Society
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Political murder disrupts Pakistan.
A campaigner for Pakistan’s democracy has been shot dead by one of his own bodyguards, who thought the moderate politician was wrong to favour free speech over religion.
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UK Drugs Trade - Smugglers Get Creative
Drug smugglers are trying inventive new tactics. Can border police stop the illegal trade into the country? And are they targeting the wrong people?
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Terrible floods in Australia bring ruin and snakes
They have not seen floods like this in Queensland for over fifty years. But as the waters subside, who should be paying for the damage?
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An emergency budget for turbulent economic times
Yesterday’s Budget – full of severe cuts to services and tax rises – was presented as unavoidable given our economy’s dangerous position. But where do the real risks lie?
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Bloodstained riches: Zimbabwe’s diamonds
New finds have sparked a diamond rush in impoverished Zimbabwe. But are the diamonds a mainly a lifeline to prop up a tyrannical regime?
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Israel loosens its 3-year stranglehold on Gaza
International pressure has forced Israel to ease its blockade on the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Could this be a step towards lasting peace?
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The challenge for George Osborne on Budget eve
How can a government possibly communicate one of the most complex financial plans of the year in a way that people who are not economists can understand?
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Cheap as chips? Not any more, warns the UN
The UN has issued a warning about poverty, malnutrition and the rising cost of food. What’s pushing up the prices? And can we avoid a global disaster?
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Greece told: beware Chinese bearing gifts
As Greece struggles, China comes to the rescue with its biggest ever European investment. But does Chinese help come with dangerous strings attached?
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The lost millions: 43.3m are now displaced worldwide
It’s Refugee Week, and the number of displaced people is at its highest for 20 years, with 80% housed in developing countries. Is Britain shirking its responsibility?
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Army chief gets the boot, as Afghan war heats up
A change at the top signals a new approach to the war in Afghanistan. But can this battle really be won? And should we be fighting at all?
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The cruellest cut — or a brave new world?
Beneath the endless gloomy headlines about job losses and closures there lurks an ideological argument about the role of the state in the future of Britain.