This issue certainly deserves greater visibility. It's in the Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families' remit (Josh McAllister) in the DfE, not the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care. Fragmentation & lack of oversight of the system seems a key weakness: www.gov.uk/government/n...

It's like Labour has entered its Orchestrated Manoeuvres in the Dark phase (with no disrespect to OMD)

The electorate and party aren't treading lightly on the life of his premiership

„Orbán, das wird auch klar, kann das Tempo des jungen Magyar nicht halten. Seine Stimme wirkt brüchig, mitgenommen von den vielen Auftritten, die nötige Wucht für eine echte Wahlkampfrede gibt sie kaum noch her.“ Alexander Haneke zum Ende des Wahlkampfs in Ungarn. zeitung.faz.net/data/738/rea...

When a prescription of flattery, increased defence spending and just a dose of wishful thinking has limited effect on the Trumpian Weltanschauung

So sorry to hear that Jenni Murray has died. She was magnificent. I still miss her voice on Woman’s Hour.

On what Liberation Day and Iran war have in common - teaching Trump that ‘America First’ doesn’t cancel facts of global economics. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, attended the final talks between the US and Iran and judged that the offer made by Tehran on its nuclear programme was significant enough to prevent a rush to war, the Guardian can reveal." Devastating report: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Now playing Schubert und Haydn beim Kronberg Festival 2025 -- Ursula Böhmer via @deutschlandfunk.de.web.brid.gy

Reform's "patriotism" boils down to doing the great national leader's bidding à la mode de Putin or Trump, such that apparent contradictions and inconvenient truths can easily be glossed over... Good piece from @rafaelbehr.bsky.social

Kyiv residents share photos and videos on social media showing their freezing apartments and how they are trying to keep warm.

Trump's cold-blooded belittling of British and other non-US Nato sacrifices in Afghanistan apparently leading all British broadcast bulletins. Trump lied to avoid military service. Hopefully his diatribe will boomerang onto Nigel Farage.

(Kann Trump bitte jemand von der Bühne tragen) Eine Stunde ist um und @riedmann.net fasst es zusammen: "Nichts zeigt mehr den Verfall der westlichen Welt, als dass dies die Rede eines US-Präsidenten ist." www.derstandard.at/jetzt/livebe...

Now playing: open.spotify.com/track/1Dod14...

A very insightful article on the recent threats to UK modern languages: www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/late... Support the petitions to stop the closures at Leicester and Nottingham, to sign click here: www.change.org/p/save-moder... www.change.org/p/stop-the-r... #languages #mfl

The statement in full: "We are writing on behalf of the AGS, W+IGS and the German Language Association to express our shock at the proposed closure of Modern Languages degrees at the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester....

Save Modern Languages at the University of Nottingham www.savemlcatnotts.org.uk

"So much of our European engineering is based in Germany," he [UoN student Max Hegarty] said. "While a lot of people are willing to learn English, not returning that effort to them is not great for that collaboration, for that international co-operation that we need." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

PIEROGI'S! This week's episode on BBC Food Programme I make them with Zuza Zak as my guide. We got all our ingredients from our local Polski Sklep, aka Polish Shop. We explore the Polski Sklep, it's a story of migration, community & superb food. Friday 11am BBC Radio 4 or BBC Sounds TUNE IN

Sharp analysis from @rafaelbehr.bsky.social. Putin's illegal war on Ukraine is being fought on a number of fronts, including the economic one of primary interest to the White House's own "prickly potentate".

I love that the German ambassador to the UK just told Matt Frei on #LBC that introducing a youth mobility scheme between both countries is a 'no-brainer'

How do you do fellow kids? Check out my TikTok debut: www.tiktok.com/@nytopinion/...

#nowplaying 30 years of #radiohead's phenomenal album #thebends open.spotify.com/track/37JISl...

