Tag: British Empire
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Victoria at 200: a woman afraid of nothing
Tomorrow, Britain will celebrate the 200th birthday of one of its longest-reigning monarchs. The creator of ITV’s Victoria says the Queen makes a fine role model for young women today.
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Row erupts over claim Churchill was a villain
Can you be a hero and a villain at the same time? Labour’s shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, is under fire for branding Winston Churchill — once voted the “greatest Briton” — a villain.
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Less than half of young people proud of England
Should you be proud of your country? A major survey has revealed a sharp fall in patriotism among the young. One in 10 said they were “embarrassed” to be English. Is national pride so bad?
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Mnangagwa the ‘crocodile’ set to rule Zimbabwe
Are things looking up for Zimbabwe? Robert Mugabe, the struggling nation’s dictator for 37 years, seems to have lost power. All eyes are on Emmerson Mnangagwa, his likely successor.
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Partition: 70 years of blood, faith and rivalry
Tomorrow it will be 70 years since India gained independence from Britain, and was split into two nations: Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. What is the legacy of partition?
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Calls for Britain to face up to past mistakes
While the British media is fixated on the country’s future, two renowned citizens have set their sights on its past. Britain is dangerously ignorant of its history, they say. Are they right?
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Somme ‘nightmare’: debate rages 100 years on
It is 100 years since the bloodiest day in British army history. The battle of the Somme remains emotive and divisive. Can the Allies’ eventual victory justify the extraordinary losses?
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Love and war: Britain’s affair with Europe
Britain is bitterly divided over its membership in the European Union. But this is only the latest chapter in the nation’s stormy relationship with Europe, which stretches back millennia…
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Britain must return ‘stolen’ gem, says India
Dazzling, famous, very precious: the Koh-i-Noor is one of Britain’s prize treasures. Yet this week, the Indian government signalled that it wants the diamond back. Who does it belong to?
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‘Auntie’ Suu Kyi brings new hope to Myanmar
Aunt, mother, lady, leader: Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the most revered politicians on earth. As her party takes power, optimism is sweeping Myanmar. But not everyone is convinced…
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Easter 1916: ‘a terrible beauty is born’
This weekend marks the centenary of the Easter Rising, the defining event of modern Irish republicanism and the inspiration for one of the greatest poems ever written. But was Yeats right?
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Henry V’s warship found buried in Hampshire
The wreck of a 600 year-old warship, called the ‘Holigost’, has been discovered buried in the mud of the River Hamble. What is behind this island nation’s obsession with ships?
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Queen on the eve of longest ever reign
This week, Queen Elizabeth II was voted Britain’s greatest monarch, and tomorrow she will also claim the title of its longest reigning ruler. What has she achieved in those 63 years?
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Jane Eyre: Understanding mental health
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre has defined ‘the madwoman in the attic’ for over 150 years. Our treatment of mental health problems has changed, but why are figures rising?
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Bomb and gun assault rocks Afghan parliament
Fighters opposed to the Afghan government have attacked the country’s parliament. As the Taliban insurgency seems to gain strength, is Afghanistan doomed to relive its tragic history?