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A new lawsuit against its former boss does not involve the bank, but awkward questions may be asked at this week’s AGMBarclays could be forgiven for thinking it was out of the woods after parting ways with its chief executive, Jes Staley, in 2021, amid regulators’ concerns over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.At the time, the board – which had already backed the boss over a separate whistleblower scandal in 2018 – seemed assured by Staley’s account of events. The bank even expressed disappointment over his departure as he prepared to challenge a (yet-to-be-released) UK investigation into the way he had characterised his ties to the disgraced financier. Continue reading...

White House announces offenders to be moved to home confinement and they will not have to pay remainder of finesPresident Joe Biden has ordered the federal prison sentences of 31 people to be reduced, punishments which were given to them after nonviolent drug-related convictions.In an announcement released on Friday, the White House revealed that those whose sentences were commuted would be under home confinement until a 30 June expiration date for their respective punishments. The plan is for them to then be on supervised release, with the duration of that based on their original sentence. Continue reading...

No wonder new parents are at sea over the conflicting information on everything from what to eat to the ‘best’ way to give birthMy wife and I are expecting our first child later this year. We’re going through the gamut of emotions common to all new parents – a heady mix of excitement, terror, and above all a huge and ongoing dose of extreme confusion. In the decades that I’ve been alive on this earth, I’ve never before been confronted with so many choices for every decision, nor a more diverse array of advice on what to choose.As something of a scientific factchecker, this plethora of parenting options has been a really fascinating adventure for me into how complicated the evidence often is for the advice that new parents get.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Police are searching for suspect in after shooting in Cleveland, in which one of the victims was an eight-year-old childAfter neighbors complained about the noise he was making, a Texas man went next door with an AR-15-style rifle and shot them, killing five people – including an eight-year-old child – as well as wounding three others at a home in Cleveland, Texas, on Friday night.Law enforcement patrolling the community more than 40 miles outside of Houston were searching for Francisco Oropeza, 38, who had been intoxicated and fled the scene, the sheriff of San Jacinto county, Greg Capers, told reporters on Saturday. Continue reading...

My mother’s contribution to perhaps the most overlooked British folk art of the past 90 years: the canvas-work church kneelerIt’s probably too soon to suggest, as the Rev Richard Coles recently did, that Elizabeth Bingham’s Kneelers is the best non-fiction book of 2023. But, like him, I’m a little in love with this guide to the most practised (and overlooked) British folk art of the past 90 years. Bingham is an authority on Anglican church canvas-work kneelers, and in her lovely book she traces their history from their beginnings in 1930s Winchester, through their zenith after the coronation of Elizabeth II, to the present day, in which a dedicated few keep the tradition alive.Kneelers celebrate and memorialise every aspect of life, not only the religious – though Bible stories do feature, if you’re in the market for a tapestry of Jonah and the whale – and this makes them both touching and surprising. My favourites so far: a grey whippet (St Peter and St Paul, Deddington); a Second World War ARP warden fighting a fire (St Mary Magdalene, Woodstock); Sizewell nuclear power station in the sunshine (St Edmunds, Southwold). Continue reading...

Erick Aguirre arrested on count of murder after allegedly shooting Elliot Nix while on a date at Texas burger restaurantWhat started as a date at a Texas burger joint earlier this month ended with one of the participants going to jail after allegedly murdering someone else over $40 and carrying on with the rest of the date as if nothing happened, according to authorities.Erick Aguirre, 29, stepped away from a dinner date he had with a woman to grab a pistol from his car and shoot 46-year-old Elliot Nix dead after Aguirre learned from a restaurant employee that he had been scammed by a parking attendant, investigators have said. Continue reading...

