The recent news that Westminster School has opted to raise money by auctioning off internships at merchant banks and law firms should come as little surprise. Internships are such a valuable way of getting…
The USA’s Christine Rampone celebrates with Hope Solo after defeating Japan in the Olympic football final.
Anthony Devlin/PA
Sepp Blatter, the 77-year-old president of FIFA, the international governing body of football, has put his foot in it – again. Having made suggestions in 2004 that women in sport should wear tight shorts…
Hitting the target: new technology is shaping the nature of international intervention.
Photograph courtesy of Royal United Services Institute
This year’s annual report of the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, focuses on what it calls “lethal autonomous robotics and the protection of life…
Hard lessons: research shows that while quality of teaaching is vital, smaller classes make a big difference.
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
It has been suggested by think-tank Reform that there is no link between class sizes, or the use of teaching assistants and achievement in pupils. It’s a seductive argument for anyone looking to cut spending…
Isolated and reviled: the families of terror suspects suffer trial by media with virtually no support from social services.
Image by Pensiero via Creative Commons
The family of Woolwich murder suspect Michael Adebolajo have broken their silence, issuing a statement in which they condemned acts of terror and religious violence and sent their “heartfelt condolences…
Parading sympathy: there was a huge public response to the death of Drummer Rigby.
John Stillwell /PA Wire
The murder of British army drummer Lee Rigby on the streets of Woolwich last week raises important questions about the domestic security of the United Kingdom, the government’s counterterrorism strategy…
Small arms: the EU has lifted its embargo to supply ‘moderate’ rebels fighting the Assad regime.
Scott Bobb, VOA News via Wikimedia Commons
The Syrian civil war has entered a new, even more complex phase. The EU has lifted its arms embargo but remains divided over what that means, and Russia has announced it will supply the Assad regime with…
Watching brief: police gathering footage at a demonstration.
Petras Gagilas via Creative Commons
Almost as quickly as the first responders in the aftermath of a terrorist attack arrive, come the second guessers. In the case of the horrendous incident in Woolwich last week, it was not long before it…
Barracking Obama: the US president is taking friendly fire from his former cheerleaders in the US liberal media.
James Tourtellotte, US Bustoms and Border Protection via Creative Commons
Barack Obama was heckled last night as he delivered a landmark speech on counter-terrorism at the National Defense University in Washington. Medea Benjamin, an activist, repeatedly interrupted Obama’s…
Police officers search the scene following the attack which left serving soldier Drummer Lee Rigby dead.
PA/Gareth Fuller
It has been reported that Michael Adebolajo, one of the two suspects in the case of the Woolwich murder of a British soldier on Wednesday, is a Muslim convert. There are significant issues regarding the…
Barrier to peace: Israeli settlements occupy 40% of the land area of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Creative Commons
United States secretary of state John Kerry is in the Middle East this week. Among other tasks, he is attempting to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Undoubtedly, Israel’s recent approval…
Mindless violence: the mosque in Gillingham, Kent, which was attacked after the Woolwich killing. A man is in police custody on suspicion of racially-aggravated criminal damage.
Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Many people in Britain would have had nightmares last night. The news that a serving British soldier was hacked to death on the streets of London and the graphic images broadcast and printed by the media…
Woolwich is in shock, but South East London will recover.
PA/Gareth Fuller
Last night in South East London, the deafening frequency of the sirens was reminiscent of London after the 7th July bombings, as the police cars and vans hurtled down the New Cross Road towards Woolwich…
Brute force: English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson (left) rallied his supporters outside a Woolwich pub.
PA/Neil Lancefield
It was unsurprising that little more than a few hours after yesterday’s horrific murder, the far-right arrived in Woolwich. Emboldened by the afternoon’s events, the English Defence League’s (EDL) leader…
Police activity close to the scene where a man was murdered in John Wilson Street, Woolwich.
PA/Nick Ansell
While the full details of the awful events in Woolwich remain unclear, the attack has already revived heated debates about the risk of terror at home. When building a profile of someone who allegedly commits…
Long-term let: David Cameron has led his party for a year longer than the average Tory leader.
Crown Copyright
David Cameron has so far managed seven and a half years as leader of the Conservative Party. The average tenure for a modern British party leader is six and a half. If you look beyond Margaret Thatcher…
You and whose army: the West is concerned that any military aid goes to the right rebel factions.
FreedomHouse2 via Creative Commons
This week we learnt Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon are no longer under cover in Syria, they are actively fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. They are perhaps emboldened by Israel’s attacks…
The bedroom tax will make life more difficult for home-based workers in social housing.
Frances Holliss
The government intends the much-debated bedroom tax to encourage social tenants to leave properties that are too large for them. Opponents say it intrudes into the personal lives of some of Britain’s most…
In, out, in, out, shake it all about: debate over EU membership is coming to a head within the Conservative Party.
Rock Cohen via Creative Commons
Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech in 1990, in which he cited differences with his prime minister over Europe, is generally credited with precipitating the fall of Margaret Thatcher. Now the Tory grandee…
Inspire’s writer, Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, was killed in a US drone strike in November 2011.
By Magharebi via Wikipedia Commons
The influence of globally available jihadist propaganda on the web is well established. But we know less about how and to what extent word-of-mouth and other more local channels of communication contribute…
There are three routes open to the Prime Minister.
Niccola Caranti
With more than a hundred MPs voting to amend the Queen’s Speech this week, the UK’s role in Europe continues to confound politicians and citizens alike. Among all the chatter, it’s hard to get a sense…
The new currency of an independent Scotland?
Christian Cable
He came, he saw, he was chased into a pub. Nigel Farage plunged into the multi-polar world of Scottish politics yesterday. And took a hiding. Farage appears to have been surprised that his brand of populism…
In the event that an in-out referendum on UK membership of the EU is held in 2017, and a majority of voters opt to leave, what process would need to be followed to secure the UK’s exit? The question is…
The failure of the entire political class to stress the positive contribution of migrants is taking us back to the 1950s.
Cathal McNaughton/PA
If you listen to UKIP, you could be forgiven for thinking migrants are coming to Britain to access our foolishly generous welfare benefits and care nothing for integration. But that’s simply not true…
Sorry captain, I thought the big red button made it go faster.
PA/Andy Buchanan
The Coalition government is pressing ahead with a long, expensive and controversial programme to replace the Trident nuclear weapon system beginning with the procurement of a new fleet of submarines armed…