging as a beacon of hope
The Tortoise Take: a wasted year
The first of a series on racial justice: almost 12 months since the murder of George Floyd, there has been far too little real change in the UK law and order system
Citizen Kane, a true story of the future
Orson Welles’ film – often called the greatest of all time – is 80 years old. But its age isn’t nearly as remarkable as its prescience
The problem with corporate climate targets
Emissions pledges have become a trendy tool through which companies show off their “green” credentials. They’re just talk