A Lakers team given only a 0.3% chance of making the playoffs a few months ago has the look of a deadly serious contender in a wide-open Western Conference after toppling the Grizzlies“Do you ever amaze – or surprise – yourself?” LeBron James was asked following the Lakers’ thrilling Game 4 overtime win in Los Angeles on Monday, which gave the team a commanding three-games-to-one lead in their first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies. “Yup,” James replied succinctly. Indeed, recording his first ever 20-point, 20-rebound game on one fully functioning foot, at age 38 (making him the oldest player to ever do so), and in the playoffs no less, was pretty amazing.But seeing James and the rest of his Lakers cohort topple the odds can hardly continue to be considered a “surprise”. It’s what they’ve been doing all year long: clawing back from an abysmal 2-10 start to an above-.500 finish, and ending a tumultuous regular season – which many believed would have James’ breaking of the scoring record in February as its sole highlight – as the No 7 seed in the Western Conference. Continue reading...

Greg Guidry gave thousands to archdiocese before ruling in favor of New Orleans church in case involving nearly 500 clergy sexual abuse victimsA federal judge overseeing a bankruptcy filing from the US’s second-oldest Roman Catholic archdiocese has recused himself from the case amid scrutiny of his donations to the church as well as his close professional relationship with an attorney representing archdiocesan affiliates in insurance disputes.Greg Guidry, who was appointed to the judicial bench at New Orleans’s federal courthouse by the Donald Trump White House in 2019, issued an order after 8pm on Friday recusing himself from a role handling appeals in a contentious bankruptcy involving nearly 500 clergy sexual abuse victims. Continue reading...

The self-help author is less an outsider, more a no-hoper in the 2024 White House race but Democrats should study her appealMarianne Williamson, the self-help author who is making her second bid for the presidency, has a history of saying things that can be characterized as either “deranged” or “quirky” depending on how charitable you’re feeling. Some of her greatest hits include: Continue reading...

The move to a costly and experimental hand-count system comes as half the workforce is readying to strike over wagesIn Shasta county, a deep red enclave in far northern California, officials are intensifying their push to replace voting machines with a costly and experimental hand-count system that could cost an additional $4m over two years.The decision of the far-right majority on the region’s governing body, the Shasta county board of supervisors, to press ahead with the controversial plan comes as half the county’s workforce is preparing to strike over wages. Officials on the board recently said the county did not have enough money to pay requested wage increases for workers. Continue reading...

Dillon Reeves, a seventh-grader in the US, regained control of a school bus that was on the verge of crashing after the driver passed out, as he and other students travelled home from a day of classes at Carter middle school in Warren, north of Detroit. Reeves went to the front of the bus after he noticed the driver had lost consciousness, then stepped on the brakes and steered away from traffic to bring the vehicle to a stop

Suspension comes after 12 soldiers die within a month in two crashes in Alaska and KentuckyThe US army has grounded aviation units for training after 12 soldiers died in helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky in the last month.The suspension was effective immediately, with units being grounded until they complete the training, the army spokesperson Lt Col Terence Kelley said. Continue reading...

An ex-Marine turned analytics wonk is using biomechanical data to help teams find the NFL draft’s diamonds in the rough

The death of a K-pop star has focused minds again on the young people struggling to cope in this hyper-competitive societyBefore I moved to South Korea, 12 years ago, I hadn’t really come across suicide in my social life. Now, every year I hear of friends, or friends of friends, taking their own lives. The recent suspected suicide of K-pop star Moonbin has focused minds yet again on this problem – one which is far from limited to the entertainment industry, but is a full-blown social crisis affecting Koreans of all ages and backgrounds. However, it is young people in particular who are bearing the brunt.So what is going on?Raphael Rashid is a Seoul-based freelance journalist and author of The Korea We Refuse to SeeInternational helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Jurors in the New York rape trial heard this week of how Trump’s alleged attack led to pain behind the public selfFor decades, America saw one face of E Jean Carroll.The sophisticated Elle magazine advice columnist, who was nominated for an Emmy while writing for Saturday Night Live, was pictured at New York media parties or found shopping for “treats” for herself on Fifth Avenue’s luxurious department stores. Continue reading...

Former New York City mayor reveals voter suppression tactics from 1993 election to Steve Bannon and Kari LakeFormer New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has admitted to a “dirty trick” that his campaign used to suppress the Hispanic vote during the city’s 1993 mayoral race.On Tuesday, Giuliani revealed his voter suppression tactics to the far-right Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon and Arizona’s defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake during a discussion on his America’s Mayor Live program. Continue reading...

