USA
Boston bombing suspect taken into custody
After a day-long man hunt, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the second named suspect in the Boston marathon bombing, has been taken into custody. He was found hiding in a boat that was… Continue reading
75 Comments
Boston Marathon blasts kill two and injure many more
Update CBS News in the US are reporting that a Saudi national is being questioned by the FBI. He denies any involvement in the attack In a press conference just… Continue reading
59 Comments
45 years ago: The death of Martin Luther King
45 years ago tonight, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr was shot and killed as he stood on a motel balcony, aged just 39. Here is the leader from the following… Continue reading
57 Comments
Dreaming of the Cold War
I’m thoroughly enjoying the playground spat between the USA and Russia. The Americans have banned Russians with dodgy human rights records from visiting the country, but have no such objection… Continue reading
11 Comments
Newtown, Connecticut: A Very American Tragedy - Spectator Blogs
I’ve not written anything for a few days because, well, I’ve been trying to organise what I think about the awfulness of the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Trying, also, to… Continue reading
71 Comments
The Connecticut shooting
The news coming out of Connecticut is just awful. 18 children have been gunned down at their school and, reports suggest, that another nine people—including the gunman—are also dead. The… Continue reading
105 Comments
The marriage plot: The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger reviewed
Few could accuse literary fiction of not doing its best to perk up the US export sector recently. It has been a truly remarkable year. A quick glance at my… Continue reading
1 Comment
Sinophobia, the last acceptable racism
The Chinese have excelled at London 2012, much to the annoyance of their Western rivals. In this week’s issue of the Spectator, Ross Clark argues that the claims against swimmer… Continue reading
53 Comments
Who will rule the 21st century?
This is a nice big question to ponder on the holiday beach or in the rented villa. A vast amount has already been written on the rise of China and… Continue reading
2 Comments
The US has taken a stance against Argentina’s brinkmanship — it’s time we joined them
The 30th anniversary of the Falklands War – and the bellicose rhetoric (and videos) currently emerging from Buenos Aires — has once more shone a spotlight on the UK’s relationship… Continue reading
37 Comments
May Day, May Day
There was a sense of urgency, even emergency, in many countries on May 1 this year. The goings-on in the UK were muted in comparison: France Presidential incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy… Continue reading
5 Comments
Britain’s longest downturn
As of today, we now have four years’ worth of GDP figures since the UK first went into recession — and they don’t look pretty. By this point in the… Continue reading
25 CommentsWhat today’s Abu Hamza ruling means
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that five terror suspects, including notorious Islamist cleric Abu Hamza, can be deported to the United States — a decision welcomed by… Continue reading
27 Comments
Afghanistan overshadows Cameron’s America trip
Afghanistan, what now? After a week of death and retaliation in the country, it appears that a car bomb has been detonated on the runway at Camp Bastion — probably… Continue reading
6 Comments
Today’s NATO leak highlights the need for more realism over Afghanistan
Today’s leaked NATO report on ‘the state of the Taliban’ has generated the predictable responses: excessive attempts by the media to hype it up, and excessive attempts by NATO and… Continue reading
8 Comments
Would Iran block the Strait of Hormuz?
With the EU agreeing a new round of sanctions on Iran – outlawing European oil and gas purchases from Iran in six months, freezing Iran’s Central Bank and banning trade… Continue reading
18 Comments
Dire straits
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz continues to intensify, with Defence Secretary Philip Hammond showing that, like his predecessor, he is not shy of pushing back when he gets… Continue reading
17 Comments
Goading in the Gulf
The year has begun with Iran and the United States circling each other in the Straits of Hormuz; like two boxers before a bout, seeing who will strike first and… Continue reading
32 Comments