Meanwhile the US Government is still trying to "both sides" on repeat while russia sends its forces at playgrounds.

We tend to think wars create winners and losers nearby. Sometimes the beneficiaries are far away — and unexpected. Somali pirates may end up being big winners from Trump's missteps in Iran. time.com/article/2026...

This isn’t only a regional security story. Disruptions in major shipping routes affect trade, insurance costs, supply chains and ultimately prices elsewhere. In a wider world of geopolitics, conflicts rarely stay contained.

Analysts I spoke to say there are signs of renewed pirate activity — and worry that reduced deterrence could create opportunities.

The concern isn’t that Iran is directly linked to piracy. It’s that conflict can redirect military attention and naval resources toward the Gulf and away from other hotspots.

Somali pirates weren’t on many analysts’ lists of winners from the Iran conflict. Maybe they should be. My latest for TIME magazine time.com/article/2026...

How TRUMP's War With Iran Is Giving Somali Pirates an Opening - @lukemcgee.bsky.social @time.com time.com/article/2026...

Somali pirates weren’t on many analysts’ lists of winners from the Iran conflict. Maybe they should be. My latest for TIME magazine time.com/article/2026...

I've not actually done it due to my completely irrational fear of gambling, but I very nearly put money on Starmer lasting till the next general election at the start of this year. Honestly, stand by that.

Russia accuses US of 'egregious disrespect' after official denied visa for UN meeting kyivindependent.com/russia-accus...

Half of countries withdraw from Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine kyivindependent.com/half-of-coun...

Well, if you will kick him out of DOGE, saving government money is not his priority, I suppose. Alternative take: if you rely on someone like Elon, you kinda deserve it www.reuters.com/business/aer...

tl;dr: The transatlantic alliance isn’t ending tomorrow. But assumptions that defined it for decades are eroding. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/25/e...

Defense spending, procurement shifts, new coalitions, support for Ukraine: pieces of a future European security architecture are emerging in plain sight. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/25/e...

After decades of relying on Washington for security, European governments are investing in alternatives—not because they want a rupture, but because dependence suddenly* looks risky. *to those who've not been looking foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/25/e...

Europe isn’t leaving America behind. It’s preparing for the possibility that America leaves first. My latest @foreignpolicy.com: why Trump-era uncertainty is pushing Europe toward a slower, quieter form of strategic independence. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/25/e...

Europe isn’t leaving America behind. It’s preparing for the possibility that America leaves first. My latest @foreignpolicy.com: why Trump-era uncertainty is pushing Europe toward a slower, quieter form of strategic independence. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/25/e...

All going well over on X

Just been out and seen a few cars full of people sat with air con on. We really need to start accepting we are a home air con country

Europe's not known what it really wanted on defence for the best part of 10 years. Overreliance on US was accepted as a bad thing, yet no one had a practical plan to pivot over the medium-term. That has changed, as I write in my latest @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/25/e...

Trump has possibly revealed how he can be bought off to climb down on Iran - ego strike via other countries signing up to the Abraham Accords. Incredible how open he is about his vanity

What a complete and utter mess Trump has made of this. Iran looks stronger than it probably is and more sympathetic than it has any right to because of the monumental miscalculation made by a man who simply doesn’t think very hard www.reuters.com/world/middle...

As he leads in polls, it is important to pin down certain claims Farage makes that conveniently brush aside scrutiny. When he was accused of not spending anytime in Clacton he said it was because of security risks. He could be telling the truth, but must actually provide evidence.

“It is understood the National Cyber Security Centre is not aware of a report from Farage related to the alleged hack.” That’ll be because it’s all utter bollox. “Just how stupid would you like us to be, Mr Farage?” “Oh *that* stupid. Let’s see what we can do…” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Ukraine for her first official visit at Zelensky’s invitation. The trip comes as Kyiv warns Minsk against any role in renewed Russian aggression from Belarusian territory. #Belarus

Watching Spurs celebrate narrowly staying up as though they've won the league on the same day Arsenal lifts the trophy is just gorgeous.

Russia’s military pummeled Kyiv overnight with large-scale drone and missile attack that killed at least two people and injured scores of others, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday. www.politico.eu/article/russ...

This is a fantastic column

I have seen complaints about Usyk getting the stoppage last night. While it's jarring to see a fight stopped with someone standing, worth considering what happened in the previous 60 seconds: knockdown through ropes, mouthguard spit, guard failing. Not worth actual injury risk.

Is Bluesky still dealing with a fall in usage?

I've you've watched DWP or DWP2, trust me and click.

Emily was a saint. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Andy Sachs was an absolute weapon. substack.com/home/post/p-...

After just a little over three years, I'm back! And yes, I have started a Subst — *single shot rings out* This first post goes out to everyone who's suffered bullying at work, straight from the victim of the worst office bully of all time. hollymcthomas.substack.com/p/emily-char...

Pep is a great football coach, but his entire legacy is tainted. Leaving now before *you know what* is somewhat cowardly.

This is extremely good. Very funny indeed.

As an Arsenal fan, I have only eaten mushrooms since Tuesday. champignons again ole ole.

Queen Elizabeth ‘very keen’ for Andrew to take prominent trade role www.thetimes.com/article/c7db...

The more I think about it, winning the league without playing was perfect. It meant everyone experienced it in pretty much the same way, from fans to players. Just observing, no influence on what was happening, just waiting. It was absolutely brilliant. Surreal, but brilliant.

Absolutely shameful. The sanctions regime was starting to work and squeeze Russia. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Happy Wednesday morning, Mikel Arteta is an elite manager

Legend of the evening award goes to Ian Wright wearing a Rocky shirt, as he celebrated with fans outside the stadium CC @tuesdayclub.bsky.social

Havertz should be off, that's a poor decision.

We call him King Kai for a reason. That was majestic.

The return of the Brexit debate is inevitable www.politico.eu/article/brex...

It is not said often enough that even when it is under brutal attack, Kyiv is the most wonderful city. It is full of life and joy. It is a beautiful capital city, constantly representing the best of a beautiful country. #SlavaUkraïni

Extraordinary intervention by the Intelligence and Security Committee, accusing the government of withholding files from them and making further redactions "far too broadly". And the ISC made a critique of the decision to grant Mandelson clearance against the advice of security officials.

Seriously, imagine being the type of person who ordered a Trump Phone edition.cnn.com/2026/05/14/b...

Here we have the President of the US giving China a plausible excuse for anti-US propaganda. National Security and State Department officials must be fuming. At is astonishing Trump has so little grasp of how much he helps America's adversaries.

Great success