As Biden formally launches his 2024 bid and Trump chalks up endorsements polls show voters have little appetite for a replayIt is the envy of the world for its diversity and vitality. Yet America appears on a likely course for a presidential election between a white man in his 80s and a white man in his 70s. And yes, they’re the same guys as last time.Joe Biden, the 46th president and oldest in history, this week formally launched his campaign for a second term in a video announcement. The 80-year-old faces no serious challenge from within the Democratic party and told reporters: “They’re going to see a race, and they’re going to judge whether or not I have it or don’t have it.” Continue reading...

If the king wants to be a moderniser, he won’t let hard-pressed UK taxpayers pick up the bill for this self-serving traditionAnd so here we are: days away from the coronation of Charles III. Along with much of the population, I will not be celebrating. A YouGov poll this month revealed that 64% of us don’t care very much or care at all about the event, while only 9% care a great deal.I do care, perhaps not for the same reasons as that small minority of Britons, but because it is estimated that the whole event will cost up to £100m and – in line with self-serving royal traditions in this country – the bill will be picked up by the taxpayer, not the super-rich royals. Continue reading...

Seventh-grader Dillon Reeves of Carter middle school in Warren, north of Detroit, took steering wheel and brought vehicle to safetyA community in Michigan is heaping praise on to a seventh-grader who regained control of a school bus whose driver lost consciousness and was on the verge of crashing, according to officials.Dillon Reeves was on a bus taking him as well as other students home from a day of classes at Carter middle school in Warren, just north of Detroit, when the driver began to feel dizzy and passed out, said a statement from the local education system’s superintendent. Continue reading...

Images show president plus Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and advisers focused on Afghanistan operation that killed al-Qaida leaderAlmost exactly 12 years to the day since Barack Obama authorised the raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, a cache of previously unseen pictures of events in the White House around the raid was obtained by the Washington Post.The images of Obama, his vice-president, Joe Biden, secretary of state Hillary Clinton and key military and civilian advisers underscored the high stakes of the operation, the tension as US special forces carried out the mission, and celebrations of its completion. Continue reading...

The measures signed into law by the governor aim at quelling suicide rates, youth violence and mass shootingsColorado’s governor signed four gun control bills Friday, a significant move in a state with a long history of mass gun violence, including a shooting last fall at an LGBTQ+ nightclub that left five people dead.The legislation comes as states across the US struggle to confront a nationwide surge in violent crime and mass shootings, and a recent supreme court ruling that expanded second amendment rights. Continue reading...

Move comes as Federal Reserve report admits it failed to take ‘forceful enough action’ before Silicon Valley Bank collapseThe US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is preparing to place First Republic under receivership, Reuters reported on Friday, as the worst banking crisis since 2008 continued to hammer mid-sized US banks.The California-based bank looks set to be the third such financial institution to collapse this year, following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature in March. Continue reading...

US supreme court justice, who wrote Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe, denies claims he was responsible for leak in draft formSamuel Alito said the decision he wrote removing the federal right to abortion made him and other US supreme court justices “targets of assassination” but denied claims he was responsible for its leak in draft form.“Those of us who were thought to be in the majority, thought to have approved my draft opinion, were really targets of assassination,” Alito told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Friday. Continue reading...

Spare a thought for Fox News viewers

UN’s arbitrary detention group calls for immediate release of Palestinian Abu Zubaydah, saying detention has no basis in lawA UN body has declared that the detention of a long-term Guantánamo inmate, Abu Zubaydah, has no lawful basis and called for his immediate release, warning that the systemic deprivation of liberty at the camp may “constitute crimes against humanity”.The UN working group on arbitrary detention (UNWGAD), also declared the UK, among other countries, was “jointly responsible for the torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of Mr Zubaydah” over his more than 20 years in detention. Continue reading...

Rocky Hanna is accused of ignoring Florida governor’s directives in latest move against those who oppose Republicans’ politicsFlorida officials are threatening to revoke the teaching license of a school superintendent who criticized the governor, Ron DeSantis.The educator is accused of violating several statutes and DeSantis directives and allowing his “personal political views” to guide his leadership. Continue reading...

