26 October 2017 A Lens On The Week UK BREXIT: Something somewhere seems to be moving but what it is and in which direction it is really very hard to say. The rumour mill whirls in Brussels. Did Mrs May plead with Juncker for help over the dinner table or didn’t she? If she did,… Continue reading Issue 126:2017 10 26: News Highlights
Tag: Isis
Issue 110: 2017 06 22: After Isis (Neil Tidmarsh)
22 June 2017 After Isis To the victor, the spoils? by Neil Tidmarsh The news this week suggests that the end really is in sight for Isis as a territorial power. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Isis leader who declared its caliphate in 2014, has been killed in an airstrike on the Isis capital Raqqa, according… Continue reading Issue 110: 2017 06 22: After Isis (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 106: 2017 05 25: Week in Brief: UK
25 May 2017 Week in Brief: UK Terrorism EXPLOSION IN MANCHESTER: 22 people were killed and 59 others injured in a terrorist attack on a pop concert at the Manchester Arena. The blast occurred just after a performance by the American singer Ariana Grande and many of the victims were teenage fans. It is understood… Continue reading Issue 106: 2017 05 25: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 99: 2016 04 06:The attack on Khan Sheikhoun (Neil Tidmarsh)
06 April 2017 The Attack on Khan Sheikhoun. Assad, sarin gas and the Syrian opposition. by Neil Tidmarsh The defeat of rebel forces in Aleppo and their expulsion from that city clearly wasn’t the end of the civil war in Syria. It wasn’t even the beginning of the end. It was, however, the beginning of… Continue reading Issue 99: 2016 04 06:The attack on Khan Sheikhoun (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 92: 2017 02 16: Week in Brief: UK
16 February 2017 Week in Brief: UK SPEAKER: John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, is facing calls from MPs to resign after he declared that he would prevent Donald Trump from addressing MPs and peers in Westminster Hall during the proposed state visit. Diplomatic sources have said that there has been no… Continue reading Issue 92: 2017 02 16: Week in Brief: UK
Issue75:2016 10 13The Land Of Three Governments: (Neil Tidmarsh)
13 October 2016 The Land Of Three Governments. The struggle to establish legitimate authority in Libya. by Neil Tidmarsh Libya; land of chaos, anarchy and misery. Land of people-traffickers, refugees, militants, militias and terrorists. Land of no government, land of three governments. Three governments? How did that happen? It’s exactly five years since Colonel Gaddafi… Continue reading Issue75:2016 10 13The Land Of Three Governments: (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 68: 2016 08 25: Week in Brief: UK
25 August 2016 Week In Brief: UK Government FREE SPEECH: Concerns over the impact on free speech are leading to delays in laws to silence hate preachers such as Anjem Choudary. Despite his conviction, hate videos, spread by his acolytes, are still being found on YouTube. As many as 5 associates of Mr Choudary have been placed… Continue reading Issue 68: 2016 08 25: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 68: 2016 08 25: Which War, Mr Smith? (Neil Tidmarsh)
25 August 2016 Which War, Mr Smith? The wars in Syria aren’t primarily about Isis. By Neil Tidmarsh This week, Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith said that we must engage in talks with Isis to try to end the Syrian war. “The Syrian war”? Which war did he mean, exactly? Did he mean the civil… Continue reading Issue 68: 2016 08 25: Which War, Mr Smith? (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 62: 2016 07 14: Dialogues Of The Deaf (Don Urqhart)
14 July 2016 Dialogues Of The Deaf Communication and miscommunication. by Don Urquhart How often we wish we could communicate more precisely both as transmitter and receiver. When my daughter was born I was allowed to hold her and as I did so was thrilled to observe a fleeting smile on the new-born’s face. I shared… Continue reading Issue 62: 2016 07 14: Dialogues Of The Deaf (Don Urqhart)
Issue 55: 2016 05 26: International News in Brief
26 May 2016 Week in Brief: INTERNATIONAL NEWS Europe AUSTRIA: Alexander van der Bullen, a Green party member standing as an independent candidate, won the presidential election. He narrowly beat Norbert Hofer of the far-right Freedom party by 50.3% to 49.7% of the vote (a difference of only 31,000 votes). BELGIUM: Eight protestors and two policemen… Continue reading Issue 55: 2016 05 26: International News in Brief
Issue 46:2016 03 24:Exit from Syria, Exit From Yemen (Neil Tidmarsh)
24 March 2016 Exit From Syria, Exit From Yemen Saudi Arabia and Russia look at each other in the mirror of the Middle East’s conflicts. by Neil Tidmarsh Last week, Russia announced its military withdrawal from Syria; this week, Saudi Arabia announced its military withdrawal from Yemen. A curious coincidence, given that the conflict in… Continue reading Issue 46:2016 03 24:Exit from Syria, Exit From Yemen (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 46: 2016 03 24: The Brussels Tragedy (John Watson)
24 March 2016 The Brussels Tragedy What does it mean for the UK? By John Watson The first emotion felt by those reading about the atrocities in Belgium will be pity: pity for those who have lost loved ones, pity for those who are injured, whose dreams for the future are destroyed, pity for those… Continue reading Issue 46: 2016 03 24: The Brussels Tragedy (John Watson)
Issue 45:2016 03 17:A Lenten Change of Heart in the Kremlin (Neil Tidmarsh)
17 March 2016 A Lenten Change of Heart in the Kremlin Does Putin read Shaw Sheet? by Neil Tidmarsh Remember the piece in Shaw Sheet four weeks ago called ‘Maskivrovka’? It concluded by saying; “Perhaps someone ought to tell the Russian leadership that … Lent is now upon us, and Lent is the season for… Continue reading Issue 45:2016 03 17:A Lenten Change of Heart in the Kremlin (Neil Tidmarsh)