National/regional news and analysis

UK politicians don’t want to talk about sportswashing

There are plenty of British politicians who love talking about sport. It makes them appear normal, grounded and relatable to voters.

But it seems that not many enjoy talking about the political side of it – especially the concept of “sportswashing”, when sport is allegedly used by a country to deflect attention away from concerns over issues such as human rights violations it might be involved in.

Iran’s environmental catastrophe has also wrecked its economy

For several decades, Iran has devoted substantial financial, institutional and political resources to military expansion. It has invested heavily in supporting its regional partners, as well as in pursuing geopolitical influence across the Middle East.

Previously, the Islamic Republic has shown few signs of swivelling its resources toward fixing its ever expanding environmental problems.

Defence investment plan should make the UK more secure – but it will need to find the money from somewhere

The UK government’s defence investment plan (DIP) will guide the spending decisions of the Ministry of Defence and armed forces not only for the remainder of this parliament, but also for the five years from 2029. So far, the plan has been praised and criticised in equal measure. But one element that has attracted widespread attention is the overall spending figures.

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