The Week 1588

Golden eagles are set to return to England’s skies, as part of a Government reintroduction scheme. The raptors, whose wings can span eight feet, have been largely absent from England for 150 years; but Forestry England has now identified eight “recovery zones”, mostly in northern areas such as the Pennines and the Lake District, where they might thrive again. The first juvenile eagles could be released into the wild as soon as next year, pending a consultation. A former professional ballerina who is “70% paralysed” has been able to dance on stage again, via an avatar whose movements were dictated by her brainwaves. Breanna Olson, 46, was left in a wheelchair after being diagnosed in 2023 with an incurable form of motor neurone disease that weakens muscles and, over time,…

What happened Trump’s blockade President Trump sought to pile pressure on Tehran this week by announcing a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for ships using Iranian ports. The measure is designed to restrict the regime’s ability to profit from its control of the vital energy artery. Accusing Iran of “world extortion”, Trump said anyone who menaced the US fleet would be “blown to hell”. Iran accused the US of “piracy” and threatened to target ports in the Gulf states. The move followed the collapse last weekend of peace talks between the US vice-president, J.D. Vance, and Iranian officials. Free passage through the Strait of Hormuz was one of the US demands that Iran failed to agree to. Others included the dismantling of Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities and the…

Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule over Hungary came to an emphatic end on Sunday, when he suffered a landslide election defeat to Péter Magyar, leader of the upstart centre-right Tisza Party. Magyar, who ran on a pledge to rid Hungary of corruption and repair strained relations with the EU, had defected from Orbán’s Fidesz in 2024. His new party won 138 of the 199 seats available, on a record turnout of near 80%. The scale of Magyar’s victory, which sparked huge celebrations in Budapest, will give him the ability to reverse many of the constitutional changes that Orbán had made to tighten his grip on power. Magyar’s win was met with barely disguised delight in EU capitals including Brussels, where Orbán had long used Hungary’s veto powers to frustrate EU plans…

Controversy of the week The Russia threat “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” That was Theodore Roosevelt’s famous advice to statesmen. Yet in addressing the threat from Russia, Keir Starmer is increasingly “performing a morbidly fascinating inversion of this – speaking loudly while having no stick at all”, said Eliot Wilson in The Spectator. Last month, the PM announced that the UK would be “stepping up the pressure” on Moscow by authorising UK forces to seize tankers in the shadow fleet that entered British waters. So were special forces at the ready, when, last week, two sanctioned tankers sailed into the Channel? Apparently not. Moscow had sent a heavily armed frigate to escort them; and as the Kremlin had no doubt wagered, all the UK mustered in response was…

An African-American blues singer whose music rocketed to No. 2 in the UK charts has turned out to be entirely AI fabricated. Eddie Dalton and his digitally created song Another Day Old appear to be the latest creations of Crusty Records, which previously produced a series of parodic, expletiveladen country songs, with titles such as I Ain’t Gay. A Polish videogame called I Am Jesus Christ that lets players live out the New Testament – turning wine into water, casting the money changers out of the temple, and even hauling a cross up to Calvary – has elicited a mixed response from Christians. Some have praised it for popularising the gospel; others say it trivialises scripture and may be blasphemous.…

The Chagos Islands deal, which was shelved, after the US failed to confirm its approval. Under the terms of the treaty, sovereignty of the islands would have been handed to Mauritius, and the UK would have leased the island of Diego Garcia, which hosts a UK-US military base. But before the UK could enact the treaty, the US had to assent to an update to the agreement that set up the military base – which it now seems to be unwilling to do. Holidaymakers, after airports in Europe warned that if the Strait of Hormuz does not open soon, there is a very real risk of flights being grounded over the summer. They say they are about three weeks away from “systemic” jet fuel shortages, and that airports that rely…