The Latest Breaking News on Comment

As society becomes increasingly weird, birthdays are a chance to build connection. Even if it means 300 attempts at conversation with other tired parents

Forget the Netflix guff about Christmas being for families; she should do her duty, however belatedly, by her father

In the 21st-century imbalance of power, Europe and Nato have neither the arms nor the wealth to impel Russia or the US to take its peace settlement seriously, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

Lehrmann failed to retrieve what was left of his well-munched hat when he appealed against the defamation judgment that found he raped Brittany Higgins

Editorial: Washington’s betrayal of its allies has been averted for now, but preparations must be made for a world where its support cannot be relied on

Editorial: England’s teacher shortage is fuelled by burnout and unpaid overtime. New working patterns would help without compromising results

THE INDEPENDENT VIEW: Editorial: By entertaining a Ukrainian peace deal whose miserable terms not even a desperate US president could accept – before then promptly abandoning it – Moscow is stalling for time. The coalition of the willing must put more pressure on the faltering Russian economy

I can forgive shabby hospitals, confusion over appointments, even doctors’ poor bedside manner, but all the apps in the world can’t replace a real person, writes Adrian Chiles

It’s time for a harsh reality check. A progressive bloc of parties refusing to see a common threat risks disaster, says Neal Lawson of Compass