Good morning and welcome to your FT Weekend highlights thread. As ever, all gift links are free 300x and that's your lot, editor's choice is final. First up is this essay from Joseph Nye, who coined the term Soft Power, on how Trump doesn't understand it and why that's a problem on.ft.com/4hlZTcB

"[...] ending aid to Ukraine would be a step too far for the UK, even for this highly abnormal regime in Washington." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Verrat im Oval Office. #Print

'“That was a train wreck by design,” said Sam Greene, a professor of Russian politics at King’s College London. “The quiet conversation since Munich has been about setting Ukraine up for a fall..."'

Kinzinger-Sykes: Today's Oval Office Disgrace open.substack.com/pub/charlies...

Traurig. Sehr traurig. Der Niedergang der „Washington Post“ unter Trump-Großspender Jeff Bezos.

Going for Gold was a wonderful quiz show and was doing more for peace and cooperation in Europe than all the MEPs put together....maybe. RIP Henry Kelly

‘I am war. We Ukrainians all became a war. Nothing else about us matters now’. Victoria Amelina wrote these words in February 2022. They appear in a book published in February 2025—posthumously—because Victoria was killed in one of Russia’s numerous war crimes. 1/3

"Why reward [Putin] now with a peace deal made at Ukraine’s expense? Why undermine NATO? Why send the strongest possible signal to the rest of the world that the United States, far from condemning acts of unprovoked international aggression, will, henceforth, side with the perpetrators of violence?"

„Sprache ist ein Machtmittel: Trumps Beharren auf dem Begriff „Golf von Amerika““ #gulfofmexico #Trump #Neusprech #schwarwel

A petition in support of Modern Languages at Cardiff, which the university wishes to axe. I know this department very well and their staff and students deserve better.

Do you know a student in Year 12/S5? This year, we've teamed up with 13 leading universities to run our annual Summer Schools, which help thousands of young people decide whether higher education is right for them. Check out the eligibility criteria 👇

'#WomenOfACertainAge Are Having The Last Laugh' via Grazia magazine graziadaily.co.uk/life/tv-and-...

It's that time of year! Sign up to receive a poem a day by email throughout advent, with poems by some fantastic contemporary poets. Sign-ups are by donation, with all money going to Medicins Sans Frontieres / Doctors without Borders (@MSF_uk). book.benefacthq.com?id=poetry-ad...

The global impact of the US election London Business School faculty discuss what a second Trump administration looks like for the world www.london.edu/think/the-gl...

Dear friends, could u please help us?We have curated a hamper with hand made 🇺🇦 things (🌻 oil, wool socks, d.ceps) but finding it difficult to sell (algorithms on IG are 👎🏽). There is also a £5 raffle for one of the hampers and all money goes to Molotok NGO. www.experienceukraine.co.uk/product-page...

No-one will stop Putin with phone calls. The attack last night, one of the biggest in this war, has proved that telephone diplomacy cannot replace real support from the whole West for Ukraine. The next weeks will be decisive, not only for the war itself, but also for our future.

Ok, so let's try this out here then..: #Followerpower: If anyone has a spare ticket for the Angela Merkel talk at the Southbank Centre in London on the 24th of Nov, please let me know. Wd love to go and left it too late as it's now sold out. Wd b v grateful.

Some great appointments happening, right?! Song for today. music.youtube.com/watch?v=RJgB...

Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung front page is currently leading with 'Spectacular Defeat for the Tories / Spektakuläre Niederlage für die Tories' #localelections www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/gros...

Blick vom Paul-Löbe-Haus auf den Platz vorm Reichstag heute 21.1.24 17 Uhr. Die Polizei spricht von 100k die Veranstalter von 350.000 Demonstrant:innen. Fakt ist: Bereits am Hauptbahnhof ging nix mehr weil es selbst für den größten Bahnhof Europas zu Viele waren DAS ist die Brandmauer gegen Rechts!

What a joy this is. There are so few people able to understand and inhabit these songs as intimately as Cat Power does here.

Confused about the King’s Speech? Well allow me to enlighten you, The King's Speech is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language thera

Interesting from Steve Rosenberg on the 2024 Putin calendar, published by Komsomolskaya Pravda. No photos of Putin from after the start of the invasion at all; none of him giving out medals, meeting soldiers. All older images, suggesting an effort to downplay the war. www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/worl...