Letters | May 2026 bring more peace and more jobs
Readers discuss hopes for the new year, the prospect of an EU-like Asian union, and the cult of ‘result-oriented’

The year 2025 is coming to a close and 2026 is waltzing in. I am hopeful that the coming year will bring more peace and joy to people everywhere.
I hope more people can travel without restrictions to see new places and make new friends. A borderless world may be a utopian hope, but New Year is a time for idealism.
Hopefully we will focus on fighting poverty and fostering development in 2026, leaving behind a year in which we were overwhelmed by trade wars and traumatic tariff somersaults.
Where the high prices of food, rental and transport have weighed on even the middle classes, I hope they start to ease in the coming year. Inflation depresses living standards. Controlling food inflation, in particular, should be the No 1 goal of leaders across the world.