Opinion

Under Patriarch Kirill, Russia’s Orthodox Church has seen its power restored – but only by debasing the faith

Our annual round-up of the people Britain could do without has stirred up some strong views

The country is in a tunnel and there is no light at the end of it. But I still need to get my hair cut

Donald Trump's picks for the big science and technology jobs seem calculated to spread despair. Scientists need to formulate a robust response

Academic institutions, such as Leipzig University, must learn how to stand firm and not let intimidation become routine

Donald Trump will abandon us as soon as it suits him and pretending otherwise is nonsense

A refresh of EU product safety standards, GPSR, will be a disaster for the UK’s small exporters, with the government little help

Ridiculous borrowing, impossible promises and an unwillingness to face reality have led to budget deadlock and talk of a Greek-style financial crisis

There’s a good case for shaking up UK campaign finance - but banning one particular donation would backfire

Bucking global trends, voters kept the incumbents in charge and Sinn Féin out of power in the general election. But Trump may be about to throw a spanner in the works.

Britain and Europe are up against an alliance of evil. Now is the time to resist Russia, and for the UK to lead by example

The European turtle dove became a symbol of man’s escalating war against nature. Then against the odds, something wonderful happened

The Slovak prime minister agrees with Trump about everything — well, almost

It’s being outdone by China and has failed to transition to electric vehicles. Can the big manufacturers on the continent go into overdrive? Or are they heading for a crash?

Our editor-at-large's rundown of the pick of the week’s streaming, cinema, theatre and books

Victory for Kim Leadbeater’s bill won’t stop legitimate doubts about it - or it becoming a distraction for a PM struggling to define himself

Why has No.10 been so swift to wield the axe now when the PM has known about her conviction for years?

Telling small groups of people that they will be taken seriously if only they shout loudly enough is damaging for democracy

Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage won a referendum on the lie that leaving the EU would control immigration

Dylan Jones, who hacks resented over his jaunts, has stepped down

Călin Georgescu is a textbook post-truth politician: a conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer, climate change denier, and moon landing sceptic

The country has twice rejected the chance to join the EU, including in a referendum 30 years ago this week with a 52:48 split. Why did they say no? And how’s it working out for them?

I was there when Chirac asked for money that should have gone to Lebanon’s citizens. Now Macron is struggling to save the country from destruction

A misjudged call for the government’s resignation and a string of lame jokes made for another poor performance from the Tory leader

While Keir Starmer continues to pretend that a worthwhile deal can be done without concessions or going back to the single market, this role is a non-starter

Many languages, including English, contain loan words ‘borrowed’ from other languages. But there is one notable exception – Icelandic

An adventurous romantic life lent almost a Zelig-like quality to the writer, constantly drawing her towards the centre of events

The president-elect’s embrace of comedians, podcasters and combat sports stars is a lesson for hectoring liberals

The inheritance tax debate is a little more nuanced than you will read on social media

The forgotten Scottish philosopher’s legacy resurfaced last week when his historic cello was played for the first time in 220 years