BBC lifer since 1966, international affairs editor since 1982. Presenter of ‘Unspun World’ on BBC Two, BBC World & World Service. Two daughters, one son, six grandchildren, a loving wife, lots of books, and an Irish terrier. Defender of the Oxford comma.https://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3mfxclpn5jk2nTrump and Netanyahu launched their war on Iran at a time when it still looked as though there might be a chance for diplomacy. Was this because they suddenly got intelligence about Ayatollah Khamenei’s whereabouts, and realised they could kill him?28 Feb 2026 22:47 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfxclpn5jk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3mdissdiq4h24Tonight I’m back on ‘Unspun World’ (BBC Two, 11pm) with a look at the aftermath of Europe’s revolt over Trump’s Greenland demands, China’s trade and its spying habit, India’s EU link, and what lies ahead for the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Worth a watch!28 Jan 2026 17:37 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdissdiq4h24https://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3mbsztc2tmc2tWe’re in an era of back-yardism. Trump’s takeover of Venezuela & maybe Greenland means he can’t logically object to Putin’s desire to take back Ukraine in Russia’s back-yard, or Xi grabbing Taiwan. The US, once the world’s moral super-power, shrinks to policeman for the Americas.07 Jan 2026 08:19 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbsztc2tmc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3mbqmgfugi62cHow about temporarily re-titling this ‘Venezuela’?06 Jan 2026 09:14 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbqmgfugi62chttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3mbagdtth542yReports from various sources of anti-government demonstrations in Tehran and other Iranian cities. It’s by no means the first time, of course, but there seems to be an extra fragility about the regime since the Israeli/US bombings last June.30 Dec 2025 22:42 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbagdtth542yhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3maxvhnzads2uTomorrow is important for Ukraine. Pres Zelensky will present his counter-proposals for peace to Pres Trump in Florida — terms carefully calibrated with the UK, Germany & France to ensure maximum future security for Ukraine & at least the possibility of acceptance by Russia.27 Dec 2025 13:19 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3maxvhnzads2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3mapxmxeiit23Video has emerged of Gen Xu Qinxian of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army at his court martial in 1990, explaining why he refused orders to crush the Tiananmen Square protests. Xu said he didn’t want to become “a sinner in history”. He was given a 5 year sentence.24 Dec 2025 09:36 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mapxmxeiit23https://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3manx3ogjg62cAnd a ground-level view of one part of the brightest, most vibrant city on the planet at Christmas.23 Dec 2025 14:21 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3manx3ogjg62chttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3manbnao7uc24An aerial view of Christmas in central London.23 Dec 2025 07:57 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3manbnao7uc24https://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3mabx2r7tmc2uCelebrating our wonderful Irish terrier, Cody. One of his quirks is insisting on physical contact — in this case resting his paw on my foot. Alert, handsome, surprisingly obedient for an IT, he’s everything you could want in a dog.18 Dec 2025 19:49 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mabx2r7tmc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3ma3xyr3zrs2eEven the D Telegraph thinks Pres Trump will lose his case against the BBC. Interestingly, more Americans watch/hear/read the BBC than Brits. Its US audience averages 60 million, rising to 77m in Sept. By comparison, its UK audience is approx 50m (around 85% of UK population).16 Dec 2025 10:50 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma3xyr3zrs2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m7zdtin4a22zJimmy Lai, the media tycoon and brave defender of democracy in Hong Kong, has been found guilty of ‘foreign collusion’. His family expect he’ll die in jail. HK’s national security law, imposed by Beijing after huge pro-democracy protests, has claimed its most prominent victim.15 Dec 2025 09:43 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7zdtin4a22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m7xiwp7psc2zAndy Serkis has remade Orwell’s stark fable ‘Animal Farm’ — only he says he’s made it ‘accessible’ (as though it wasn’t already), not ‘overtly political’ (could that have the slightest value?), and ‘suitable for a modern audience’ (his version has a happy ending).14 Dec 2025 16:09 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7xiwp7psc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m7s2wyugny2kThe FT writes: ‘In Trump’s interview with GB News, its correspondent, Bev Turner, gave North Korea’s broadcasters a run for their money. “It feels much safer here,” Turner said, contrasting Washington to London, though the chances of being murdered in DC are around 26 times higher than in London.12 Dec 2025 12:16 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7s2wyugny2khttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m7s2sbje5h2kMet Police chief Mark Rowley: ‘How anybody in America can suggest the UK is violent is completely ridiculous. The homicide rate in London is lower than every single US state. It’s lower than all their big cities.’12 Dec 2025 12:13 