Free thinkers wanted.
Discuss and debate today’s biggest talking points, directly with our journalists. |  | Adrian Blomfield Senior Foreign Correspondent | In 2025, Vladimir Putin went to extraordinary lengths to crush Maia Sandu, Moldova’s president. In this David-and-Goliath struggle, there should have been only one winner.
Moldova is a poor country of just 2.4 million people, battered by an economic crisis sparked by the Ukraine war. The Kremlin funnelled a fortune into a campaign to unseat Sandu’s party in a parliamentary election that was arguably the world’s most consequential democratic contest of the year. Russia flooded the country with disinformation, fabricating claims that she was so devoted to “Western degeneracy” that she bought Sir Elton John’s sperm to give birth to a gay child. Yet against the odds, Sandu prevailed, preventing her country from becoming an agent of Russian influence that would have threatened Ukraine and the rest of Europe. It is not hard to see why Moldovans kept the faith. Unlike her boorish, corruption-tainted predecessors, she is scrupulously abstemious, living in a small flat and flying with budget airlines on official business.
For her modesty, resolve and giant-slaying courage, she is a deserved inaugural winner of the title, Telegraph World Leader of the Year.
Read the interview in full here ➤ The Telegraph’s shortlist for World Leader of the Year included formidable figures. Hakainde Hichilema and Javier Milei pursued painful reforms to restore economic stability. Giorgia Meloni and Ahmed al-Sharaa confounded critics by governing with caution and restraint. Read our profiles of the four other nominees below.
Louis Emanuel, our Foreign Editor, sat down with Javier Milei, Argentina’s eccentric president ➤
While James Crisp, our Europe Editor, made the case for Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s combative PM ➤
Plus, Sophia Yan, our Senior Foreign Correspondent, charted the rise of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the president of post-Assad Syria ➤
Finally, Ben Farmer, our Africa Correspondent, detailed how Hakainde Hichilema, Zambia’s president, set his country on a remarkable economic turnaround ➤ | | Annabel Denham Perhaps 2026 could provide the Tories with an important opportunity. Kemi Badenoch has already displayed more honesty than most Continue reading ➤ Oliver Brown After he saw his friends die, how can we expect Anthony Joshua to box again? Continue reading ➤ Alan Cochrane Why I will not be wishing anyone a Happy New Year today Continue reading ➤ | Enjoy our best experience. Join us today and you’ll also unlock our award-winning app. | | The BBC has had, shall we say, dubious years before, but few would have predicted that it would end 2025 with both its key chiefs having resigned and facing an enormous lawsuit from the most powerful man in the world – Donald Trump. Liam Kelly reviews W1A’s year from hell, from on-air gaffes to bullying allegations, and, of course, The Telegraph scoop that triggered a scandal. Continue reading ➤ | | | The moment Princess Charlotte lightly touched Prince George’s back while greeting crowds | | At Sandringham on Christmas Day, the Wales children moved confidently among crowds, accepting gifts, fielding comments and managing intense attention. A small, supportive gesture between siblings revealed the careful preparation behind their growing independence, and how the monarchy is adapting to the social media age. Hannah Furness, our Royal Editor, reports. Continue reading ➤ | | | Our writer’s Nissan Ariya was only a year old and had just been serviced when the gear box broke | | When Nina Saada took delivery of her new, top-of-the-range Nissan Ariya, she was delighted with her choice. But today she wishes she had never signed the lease after it broke down, just days after being serviced, on a “smart” motorway without a hard shoulder. She describes how the incident left her traumatised, and you can join the lively debate about electric vehicles in the comments section. Continue reading ➤ | |  | | Source: Kamila Krych/Journal of Industrial Ecology. Data is for Norwegian households | Do you feel like household appliances don’t last as long as they used to? You’re not wrong. The lifespan of washing machines has dropped from 19.2 to 10.6 years, according to a Norwegian study, while ovens have fallen from 23.6 to 14.3 years. Our throwaway culture is partly to blame, with a “make-do-and-mend” mentality replaced with a desire for the latest features, but there’s much more to it than that.
Continue reading ➤ | | When University College London (UCL) was founded 200 years ago, it was hailed for its radical pledge to admit people of all religions, including Jews. It was to be the “godless institution on Gower Street”. Yet, today, UCL hosts some of the West’s most virulent pro-Palestine activists and Jewish students are scared to set foot on campus. Nicole Lampert reports. Continue reading ➤ | | | As nations we may rub each other up the wrong way from time to time, but France remains a favourite escape for British tourists, with more than nine million of us visiting last year. Our destination expert Anna Richards has put together a selection of her ideal holiday options, from the streets of St Tropez to the green fields of Normandy. Continue reading ➤ Below are two more insightful articles for you this morning: - Their names won’t ring a bell yet, but they will soon. From Michael Jackson’s nephew to the next Neil Young, our critics pick the rising stars to watch next year.
- If you’re in need of a new mattress, back pain expert Mindy Cairns is on hand to tell you what the labels actually mean and how to choose the right one.
| | A Christmas bear does nothing to alleviate the bleak, windswept desert outside the closed Halifax |  | Christopher Howse | The remaking of St Austell began, like sexual intercourse in Philip Larkin’s poem, between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles first LP. In 1963, a new road, Trinity Street, cut through old housing behind Fore Street, which serves as the Cornish town’s high street.
Demolition men climbed ladders and tore roofs off houses round Aylmer Place, many regarded as slums, mostly made of stone, some crumbling, some empty. Hawsers pulled down walls and bulldozers moved rubble.
This made way for a council-approved shopping centre called Aylmer Square, of reinforced concrete with 27 shops, a multi-storey car park and a supermarket alongside a bare pedestrian precinct. By the end of the century it was again time for demolition and a new start. | Two photos of White River Place show how it has changed since 1998 | In the two decades since then, the replacement shopping centre has seen even worse failure, made more grim by antisocial behaviour. To appreciate the miserable disappointment of the redevelopment, visitors need to realise what has been lost by St Austell – with 21,000 people, the biggest town in Cornwall.
Continue reading ➤ | Winter warmers Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
Every year, I struggle to find a waterproof that lasts the course. It’s not as though it should be difficult: my daily commute runs through central London, not Snowdonia. The advice from The Telegraph’s fashion experts on puffer jackets was therefore particularly timely.
Readers certainly seem to have had better luck than me, perhaps because, quite sensibly, they chose to invest early on. “I have a 20-year-old Prada coat that cost an obscene amount of money at the time but has turned out to be the best value piece of clothing I have ever owned”, wrote Paul Kingsley. “Still looks like new and is beautifully snug on the coldest of days.”
Back the British company Barbour, suggested Christine Pierce: “They are hard-wearing (especially in rural areas) and offer more urban designed coats and jackets too.”
More intriguingly, there were those who’d achieved their aims at a fraction of the anticipated cost. “My down jacket (bought to keep me warm on top of Kilimanjaro, where it did a sterling job) cost far less than £100,” said Jill Davidson. “If you need to keep warm, go to a specialist shop, not a fashion outlet.”
Then there were sceptics who questioned the whole premise. “All puffers are awful,” was Lucy Snow’s verdict: “Like jeans, worn by people who have given up on style.” Barbara Fisher concurred: “Puffer coats are fine for skiing or if you're an Eskimo.” Kate Li was even more blunt: “The only way to look stylish in winter is to freeze your bits off.” An unenviable choice. Don the duvet jacket, or just hide under the duvet: how do you intend to keep out the chill? Let us know here, and enjoy the fireworks. | | Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was ADAPTABLE. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. | | Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor | |
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