Ever the strategist, the Chinese leader is taking the offensive, both abroad and at home. That’s bad news for global order, and minorities in his country Imagine what would happen if a British prime minister in London told the Scots they could not have their own parliament, national football team ...
Day: August 8, 2026
The Bond effect? How MI6 fascinates spy watchers around the worldThe Bond effect? How MI6 fascinates spy watchers around the world
Britain’s spooks take quiet satisfaction from survey ranking Secret Intelligence Service Europe’s top espionage agency MI6 has the swagger of James Bond; its French equivalent, DGSE, the complexities of the television drama Le Bureau. The film and TV shows may be fictional, but a survey run by a French magazine ...
Crab Odyssey: Crustacean Wandered the Seas in a Bottle for Months, Scientists FindCrab Odyssey: Crustacean Wandered the Seas in a Bottle for Months, Scientists Find
Welcome back to another special edition of the Abstract! As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, I have saved up some of the most mind-boggling studies from 2026 so far to share while I’m out on vacation. With that said, here are the studies this year that hit the bottle, ...
Bluster and backdown have turned Iran war into Trump’s own Groundhog DayBluster and backdown have turned Iran war into Trump’s own Groundhog Day
The US president’s profound ignorance of his enemy has led to an impotent cycle of empty threats, analysts say Being the subject of mockery may be the most intense of all Donald Trump’s known aversions. Yet more than five months after embarking on a war of choice against Iran, the ...
Widdecombe police reopen investigation into incident at Farage’s home, BBC understandsWiddecombe police reopen investigation into incident at Farage’s home, BBC understands
Counter-terror police investigating the ex-MP’s death say they are looking into an “attempted burglary” last year. ...
Infantino denies claims Uefa paid off alleged ‘lover’ when he was general secretaryInfantino denies claims Uefa paid off alleged ‘lover’ when he was general secretary
Gianni Infantino’s alleged lover was given a severance payment over the affair by Uefa while he was its general secretary, according to a Daily Telegraph investigation. ...
Inside our hunt for Syria’s fugitive spy chief – and where he’s hidingInside our hunt for Syria’s fugitive spy chief – and where he’s hiding
How we tracked down “The Spider” who was once one of the most-feared men in Syria. ...
Travelling through Iran reveals no single narrative about the US-Israel warTravelling through Iran reveals no single narrative about the US-Israel war
Some believe conflict strengthened national unity, others say it deepened repression, but all mourn the dead The excavator stops suddenly. One of the workers reaches into the rubble and pulls something free. It isn’t twisted metal or broken concrete. It’s a child’s exercise book. The pages are still intact, covered ...
‘We have no tents or blankets’: Ceuta migrants struggle to survive brutal heat and freezing nights‘We have no tents or blankets’: Ceuta migrants struggle to survive brutal heat and freezing nights
Authorities wrestle with fallout from mass border crossing, as tense Spanish enclave fears it will happen again Along the wide avenues and tree-lined plazas of Ceuta’s centre, there were few hints of the recent events that catapulted the Spanish enclave on the north African coast into global headlines. But less ...
‘I’ve always felt too old and too young at the same time’: The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey on swapping child stardom for cult television – and Celebrity Traitors‘I’ve always felt too old and too young at the same time’: The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey on swapping child stardom for cult television – and Celebrity Traitors
At 22, Ramsey has already been on our screens for a decade, and nominated for every award going. So why do they find it strange to be called an actor? Bella Ramsey often feels more comfortable around older people. The actor, 22, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, has ...