Marine Le Pen will go head-to-head with President Macron in an election run off in a fortnight.
War set to cut Ukraine’s economy by almost half
The World Bank forecasts Ukraine’s economy will shrink by 45.1% as a result of Russia’s invasion.
Dilemma over Russian athletes threatens to tear sports down the middle | Sean Ingle
Some governing bodies will allow athletes to compete if they distance themselves from the Putin regime, but is this fair on their Ukrainian opponents?
When the horrors inflicted on Bucha’s residents emerged last week, the Russian grandmaster – and serial Vladimir Putin apologist – Sergey Karjakin was asked for his response. “Have you seen the pictures, Sergey?” the questioner probed on social media. “The senseless killings of innocent people. Men, women and children. Tortured by the Russian army. Bound hands behind their backs, and shot in the back of the head. Have you seen it, Sergey?”
Karjakin, who represented Ukraine until 2009 before transferring his allegiance to Russia, had indeed seen the images. And his reply was chilling. “I wanted to say it was a good fake,” he said. “But no. It was a bad fake.”
Putin’s war shows autocracies and fossil fuels go hand in hand. Here’s how to tackle both
Democracies are making more progress than autocracies when it comes to climate action. But divestment campaigns can put pressure on the most recalcitrant of political leaders
At first glance, last autumn’s Glasgow climate summit looked a lot like its 25 predecessors. It had:
A conference hall the size of an aircraft carrier stuffed with displays from problematic parties (the Saudis, for example, with a giant pavilion saluting their efforts at promoting a “circular carbon economy agenda”).
Squadrons of delegates rushing constantly to mysterious sessions (“Showcasing achievements of TBTTP and Protected Areas Initiative of GoP”) while actual negotiations took place in a few back rooms.
Earnest protesters with excellent signs (“The wrong Amazon is burning”).
‘It feels like the end of the world’: Taiwan civilians practise for war as Ukraine revives China fears
Community groups use US army training videos to rehearse for disaster, yet the government is reluctant to support a civilian defence force
Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates
On a muggy night in a Taipei park, its concrete pavilion lit by the glow from nearby lampposts, a dozen people spread yoga mats and plastic bags on the floor.
The atmosphere is convivial and relaxed as they warm up, taking turns to lead the group through exercises copied from US army basic training videos online. They practise drills, dragging each other as injured deadweights, out of the way of a fictional harm.