Maia Sandu, the leader who stood up to Putin
The president of Moldova saw off a vicious campaign from Russia by educating the public about the threat and mobilising them against it. Would we do the same here?
The Magazine
The case for a new Britishness
The social contract must be revitalised or populists will replace it with something much worse. That means citizenship should involve allegiance to a shared way of life
The lesson of Maduro’s abduction: Europe must unite, or die
Trump’s raid on Caracas gives the US control of Venezuelan oil, and shows that America is now a nation that acts without restraint. The lessons for Britain, and Europe, could not be any clearer
What the hell is quantum mechanics?
It predicts the universe with eerie precision, yet not even Nobel laureates can agree on how to interpret it
Dubai: a safe space for hypocrisy
The UAE is attracting right wing Brits who mock Britain’s supposed decline while ignoring their hosts’ repression
The secret lives of Agatha Christie
The great crime writer, who died 50 years ago, may have looked in later life like Miss Marple – but in her youth she was an intrepid world traveller with a passion for surfing
Why Hamnet doesn’t get Shakespeare
Chloé Zhao’s film is deeply felt and beautifully made – but misses the essence of what made the playwright so great
Arts & Culture
The secret lives of Agatha Christie
The great crime writer, who died 50 years ago, may have looked in later life like Miss Marple – but in her youth she was an intrepid world traveller with a passion for surfing
Ricky Gervais is swinging at thin air
Hamnet is powerful because it’s unsentimental
Death to the celebrity documentary
It’s a shame we’re so bad at Spanish
Audio
The new world order is revealing itself
The Matts pick apart the extraordinary events of this week and make sense* of what they mean for life on planet Earth in the second quarter of the 21st century. What is Trump up to? How can Europe react to a threat from a NATO member state? What is the future of Greenland? How is […]
Maia Sandu, the leader who stood up to Putin
The president of Moldova saw off a vicious campaign from Russia by educating the public about the threat and mobilising them against it. Would we do the same here?
Why I don’t have a favourite philosopher
I’m an admirer of John Stuart Mill, David Hume and Diogenes the Cynic. The problem is, I cannot endorse any one of them without reservation
The Matts’ cultural highlights of the year
2025 may have been an absolute skip fire for political progress but it was a cracker for culture. The Matts round off the year with their highlights – but what will be their joint top moment of 2025? Thank you for listening this year – the Matts return early January and wish all listeners a […]
When are we going to take anti-semitism seriously (and actually do something about it?)
The Matts explore the issues thrown up by the dreadful massacre of Jews at Bondi Beach this week. When is a protest actually an act of violence? Why do we rush to talk of securing synagogues from attack rather than address the root problem of those attacks? How will our politicians get ahead of what […]
How we must fight the global populist threat in 2026
Crime, corruption and cruelty show how leaders like Trump and Bukele exploit power, and why they must be stopped
Why New Year’s resolutions are the hardest promises to keep
Promises to ourselves have a superficially similar structure to promises to other people – but with a kind of double lock
American civilisation is at risk – but I’m still going
If they check my social media posts at the border, I might well be on the first plane back, which tells you Trump’s talk about free speech is nothing but a sham
How the world forgot James Hutton
A Scottish geologist made a discovery that altered the way we see ourselves, and our planet. And yet his name is widely forgotten
In defence of a new Europe – with Paul Mason
The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy document released this week is an astonishing affront to what many of us believe to be the liberal world order. The Matts are joined by New World contributing editor and columnist Paul Mason to understand just how far reaching its consequences are – and how Europe must find new […]
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Puzzles
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Sudoku Medium
Sudoku Easy
Number Fit
Jigsaw
Cryptic Crossword
Crossword
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Politics
Is there a future for British pubs?
