In his fortnightly column MARK SEDDON reflects on the death of Major Oak and why such ancient trees matter to us
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Britain’s ‘de-twinning’ China hypocrisy
Councils across the nation are taking a stand on human rights in China — but not one they made against the US, Saudi or Israel. Jingoistic prejudice is not hard to find in the background, reports MARK BLACKLOCK
The union flag and the flag of the People's republic of China
The world’s largest communist party marked its 105th birthday this week — and remains true to its principles and firm in its course, says OLIVER VARGAS
The left has become too reliant on persuasion and too detached from the workplaces and communities it seeks to represent, argues NICK TROY
RAMZY BAROUD highlights how Israel’s ambassador sought to shut down UN officials documenting sexual violence and abuses against Palestinians
The US-Israeli conflict with Iran has had far-reaching consequences, including a boost to Pakistan’s regional standing, argues ROGER McKENZIE
The recent heatwaves revealed how ill-prepared Britain remains for a hotter future – and how unequal the ability to cope with it has become, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
The drive to strengthen European defence is reshaping relations between France, Germany, Italy and Britain, says NICK WRIGHT
CUTTING your links with China is increasingly a thing for councils across Britain, as a number of local authorities end town twinning relationships. These principled stands share a common purpose — to punish and send Beijing a message — and to question their rationale could leave critics accused of enabling genocide or excusing human rights abuse.
But there seems a dissonance between aims, actions and evidence which makes it reasonable to ask what’s really going on.
There was a time when municipalities sweated only the unglamorous but important small-town stuff like building houses (those were the days), fixing potholes and emptying bins. Today, some are on an international front line where they can effect global change.
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STEPHEN BELL reports from a delegation that traced the steps of China’s socialist revolution from its first modest meetings to the Red Army’s epic 9,000km battle to create the modern nation that today defies every capitalist assumption
The UN is not only in need of structural change, a fundamental mindset revolution is also required – and it’s China that points the way with its Global Governance Initiative, argues ROGER McKENZIE
From anonymous surveys claiming Chinese students are spying on each other to a meltdown about the size of China’s London embassy, the evidence is everywhere that Britain is embracing full spectrum Sinophobia as the war clouds gather, writes CARLOS MARTINEZ
