The Ukraine and Iran wars are very different, but a common authoritarian delusion unites the men who started them

A strongman president, self-styled redeemer of national glory, is trapped in a conflict he can’t win but doesn’t know how to end without looking like a loser. A cult of infallibility prevents the leader admitting a strategic blunder even to himself. It could be Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin; Iran or Ukraine.

The conflicts and the regimes involved are also dissimilar in important ways. Russia’s campaign to eradicate a neighbouring democracy is nastier in conception and bloodier in execution than the bungled US effort to dislodge a dictatorship in Tehran. It has also gone on much longer. The first world war was shorter than a “special military operation” that was supposed to capture Kyiv within weeks. The Soviet Red Army repelled Nazi invasion and marched on Berlin in less time than it has taken Putin’s forces to occupy a tranche of eastern Ukraine, and they are not making any significant advances. The war has burned trillions of roubles and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives for no discernible dividend in national greatness.

Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist

Greenpeace calculates that wealthiest contribute nearly $1tn of damage a year with ownership-based emissions

Ultra-wealthy people zooming across the world on their private jets, lounging on yachts and conspicuous by their Instagrammable consumption are among the most easily identified individual culprits when it comes to the climate crisis – but new research argues that it is not just their heady lifestyles to blame, but also their bank accounts.

Through their ownership of companies and private financial and physical assets, from oil producers to property developments, the super-rich are responsible for an outsized slice of the greenhouse gases that are overheating the planet. The top 1% of people by wealth, through their shareholdings and investments, control about a quarter of global annual emissions in total.

An unusual frittata with a risotto base, and a simple but delicious salad combination that’s sure to be a big hit

I love this salad – the combination of soft, juicy chicken, crisp leaves and anchovy croutons is so delicious. We serve it on the terrace at my restaurant and, when the sun is shining, it is the biggest seller by a country mile. But, first, an unusual frittata, which is essentially a risotto base with asparagus: it’s not difficult to make and is perfect for lunch, and even better as part of a picnic.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:

DEN HAAG (ANP) - De uitstoot van broeikasgassen was in het eerste kwartaal van 2026 minder dan een jaar eerder. Dat melden het Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek en het RIVM op basis van voorlopige cijfers. In het begin van dit jaar was de uitstoot ruim 5 procent minder dan in dezelfde periode in 2025.

De daling komt vooral doordat de elektriciteitssector minder steenkool verbruikte om elektriciteit te produceren. In totaal stootte deze sector ruim 12,5 procent minder broeikasgassen uit dan een jaar eerder. Toch produceerden energiebedrijven in het begin van dit jaar iets meer energie. Het waaide meer dan in dezelfde periode in 2025, waardoor windmolens meer energie hebben opgewekt.

Ook de industrie en mobiliteitssector stootten minder broeikasgassen uit. De industrie stootte ruim 4 procent minder uit. Dit komt vooral doordat de chemische industrie minder produceerde en dus minder aardolie verbruikte. De afname in de mobiliteitssector is het gevolg van de stijgende brandstofprijzen. Doordat in Nederland tanken duurder was dan in buurlanden, was over de grens tanken aantrekkelijker. De uitstoot van in het buitenland getankte diesel of benzine telt niet mee voor Nederland.

Daarnaast begon het jaar koud, maar waren februari en maart relatief zacht. De eerste drie maanden van 2026 waren dus minder koud dan een jaar eerder, waardoor er minder gestookt hoefde te worden. Gecorrigeerd voor dit weerseffect daalde de uitstoot van broeikasgassen met bijna 4 procent.