Wednesday , 17 December 2025

Opinion

May’s election gamble goes disastrously wrong

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s election gamble has failed disastrously. The consequences are dire for her party and government, and could be equally bad for her country’s relationship with Europe. May had hoped to increase her Conservative majority in Parliament, and instead has seen it wiped out. The Tories are the largest party in the House of Commons and with …

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What Comey said and what it means

As former FBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee, it’s useful to bear two things in mind: What he’s describing isn’t normal. And it isn’t going away. In a written statement released before his appearance, Comey depicted a disturbing sequence of events related to the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. President Donald Trump repeatedly …

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Safer vehicles can make terror attacks harder

‘Enough is enough,’ UK Prime Minister Theresa May declared after the London terror attack, the third one this year. But what she proposed to counter the terrorist attacks was, essentially, some freedom of speech restrictions, more powers for law enforcement and longer sentences for terror-related offenses — the same old toolbox that has been used for almost two decades. There …

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Europe gets a bank rescue right, at last

European regulators have pushed a dying Spanish bank into the arms of Banco Santander SA, the euro zone’s biggest lender by market value. The takeover of Banco Popular Espanol SA saves face for regulators and politicians eager to avoid an embarrassing taxpayer rescue. It allows Santander to boost its own balance sheet and scoop up a rival for a song. …

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For the pound’s sake, don’t write May a blank check

The vote to have Britain exit the European Union highlighted deepening rifts across the country — between the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the North and the South. May’s proposals, which focus on lower taxes funded by cuts to education, health care and security, are likely to make Britain an even more divided kingdom. Once among …

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The Russia probe, as seen through Moscow’s lens

At a cafe a few blocks from the old KGB headquarters at Lubyanka Square, investigative journalist Andrei Soldatov tries to explain the murky world of Russian intelligence that’s now the focus of a US criminal investigation into the hacking of the 2016 campaign. Big events in today’s Russia often aren’t the product of broad strategy, argues Soldatov, but rather are …

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RBI taking the spice out of masala debt is short-sighted

There was a flicker of anticipation last year when an Indian borrower issued the first masala bond, a local-currency note sold outside the country. Gadfly expressed the hope that, once a thorny tax issue was sorted, the securities would go on to become the Indian version of dim sum debt, which has played a large role in internationalizing the Chinese …

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Stand against terrorism, even in Tehran

There is only one acceptable response to Wednesday’s deadly terrorist attacks in Iran: swift and unequivocal condemnation of the perpetrators, and condolences to the victims. By joining the other world leaders who have offered their sympathy, US President Donald Trump can reaffirm both America’s standing in the community of nations and its determination to defeat terrorism, whatever and wherever its …

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With leaders like this, Britain should panic

At a time when the UK’s most pressing need is for competent leadership, it’s saddled with two of the most bungling party leaders in living memory. Even a well-run government would struggle to control the short-term damage likely to be inflicted by Brexit. Whatever happens in Thursday’s vote, there’s no prospect of a well-run government by Friday. On this evidence, …

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Will India meet its Paris climate deal goals?

As soon as Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change, eyes turned eastward. Even as the US reneges on its promises, the argument now goes, China and India will show leadership instead; they at least are committed to low-carbon growth. I wouldn’t be so sure, at least where India is concerned. It is true that …

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