‘They want us to stop seeing each other, to lose contact, to feel alone,” the Icelandic writer Sjón told me. By “they”, he meant the dark forces rising across the world: populists, fascists, fundamentalists. That was in September 2025, at the Tbilisi international festival of literature, attended by more people than ever before. The halls … Read more
Alan Hale, Sky Watcher Who Created a Comet Sensation, Dies at 68
John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary on Thursday was a long time brewing, though in the end the denouement was swift. It leaves an already weak Keir Starmer without a defence strategy less than a month before a Nato summit and an unresolved row about spending as Donald Trump threatens to restart the bombing of … Read more
Since the historic Nato summit in The Hague one year ago this month, European leaders have pledged massive increases in defence spending in the face of increasingly acute threats of Russian aggression. Yet the reality is that key west European governments – especially the UK, France and Italy – are not putting their money where … Read more
I sometimes think of the former EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson, who just six years ago spoke of crafting a European migration policy with “cool heads and warm hearts”. What’s happened since is the exact opposite. Governments across Europe – with the exception of Spain – are cracking down harder than ever before on … Read more
new video loaded: Southern Lights Seen From International Space Station The southern lights, also known as the aurora australis, were captured by the NASA astronaut Jessica Meir from the International Space Station on Saturday. By Cynthia Silva June 10, 2026
NASA Astronaut’s Video Captures Snaky Southern Lights From Space Station
A strongman president, self-styled redeemer of national glory, is trapped in a conflict he can’t win but doesn’t know how to end without looking like a loser. A cult of infallibility prevents the leader admitting a strategic blunder even to himself. It could be Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin; Iran or Ukraine. The conflicts and … Read more
A couple of weeks ago, I was walking through the streets of Vilnius, on my way to give a talk on geopolitics to a group of visiting Austrian business and academic leaders. It was a pleasant spring day: people were out and about, cafe tables were set outside – all the familiar tranquillity of a … Read more
new video loaded: NASA Announces Artemis III Crew transcript Back transcript NASA Announces Artemis III Crew NASA announced the crew of Artemis III mission, which will fly to low-Earth orbit to test rendezvous and docking maneuvers with one or two lunar landers. “I am excited to welcome you as the next crew in the Artemis … Read more