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7s2sbje5h2khttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m7pw4ixk6c2sOnly 31% of U.S. adults now approve of how Trump is handling the economy, the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds. That is down from 40% in March and marks the lowest economic approval he’s registered in an AP-NORC poll in his first or second term.11 Dec 2025 15:44 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7pw4ixk6c2shttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m7pvejz5wp2lPres Trump worries his closest allies and emboldens Russia and China. But many US commentators feel he is now only 11 months from becoming a lame duck. After next November’s mid-term election he won’t have power over Congress or even parts of the Republican Party.11 Dec 2025 15:31 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7pvejz5wp2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m7iianyxlk2qIt’s the 78th birthday of Jimmy Lai, the campaigner for Hong Kong’s freedom, who has now been jailed for 1800+ days. His health is bad and he’s not getting proper treatment. As a rich man, he could easily have stayed away from HK. Instead, he returned and stood by his friends.08 Dec 2025 16:47 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7iianyxlk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m7akm3erl225Interesting.05 Dec 2025 13:08 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7akm3erl225https://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m6zgirhsoh252009, at the lighthouse on Cape Horn: from r., the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and me. We went eye-to-eye with the Taliban in Afghanistan, dragged sledges in the Arctic, and rounded Cape Horn in a 60-foot boat for our 3 Dogs series on BBC Two. Great days.02 Dec 2025 17:06 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6zgirhsoh25https://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m6k2u22ikl2cI was deeply sorry that the BBC paid no tribute to John Osman’s long service—meeting Idi Amin & other dictators, being jailed in Ian Smith’s Rhodesia, & revealing the dodgy links between the Soviet U. & apartheid S. Africa to fix gold & diamond prices. Quite a story—but untold.26 Nov 2025 14:27 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6k2u22ikl2chttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m6k2t3k75u2qLovely funeral service near Oxford for the great BBC correspondent John Osman. His g’daughter Katy wrote and read a poem including these unforgettable lines: ‘You spoke for those who do not have a voice, The slaves, the prisoners, those who lack a choice.’ John absolutely did.26 Nov 2025 14:27 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6k2t3k75u2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m6if4xwz5a2iChelsea on fire! Estêvăo, Cucurella, James all excellent. Maresca’s tactics made Barcelona look flat-footed — the first time since last December that they haven’t scored. It was 3-0 for Chelsea against PSG; now it’s 3-0 against Barça.25 Nov 2025 22:26 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6if4xwz5a2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m6heiwlzu22vTimes headline: ‘BBC failing to tackle systemic bias, says author of leaked memo’. In fact, when asked by MPs, this man, Michael Prescott, said he didn’t believe the BBC was institutionally biased. The Times failed to quote that, in an article about the issue of truthful reporting.25 Nov 2025 12:42 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6heiwlzu22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m6gyxvic6c2vAccording to a new study from a respected US think tank, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Britain’s decision to leave the EU has meant that its GDP is between 6 per cent and 8 per cent smaller than it would have been.25 Nov 2025 09:16 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6gyxvic6c2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m6cmry6rn427First Donald Trump, then Joe Biden using the terms of the Trump ‘deal’, sold out Afghanistan to the Taliban. Most European govts think Trump is now selling out Ukraine in the same way — trading major concessions for a belief in Putin’s promises, and not caring very much anyway.23 Nov 2025 15:27 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6cmry6rn427https://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m6ahvkpmxc2dDelightful lunch at Magdalene Coll Cambridge in memory of the poet & critic Arthur Sale (d. 2000). F. R. Leavis, no friend of his, still called him ‘the best individual teacher of English in Cambridge’. Arthur’s pupils included Bamber Gascoigne, Alan Rusbridger, Nicholas Shakespeare & Monty Don.22 Nov 2025 18:54 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6ahvkpmxc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m63fhuk6jt22The report into Boris Johnson’s record during the Covid epidemic blames a ‘toxic, sexist and chaotic culture’ in Downing Street. Who’d have thought it?20 Nov 2025 18:28 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m63fhuk6jt22https://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m5zew4hdyk2qThe FT writes: ‘In Trump’s interview with GB News, its correspondent, Bev Turner, gave North Korea’s broadcasters a run for their money. “It feels much safer here,” Turner said, contrasting Washington to London, though the chances of being murdered in DC are around 26 times higher than in London. https://FT.com19 Nov 2025 23:12 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5zew4hdyk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social/post/3m5wxicw7mk2qBrilliant Scotland!19 Nov 2025 00:07 +0000at://did:plc:twabxhjc2esphsk3urb4ppvs/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5wxicw7mk2q