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Oh, how we Brits are enjoying France’s political travails! The UK’s mainstream media, reliably francophobe when it comes to politics, economic policy and business, have revelled in the inability of President Emmanuel Macron to keep his prime ministers for longer than a few months. They have welcomed his attempts to reform the French economy but mock the French people’s unwillingness to accept the consequences - working longer hours, retiring later, and taking smaller pensions

Possibly the 20th June was not the cleverest day to choose to fly directly over the crow- fly-line between Tel Aviv and Isfahan; so our Airbus 380 pilot from Dubai wisely turned due west across the Empty Quarter, over the Red Sea and into Egypt before heading north for Zurich. On the plane were at least 200 Chinese tourists, each group led (normally) by a small lady armed with a wooden stick and a coloured flag. On arrival in Zurich the sheep and goats were separated: the Swi

Iceland is my second choice. For years, my dream has been to go to Antarctica. But, cost apart, the journey’s logistics are daunting. And what if you get there and find you’ve forgotten your gloves? So I choose Iceland for its exotic geology and intriguing culture. The former I’ll be exploring with a small group on...

Famous de-Nazifier Vladimir Putin’s "Special Military Operation" in Ukraine has become the hot-bed for claims of ecological terrorism. Once a sprawling array of Europe’s most fertile farmland, Ukraine now sits in the crossroads of the future: devastating war and environmental disaster. Putin’s demolition...

“Never assume, because when you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME”. So said Felix Unger, a character in the US TV series The...