Barometer
The wild one Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that Vladimir Putin had gone ‘full tonto’. The word tonto is used…
Friends in need
During the Cold War, any citizen of a Soviet bloc country who made it to Britain and claimed asylum was…
Letters
Soft options Sir: In relation to strengthening the impact of the Russian sanctions package (‘Tsar Vladimir’, 26 February), please may…
Portrait of the week
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, said of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia: ‘Never in all my study or…
Portrait of the week
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, announced, in the House of Commons, sanctions against Russia after its ‘renewed invasion’ of…
Letters
The Bull of Oman Sir: There was one significant omission in the cast of characters mentioned by Charles Moore in…
Solution to 2541: Beastly
The unclued lights form a quartet of three-word terms, each of which has the letter count of (6,6,6) which is…
Barometer
Blow by blow Did Storm Eunice really set a new record for wind speed in England? A 122 mph gust…
Liberty restored
Shortly after Covid emerged, our civil liberties were suspended. The government took control of when and for how long we…
Full text: Putin’s declaration of war on Ukraine
Dear citizens of Russia! Dear friends! Today, I again consider it necessary to return to the tragic events taking place…
Royal standards
Prince Andrew’s decision to settle his case with Virginia Giuffre means he will be spared the potentially humiliating ordeal of…
Barometer
Facing the music Police in New Zealand played Barry Manilow records to truck drivers in an attempt to persuade them…
Letters
A health-care disaster Sir: Kate Andrews’s piece on who really controls the NHS (‘Waiting game’, 12 February) gives us a…
Portrait of the week
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, made ready for a Russian invasion of Ukraine by cutting short a planned visit…
Solution to 2540: Recycling components
Unclued lights (PLAY, WITH, HOLD, DOWN) comprise components for the unclued cyclic sequence PLAY WITH, WITHHOLD, HOLD DOWN and DOWNPLAY.…
P.J. O’Rourke 1947 — 2022
The great American journalist and satirist P J O’Rourke has died. He contributed a number of articles to The Spectator…
Why Putin wins
Did Vladimir Putin ever intend to invade Ukraine? Or were his troop manoeuvres just a game — another test of…
Letters
Jesus wept Sir: Sam Dunning’s brilliant exposure of the corrupting links between Jesus College, Cambridge and the Chinese Communist party…
Portrait of the week
Home In a message for the 70th anniversary of her accession, the Queen said it was her sincere wish that…
Barometer
No snow The pistes are covered with artificial snow and the hillsides are bare. Are the Winter Olympics a victim…
Solution to 2539: Wider
The six unclued lights and PLAYWRIGHTS (35/26) are FETCHER/Fletcher (13), CHILLER/Schiller (22), WESTER/Webster (34), MEANDER/Menander (38), PRIESTLY/Priestley (6) and COTEAU/Cocteau…
What’s the point of Boris?
The anger against the Prime Minister for failing to observe the rules which he imposed upon the rest of us…
Solution to 2538: Green Light! Cross!
The unclued lights are towns on Gozo (go + zo are defined in the puzzle’s title). Apologies that this crossword…
Barometer
Borderland Few countries can have passed through as many kingdoms and empires as Ukraine — the ‘borderlands’. These are just…
Letters
Naysayers needed Sir: I was struck by James Forsyth’s observation that in 10 Downing Street, ‘hard truths and hard choices…