In Greenland, the threat of Trump hangs over us like Covid
Starmer, the wrong man to reverse Brexit
Brigitte Macron’s difficult court victory
ICE are now murdering people in the street
Europe still doesn’t trust Britain
When America lost a nuclear bomb in Greenland
Why I don’t have a favourite philosopher
Writers
Alastair Campbell
Maia Sandu, the leader who stood up to Putin
Marie Le Conte
Brigitte Macron’s difficult court victory
Matthew d’Ancona
Hamnet is powerful because it’s unsentimental
Patience Wheatcroft
This sounds crazy, but our politicians need a pay rise
Tanit Koch
The case for a firework-free zone
Paul Mason
The lesson of Maduro’s abduction: Europe must unite, or die
Latest
Is there a future for British pubs?
Ricky Gervais is swinging at thin air
Death to the celebrity documentary
Hamnet is powerful because it’s unsentimental
Lady Bamford’s lifestyle brand remains a labour of love
In Greenland, the threat of Trump hangs over us like Covid
Podcasts
The Two Matts
The Two Matts Q&A: Is Nato dead? Is Marty Supreme any good? And should old people vote?
The Two Matts
The new world order is revealing itself
The Two Matts
The Matts’ cultural highlights of the year
The Two Matts
When are we going to take anti-semitism seriously (and actually do something about it?)
The Two Matts
The Two Matts Q&A: Should we hand US authorities our social media history?
The Two Matts
Fludemic, Zack Polanski, and a (rare) big-up to Keir
Brexit
Starmer, the wrong man to reverse Brexit
Farage and Badenoch’s attacks on a weakened PM underline that he’s not the messenger to deliver a customs union or even a second referendum
Europe still doesn’t trust Britain
Former Brussels foreign minister Cathy Ashton says the union would be ‘insane’ to take back the UK without consensus that we wouldn’t leave again
Tim Bradford’s cartoon: Moving closer to the EU
Kemi Badenoch, a burger and a perplexing analogy
The Conservative leader has been repeating a strange phrase from peer Daniel Hannan comparing Brexit to a burger
A new year’s resolution to keep: get rid of Brexit
If 2026 is to improve on 2025, the UK must start behaving like a serious country at long last
Brexit on display at the Museum of Failure
Britain’s botched departure from the European Union is to join a litany of flops including the Titanic, Sinclair C5 and The Body Shop
Ukraine
Maia Sandu, the leader who stood up to Putin
The president of Moldova saw off a vicious campaign from Russia by educating the public about the threat and mobilising them against it. Would we do the same here?
A look back at 2025: the year in ten articles
2025 has been a wild ride, and in these ten articles, writers here at The New World confronted some of the most important questions of the year
Putin is out to destroy the UK and Europe. If we don’t accept that, we’re doomed
The dictator’s threats and dirty tricks go unanswered and unpunished. We can’t keep rolling over like this
2026 will be the year of Trump, war and chaos
As America retreats from the world into its own sphere of influence, the resulting vacuum will bring more confrontation, uncertainty and disorder. And in almost all cases, Trump won’t care
Andriy Yermak’s Black Friday
Zelensky’s chief of staff has resigned amid the biggest corruption scandal Ukraine has seen. The president must act fast to restore trust – while not forgetting about the frontline
Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian playing the US from within
Putin’s friend and emissary has manipulated Steve Witkoff to the point where the US special ambassador is known as “Dim Philby”. And Ukraine is paying the price
The big picture
The year in pictures
A turbulent 2025 unfolded in striking contrasts – from apocalyptic climate disasters and surging global protests to the ever-present threat of war
Taylor Wessing’s portraits of human connection
The latest edition of the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait prize exhibition features subjects looking for a connection
Great Lives
Miep Gies, the ambassador for Anne Frank’s diary
Ágnes Keleti, the gymnast who resembled the Spirit of Ecstasy
George Michael, the man on a quest for identity
Dinah Washington, the Queen of the Blues
Sócrates, the beautiful game’s great romantic
Shane MacGowan, the poet laureate of chaos and loss
Lady Bamford’s lifestyle brand remains a labour of love
Help! I nearly fell for an AI scam
