With speculation growing about a Labour leadership contest in 2026, only a decisive break with the current direction – on the economy, foreign policy and migrants – can avert disaster and offer a credible alternative, writes DIANE ABBOTT
Boeing: what happens when money trumps science
Industry insiders believe that Boeing, one of the world’s largest aeroplane manufacturers, has jeopardised passenger safety with its corporate strategy, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
DEADLY: A Boeing 737-800 crashed in 2009, killing nine near Amsterdam. It was later found that the Dutch investigation played down criticisms of design flaws under pressure from Boeing
[Fred Vloo/ Creative Commons]
Repression against left-wing, anti-imperialist and Palestine solidarity structures in Germany is increasingly aimed at undermining their economic means of existence, says LEON WYSTRYCHOWSKI
Decades of centre-left accommodation and deepening inequality have opened the door to a hard-right restoration — posing stark challenges for the left, argues FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ
Despite systemic racism and far-right hostility, Britain’s migrant and black communities continue to contribute, inspire, and resist. Through education, art, and intergenerational solidarity, the next generation can help shape a future rooted in justice, understanding, and hope, says ZITA HOLBOURNE
JULIA BARD looks at the persistence of anti-semitism on the political right – and its troubling emergence on parts of the left, too
From the mainstreaming of far-right ideas to Europe’s looming conflicts, 2025 has been a year of sharp warnings. The coming year demands decisive action before these crises escalate, writes ANDREW MURRAY
WITH an average of 5,500 aeroplanes landing and departing within Britain every day, short- and long-haul aeroplane journeys have become commonplace since the first scheduled commercial flight in 1914. Although the principles of flight may seem mystifying, aeroplanes today rely on simple fundamentals of aerodynamics — just as they did a hundred years ago.
The four forces that act on an aeroplane are lift, weight, thrust and drag. We can understand their interplay using Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion, formulated in the 17th century.
Thrust is generated by the engines of an aeroplane, acting forwards. Newton’s third law of motion states that every action (or force) has an equal and opposite reaction (force in the opposing direction).
The opposing force to thrust is drag, acting backwards. Drag arises from the aeroplane moving through the air (think about when you try to move through a strong wind and feel the resistance from the air pushing on you).
Similar stories
This strike is about pay and conditions, says CAMERON HARRISON – but it also shows workers have the power to disrupt the mightiest war machine on Earth
