Notebooks

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How Sweden’s Social Democrats survived in the capital of capital

The once-dominant centre-left party has just recorded its worst result in more than a century, but its relative endurance owes much to a pragmatic accommodation with markets.

Rikard Westerberg September 17, 2026

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Mourning the old Israel: Fauda after 7 October

The new series of 'Fauda', whose cast and crew were caught up in 7 October and its aftermath, is a powerful elegy for the victims of the massacre.

Alastair Benn September 16, 2026

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The BRICS+: rebels without a common cause

The BRICS+ summit in New Delhi revealed an enlarged forum pulled in three directions by China, Russia and India.

Ved Shinde September 15, 2026

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The AI trade is too big not to fail

More than $3.1 trillion has gone into American AI, much of it financed by debt pinned to unproven revenues. The industry may find that the only road to its prosperity runs through ..

David Roche September 14, 2026

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Tennis and the decline of Russian soft power

The US Open was dominated by players with Russian and Soviet roots. Almost none of them played under a Russian flag, another sign of the country's declining influence.

Daniel Peris September 14, 2026

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Why Sweden’s Tidö bloc needs a majority

Sweden's four Tidö parties need an outright majority in Sunday's election to continue their programme of tougher policing, tighter migration and lower taxes.

PJ Anders Linder September 11, 2026

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Germany’s flyover country takes its revenge

Saxony-Anhalt is rich in history, but the last thirty years have been hard on it. The AfD's record win there has its roots in depopulation and industrial collapse.

Oliver Moody September 11, 2026

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The cultural significance of the French school canteen

Beyond placing the enjoyment of food at the centre of French life, the school canteen is an outpost of the Republic where principles of secularism are enacted and preserved.

Muriel Zagha September 10, 2026

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The other great Sicilian novel

Frederico De Roberto's explosive portrait of a declining Sicilian dynasty deserves greater recognition.

Paul Lay September 9, 2026