As a young navy lawyer, the Republican was posted to the notorious prison camp. What he did there – and his role in the investigation of three deaths – remains controversialIn the middle of a June night 17 years ago in the Guantánamo prison camp, guards and medical orderlies were urgently summoned to one of the inmate clinics, where an emergency was unfolding.Two inmates, Ali Abdullah Ahmed and Mani Shaman al-Utaybi, had been brought in dead. A third, Yasser Talal al-Zahrani, had been rushed to the hospital on the US naval base but was declared dead there soon afterwards. The three men were found hanging from their necks, with their hands and feet bound and rags in their throats. Continue reading...

Officials named remains as those of Claude Russell Pensinger, who disappeared on fishing trip in 1998Nevada officials have identified remains found in Lake Mead as those of a Las Vegas man missing for 25 years, the latest development in a quest to identify a series of bodies discovered in America’s largest reservoir last year.On three different days last summer, visitors at a beach on the lake discovered skeletal remains along the shoreline. The Clark county coroner’s office announced on Thursday that those remains belonged to the same person, now identified as as Claude Russell Pensinger, who disappeared on 14 July 1998 at the age of 52. Continue reading...

Pair say ‘peaceful political expression’ has been censored but phrase is used by conservatives as code for insulting Joe BidenTwo students in Michigan have filed a lawsuit against their school district after they were banned from wearing “Let’s Go Brandon” sweatshirts.The slogan is widely understood as a coded euphemism for a profane curse towards Joe Biden and is popular with conservatives. Continue reading...

Ettore Lacchei, 79, arrested and charged with first-degree murder over death of William Martys, 59, in Antioch, north of ChicagoAn Illinois man using a leaf blower in his yard was killed by his neighbor, local television reported.William Martys, 59, was reportedly using his leaf blower in his yard in Antioch when his neighbor, 79-year-old Ettore Lacchei, got into an argument with him then shot him in the head. Continue reading...

Furious viewers flee to other conservative networks as Brian Kilmeade tries to take the place of network’s ex-most popular hostThere were a lot of questions floating around after Fox News unceremoniously dumped rightwing firebrand Tucker Carlson on Monday morning.Among them: can the conservative news channel effectively replace its most popular host, a grievance-filled firebrand who drew in more than 3 million viewers every night? Continue reading...

Exxon’s profits in first three months of year rise to $11.34bn while rival Chevron also beats forecasts to record $6.57bn profitExxonMobil reported a record first-quarter profit on Friday that was more than double a year ago and topped Wall Street estimates as rising oil and gas output overcame a pullback in energy prices from high levels.Net profit rose to $11.43bn, compared to $5.48bn a year ago that included a $3.4bn after-tax writedown to exit Russia. Continue reading...

President’s team ‘needs her to be strong’, official says, as Biden seeks to counter Republican criticism that he is too old to runAs Joe Biden seeks to conquer public concern he is too old to run for and complete a second term in office, the White House is reportedly planning to boost support for Biden’s vice-president, Kamala Harris, in the face of increasing Republican attacks.An unnamed source “familiar with conversations inside the White House” told NBC News: “They need her to be strong. They know she is a target, and the attacks have always been intense, and the ante is going to be upped. So they want to make sure she is on the best possible footing.” Continue reading...

Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch have both been accused of ethics violations – and John Roberts refuses to discuss the matter with CongressIt was a short letter. John Roberts, chief justice of the US supreme court, was brief in his missive to Democratic senator Dick Durbin, who chairs the Senate judiciary committee. Citing “separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence”, Roberts declined to appear before the committee to discuss disturbing recent revelations of ethics violations at the court.Congress is meant to exert checks on judicial power – to investigate or even impeach judges who abuse their office or interpret the law in ways that violate its spirit, and to affirm that the elected branches will hold more sway over policy than the appointed one. But the chief justice’s show of indifference to congressional oversight authority reflects a new reality: that there are now effectively no checks on the power of the court – at least none that Democrats have the political will to use – and that the justices can be assured that they will face no repercussions even if they act in flagrant violation of ethical standards. It seems that they intend to.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

