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Google takes over at the BBC

By Denis MacShane How long before Google takes over the BBC? The first act of the new Director-General of the BBC, Mat Brittin — who is the former boss of Google Europe — has been to close down Britain’s finest current affairs programme: Radio 4’s The World Tonight. The 45 minute programme, going out...

Trump and Iran: the art of ambiguity

By Guy Gabriel On the Iran peace talks, US President Donald Trump told CNBC on 1 June: “Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring.” This is quite an alarming admission from the commander in chief of a belligerent in a major conflict, as boredom is not exactly a quality that leads to success....

The fate of a friendship: William Jay Smith

By Jeffrey Meyers My friendship with the American poet William Jay Smith (1918-2015), a soft-spoken Southern gentleman, came to a shocking climax. Born in Louisiana, he grew up in Missouri. He was educated at Washington University in St. Louis, where he met Tennessee Williams, and as a Rhodes Scholar at Wadham College, Oxford. During World...

Iran: America’s Achilles heel

By Ian Linden The ironic background to the much-awaited Memorandum of Understanding is Trump’s and his courtiers’ lack of interest in understanding Iran. Iran induces profound dysfunction in America’s international relations. A mixture of ignorance, wrong assumptions and incompetence, all products of hubris, come to the fore. The best result now for Trump is returning...

Brexit: ‘A Very British Civil War’

By David Herman Now in her mid-80s, Norma Percy is one of the great TV documentary makers of the past forty years. Since 1985 she has produced almost two dozen series about the great contemporary events of our time, from Watergate (1994) and The Death of Yugoslavia (1995) to Putin, Russia and the West (2012)...

Unity, Equality and Togetherness: Building a Stronger Britain

By Prof Fatima Zaman Britain is one of the most diverse and vibrant countries in the world. People from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, faiths, and traditions live side by side, contributing to the success and richness of our society. This diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and it should be celebrated and protected through...

The Invisible Border Inside Britain

When Poverty Becomes an Immigration Condition By: Ramsha Shahid Britain’s immigration debates are often framed around borders, visas, asylum claims and net migration figures. Political campaigns are won and lost on promises of control, enforcement and sovereignty. Yet some of the most profound questions raised by immigration law do not arise at airports or ports...

The Labour Party and Britain’s Asian Communities

By Dr. Shahzad Qureshi Britain’s Asian communities have played an important role in the social, economic, and cultural development of the United Kingdom. As one of the country’s largest and most diverse ethnic groups, British Asians contribute significantly to business, healthcare, education, public service, and community life. Political participation among these communities continues to grow,...

News from Norway

By Raymond Keene The fourteenth edition of Norway Chess unfolded from 25 May to 5 June 2026, marking a significant new departure in the event’s history as the tournament was staged for the first time in Oslo. As ever, the organisers assembled a select and formidable cast of grandmasters, headed by the world’s number...

Andy Burnham: The Chess Grandmaster of British Politics

By Ray Keene OBE Patron, Labour Asians Society International Chess Grandmaster Politics and chess have much in common. Success in both depends upon strategic vision, patience, timing, and the ability to capitalise when opponents make mistakes. In British politics today, few figures embody those qualities more completely than Andy Burnham. As a chess Grandmaster, I...

Wedding in the shadow of tanks

By Laszlo Solymar Every country has a different political structure. Another version of this saying states: “Every country has the political structure it deserves.” The Russians took good care to put on their strongest team for the coup d’etat against Mikhail Gorbachev in August 1991. They were Yanaev, Gorbachev’s Deputy, Marshal Yazov, Minister of Defence,...

Zverev’s demons

By Katrina Allen The German player, Alexander Zverev, finally got the monkey off his back at the French Open men’s tennis final on Sunday. With Carlos Alcaraz out due to injury, and top seeded Jannik Sinner bowing out early in the fierce Parisian heat, here was Zverev’s chance to take his first Grand Slam. He...

Community Food Support: Bringing People Together Through Compassion and Unity

By Dr. Shahzad Qureshi Across Britain, community groups, charities, faith organisations, and volunteers are making a significant difference by providing food and support to homeless and vulnerable people. These efforts are about much more than offering a meal; they represent compassion, dignity, and the power of communities working together for the common good. In a...

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