8320, 8324 The US is too big to be constrained by the world but now too small to dominate it The country is gradually transforming into what is known in international relations as a “semi-hegemon”. By Jeremy Cliffe
8268, 8275 The break-up of a family firm In the 1960s the Queen and Prince Philip employed PRs to transform the monarchy into a “royal family”. It was a disastrous error that turned royals into celebrities and opened the way for the Harry and Meghan debacle. By Simon Jenkins
8268, 8275 Why the left keeps losing Boris Johnson won a remarkable victory by routing Labour in its old heartlands. But his dilemma is how to cement his alliance with the working class while the cultural establishment remains wedded to progressive values. By John Gray
8277, 8280 Bombshell: a glib and deficient #MeToo movie Entrusting a film about the exploitation of women to the director of the Austin Powers trilogy was a risk scarcely worth taking. By Ryan Gilbey
8320, 8321 The killing of Qasem Soleimani shows America has not learned from the Iraq War As conflict escalates in the Middle East, once more America lacks a strategy. By Emily Tamkin
8268, 8275 Rise of the new working-class Tories Can Boris Johnson’s Conservatives really hold on to former Labour voters in the party’s old heartlands? By Simon Heffer
8320, 8322 Going it alone in a foreign land To friends, I framed my upcoming solo trip to Japan as an elaborate success: a woman unexpectedly dumped, taking off on her own to climb up hills and meditate. Inside, I was terrified. By Alice Vincent
8277, 8283 Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Lab is one of the creepiest things I’ve ever seen on television And I’m old enough to remember the Krankies. By Rachel Cooke
8277, 8284 The 2010s saw clean eating, small plates and veganism. What’s next for food culture? Sandwiches, apparently. As well as trends ranging from the vague (“sour”) to the very specific (pea milk), say “experts”. By Felicity Cloake
8268, 8274, 8387 Javid made clear the government’s Brexit position. So why do many think it’s bluffing? The Chancellor’s rhetoric isn’t a surprise but the government has yet to match that commitment in reality. By Stephen Bush
8268, 8274, 8394 The Conservatives are finally developing a serious plan to stop Scottish independence As well as forging a new unionist narrative, the government is expected to spend lavishly in Scotland. By Chris Deerin
8268 When it comes to gambling, the Conservatives are right about Labour's legacy The 2005 Gambling Act has proved to be a disaster. The government is finally responding, but is it enough? By George Grylls
8268, 8394 Scottish nationalists must confront reality: there is no obvious route to independence The constitutional and political paths to a second referendum are currently blocked. By Rory Scothorne
8268, 8367, 8328, 8270, 8274 Why relocating the House of Lords to York would be a smart move by Boris Johnson The government has more of an interest in appearing to improve the state of northern constituencies than in actually doing so. By Stephen Bush
8277, 8280 A day in the life of Jeff Goldblum The actor on therapy, eggs and aerial gymnastics. By Kate Mossman
8277, 8283 The BBC documentary Addicted to Painkillers? sent me down a spiral of anxiety Many people on opioids continue to be in pain even as their doctors increase their doses. In other words, often they don’t even work. By Rachel Cooke
8277, 8280 Bombshell: a glib and deficient #MeToo movie Entrusting a film about the exploitation of women to the director of the Austin Powers trilogy was a risk scarcely worth taking. By Ryan Gilbey
8277, 8278 The best art exhibitions of 2020 This year’s exhibition calendar sees a return for some of the biggest names of the Renaissance – and Andy Warhol. By Michael Prodger
8277, 8279 Why women read fiction Are women drawn to imagining other lives because their own are still so constrained? By Erica Wagner
8277, 8279 How HG Wells invented the modern world Wells was a prolific and visionary writer – but his major legacy is political. By Andrew Glazzard
8268, 8275, 8300, 8362 Laurence Fox and the worrying power of right-wing YouTube The British actor is a self-confessed victim of YouTube indoctrination. Its influence on politics should concern us all. By George Grylls
8268, 8272 “Blue ticks were a mistake”: Bruce Daisley on leaving Twitter and fixing workplace culture Twitter’s outgoing European vice-president opens up about life at the social network, and his quest for worker wellbeing. By Anoosh Chakelian
8268, 8272 Tony Hall's successor as BBC director general faces a radically changed media landscape A hostile government, competition for young audiences and stripping over-75s of their free TV licences are just some of the challenges. By Roger Mosey
8300, 8362 The strange case of Paul Zimmer, the disgraced video star who rebranded himself as a boy Twenty-four-year-old Zimmer posted pictures and videos as Troy Becker, losing only his trademark frosted tips hairstyle and tell-tale adult stubble. By Sarah Manavis
8268, 8450, 8277, 8282 How a 40-year-old Welsh folk song reached number one in the UK singles chart An independence campaign group in Wales pushed the song up the charts. Why now, and what does it tell us about modern Britain? By Martha O’Neil
8300 Climate change has introduced a new word to the lexicon: pyrocumulonimbus The cloud Nasa describes as a “fire breathing dragon” is becoming more common. By Sanjana Varghese
8320, 8321 Trump is just another US president dealing with an old geopolitical nightmare in the Gulf For at least seven decades, energy security has made the Persian Gulf a geopolitical minefield. By Helen Thompson
8320, 8324 Canada’s quest for justice over the Iran air crash is a geopolitical mire The large Canadian-Iranian community is determined that an investigation and apology is only the first step. By Aaron Burnett
8320, 8323 Why did the entire Russian government just resign? There has been a power shift from the hands of former president and prime minister Dmitriy Medvedev into the hands of Mikhail Mishustin. By Aliide Naylor
8320 Ten crucial questions on the world in 2020 The fundamentals that will decide global affairs in the year ahead. By Jeremy Cliffe
8320, 8322 Is India still a democracy? Narendra Modi has bullied critics and suffocated the press into endorsing his Hindu-nationalist version of modern India. By Kapil Komireddi
8320, 8321 Death of a warlord The US assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani has lit a tinderbox in the Middle East. Until wounded pride is replaced by sober strategy in Washington and Tehran, the world is braced for further conflict. By Lawrence Freedman