On his show Carlson railed against immigration and LGBTQ+ rights and apologized for Putinist aggression. None of it is newFox News has finally broken ties with its most popular star, Tucker Carlson. His ousting has been bemoaned by some commentators, who have taken Carlson to be a rebellious anti-war populist, evading easy political characterization. But is it really so complicated to classify Carlson’s political ideology?In late February 2022, then Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, began a pro-Russia monologue urging his audience to ask themselves the question: “Why do I hate Putin so much?” The gist of Carlson’s comments about Russia’s leader is that Putin should not be regarded as an enemy. Instead, the real enemies of America are those who call white Americans racist, those who teach so-called critical race theory in schools, business elites who ship jobs abroad, and those who imposed Covid lockdowns on the United States.… It is time to turn from our quarrels and to build our White ramparts again. This alliance with foreign races means nothing but death to us. It is our turn to guard our heritage from Mongol and Persian and Moor, before we become engulfed in a limitless foreign sea. Our civilization depends on a united strength among ourselves; on strength too great for foreign enemies to challenge; on a Western Wall of race and arms which can hold back either a Genghis Khan or the infiltration of inferior blood; on an English fleet, a German air force, a French army, an American nation, standing together as guardians of our common heritage, sharing strength, dividing influence. Continue reading...

Time will tell who got the best haul of players in Kansas City from Thursday’s first round, but there were encouraging signs from Seattle, Houston and PhiladelphiaAfter months of rumor and speculation, Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft featured less chaos than anticipated. There were few eyebrow-scorching picks and, instead, a steady stream of sensible selections.Let’s look at some of the winners from the opening night. Continue reading...

My baby is a pub regular, but sometimes I just want to be around adults – the parent v child-free divide is starker online than offThis morning I did something that I rarely do, for fear of inducing a full-body cringe the likes of which I have not experienced since, aged 10, I jumped on my dad’s back in the local swimming pool only to discover that it wasn’t him: I read one of my old columns. Written nearly a decade ago under the headline “I’ll drink to child-free pubs and cafes”, my twentysomething self grumbles about the presence of kids in adult spaces.Fast forward and I have a one-year-old who regards my local pub as an extension of his living room. I have sung him to sleep in the beer garden and breastfed him, rosé in hand, while sharing birth stories. Sometimes, I have looked up and seen an exclusion zone of empty tables around where we are sitting. Time makes hypocrites of us all.Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

In the grand tradition of his newspapers lasering in on public figures at their lowest moments, we really deserve to knowOn Page 3 of the Sun, I once saw the central i of the word “tit” asterisked out, not four inches away from a topless pair of the genuine article. So there’s always been a ludicrous coyness to Rupert Murdoch and his many works. But surely we are not really to believe that the media mogul this week ditched his highest-rating news anchor, Tucker Carlson, for referring to a woman as a “cunt” in an email? This is the take of the Wall Street Journal – proprietor: Mr R Murdoch – which explains: “Tucker Carlson’s Vulgar, Offensive Messages About Colleagues Helped Seal His Fate At Fox News”.Righto. It’s fair to say the Wall Street Journal is not alone in the quest to make sense of Murdoch’s recent behaviour. The week after he paid $787.5m to settle the lawsuit brought against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems – Dominion’s lawyers were going to force him to take the stand – Murdoch sacked Carlson via his son Lachlan. Media outlets have been scrambling to find logical explanations for actions that arguably, to deploy a euphemism, defy logic. After all, this is a 92-year-old who only weeks ago was delighting us with news of his impending fifth marriage – a whirlwind engagement to a former dental nurse turned prison chaplain, which was hastily called off a mere fortnight later. Apparently, Murdoch had become “increasingly uncomfortable” with his fiancee’s “outspoken evangelical views”. Again: really? Continue reading...

