Mary Dejevsky

With the US election less than a month away, and his support dwindling across Europe, the Ukraine president is in a last-ditch race against time to shore up support, writes Mary Dejevsky

Remember when an appearance, virtual or real, by the president of Ukraine was the hottest of hot-ticket events in London? When MPs and peers jostled for a standing-room-only place in parliament to see and hear him? When the one-time TV actor turned democratically elected president turned war leader drew rapt attention with his gritty determination and allusions to Churchill? Well, those heady days of Britain reliving its finest hour by association are over. There was no fanfare on Thursday — barely an announcement, in fact — of Volodymyr Zelensky’s latest visit to London. There was a red carpet, a handshake and an embrace with Sir Keir Starmer at the famous Downing Street door. It was followed by around two hours of talks behind closed doors, which included UK military and security officials and Mark Rutte, the new Nato secretary general. Then Zelensky left for whistle-stop visits to France and Italy, before setting off back to Kyiv. As for UK media interest, the London leg of his tour was thoroughly eclipsed by coverage of a category 3 hurricane in Florida and only fleetingly reached the front page of the BBC News website.

Struggling to book a GP appointment? Two decades on, patients still face chaotic queues and frustrating booking systems.

In the closing days of a divisive and bitterly fought election campaign, the wilder the insults against the former president, the more passionately his supporters will stand by their man, says Mary Dejevsky

Less than two weeks before polling day in the United States, a new and highly emotive word entered the campaign. The Democratic contender, vice-president Kamala Harris, has described her Republican rival Donald Trump as a “fascist”. Resorting to the F-word tells its own story about the closeness of this campaign. Harris may be just ahead in most polls, but the very small gap would seem to be narrowing, with Trump’s trajectory on the up. Add the distinction between the popular vote and the electoral college vote that actually decides a US election, and the result is, as so often said, too close to call.

Russia remains undeterred in its advancement on Ukraine – and there is no end in sight to the multiple conflicts that have now erupted in the Middle East. Biden leaves a mess behind him that neither candidate has a hope of clearing, writes Mary Dejevsky

Pundits who say the United States is still not ready for a female president do Kamala Harris a disservice – but there is a definite reluctance to send a woman to the White House on the crest of a progressive wave, says Mary Dejevsky

Four years may not be so very long in the great sweep of history, but it is still hard to remember which hopes and fears gripped the world — especially in Europe — as the United States prepared to vote for its president last time around.

By choosing as his chief law enforcer an ally who faced a sex-trafficking investigation and spread falsehoods about the January 6 Capitol riots, will the incoming president use him to gun for those who have dared cross him, asks Mary Dejevsky

The British public ought to be up in arms about UK-made long-range weapons being used by Ukraine, as it could make us a prime target for Putin – so when will the prime minister tell us what’s going on, asks Mary Dejevsky