Excessive heat in summer and endless wet in winter have led to casualties — but there is hope yet

Despite some setbacks, expansion into ex-communist Europe was a historic success

The prime minister chose the ground on which the local election campaign was fought — and is now paying the price

Too much has been priced in, and too fast, meaning conditions are ripe for a correction

The UK is too centralised, but experiments with devolution are in their infancy and still have mixed results

Arnaud Lagardère’s exit comes as Bernard Arnault and Vincent Bolloré prepare their own successions