The 2018 investigation into the then supreme court nominee claimed there was ‘no evidence’ behind claims of sexual assault. Plus, the legacy of Jerry Springer

This week there was the last ever Carpool Karaoke, more royal rumblings, and a pastry pursuitA milestone in television history this morning, as the last ever Carpool Karaoke, the hugely popular section of James Corden’s CBS Late Late Show in which he interviews music icons while driving them around, airs ahead of his final show. Put it down to lack of eye contact, novelty format, or the sheer balls of a host willing to chip in and duet with Celine Dion, but even for Corden-sceptics the feature was irresistible. The most viewed Carpool of all time was the 2016 episode starring Adele, which has been watched on YouTube by more than 260 million people. Adele is a hoot. Corden is – I can’t believe I’m saying this – delightful. It is a genuinely great piece of television. Continue reading...

Society is making strange decisions. Some in high office lose jobs and deserve to, but we also ignore others whose sins are egregiousWhat have the now former chair of the BBC, the Labour veteran Diane Abbott and the ousted chancellor Nadhim Zahawi all got in common? Indeed, what do they share with Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and Matt Hancock?The answer is that they have all been accused of things that so upset people as to cause them to lose or risk losing their jobs. Failing to disclose having facilitated a loan, enjoying an unwise liaison, holding a contentious opinion: the misbehaviour in question varies, but all was deemed sufficiently significant to risk ruining their reputations or future careers – or at least for their organisations to be under pressure to see them depart to appease its critics. Continue reading...

Measures seek to limit third-party voter registration groups and will affect non-white voters, in latest wave of restrictionsFlorida Republicans are on the verge of passing new restrictions on groups that register voters, a move voting rights groups and experts say will make it harder for non-white Floridians to get on the rolls.The restrictions are part of a sweeping 96-page election bill the legislature is likely to send to Governor Ron DeSantis’s desk soon. The measure increases fines for third-party voter registration groups. It also shortens the amount of time the groups have to turn in any voter registration applications they collect from 14 days to 10. The bill makes it illegal for non-citizens and people convicted of certain felonies to “collect or handle” voter registration applications on behalf of third-party groups. Groups would also have to give each voter they register a receipt and be required to register themselves with the state ahead of each general election cycle. Under current law, they only have to register once and their registration remains effective indefinitely. Continue reading...

I understand the argument that our escalating climate crisis justifies direct action, but I can’t urge anyone to do things I wouldn't do myselfThere’s a fundamental principle that should apply to every conflict. Don’t urge others to do what you are not prepared to do yourself. How many wars would be fought if the presidents or prime ministers who declared them were obliged to lead their troops into battle?I can see why How to Blow Up a Pipeline, the book by Andreas Malm which has inspired a new film with the same title, has captured imaginations. It offers a lively and persuasive retelling of the history of popular protest, showing how violence and sabotage have been essential components of most large and successful transformations, many of which have been mischaracterised by modern campaigners as entirely peaceful. Continue reading...

One person was killed and five injured in the disaster, and 61 other parking structures are ‘immediately hazardous’Last Tuesday, a nearly 100-year-old four-story garage in Manhattan’s financial district caved in, killing the a building manager, Willis Moore, and injuring five others. An employee who survived the disaster told local reporters that he had witnessed long cracks in the garage’s concrete, and that Moore himself had been trying to warn the owners about the issue.The tragedy was a blaring wakeup call about the condition of New York City’s parking structures. The professional engineers who inspect garages say there may be more of them in need of immediate fixes. Continue reading...

Xi Jinping’s courting of both Moscow and Kyiv seems to be making headway – much to Washington’s chagrinXi Jinping’s phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskiy was a long time coming, but it should not have come as a surprise. Beijing is on everyone’s shortlist when it comes to prospective peacemakers in Ukraine. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is no exception. “I know I can count on you to bring back Russia to reason and everyone back to the negotiating table,” Macron told the Chinese leader during their meeting in Beijing this month.Though Xi replied that he would call the Ukrainian president, he was in no rush. He has no illusions about the difficulty of serving as mediator in a war where Ukraine and Russia are in diametrically opposing positions. Yet China’s recent success in bringing about the normalisation of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia may entice him to help engineer a diplomatic solution to the biggest war fought in Europe since 1945. But what would that solution look like? Continue reading...