Published by The Observer (10th January) Bad News: Last Journalists in a Dictatorship by Anjan Sundaram (Bloomsbury) The text arrived one evening: ‘My life is in danger. I […]
Africa / Aid
Spare us the toe-curling stunts of celebrities on foreign aid ego trips
Published by The Daily Mail (30th December, 2015) Perhaps actor Michael Sheen has spent too much time playing Tony Blair. For he seems to have developed similar disdain […]
Africa / China / Europe / France / Germany / Iran / Lebanon / Nigeria / United States / World
Forget fear and loathing: 15 reasons to celebrate the world in 2015
Published by The Independent (28th December, 2015) Who will mourn the passing of 2015? It seems such a grim year filled with terrible tales of atrocities, extremism and […]
Africa / Ethiopia
Diplomatic impotence – or disregard for human rights
Published by The Independent (26th October, 2015) The visit of Xi Jinping was deemed a success on both sides. Our royal family ensured China’s president was pampered with immense […]
Africa / Aid / Eritrea / Europe / European Union / Immigration / Policy
Moving the goalposts to keep out refugees from repression
Published by The Independent (31st August, 2015) Eritrea is routinely called ‘Africa’s North Korea’ for its repression, restrictions on daily life and routine use of torture to crush […]
Africa / Aid / Europe / Immigration / Policy / Politics
No minister – our billions in foreign aid make it more likely migrants come here
Published by The Daily Mail (11th August, 2015) With every passing day, it becomes harder to have confidence in the Government’s flailing response to the tide of humanity […]
Africa / Aid / Europe / Feature / Immigration / Libya / Policy
Voyage of the damned
Published by The Mail on Sunday (19th July, 2015) Shortly after breakfast I spotted a blob on the horizon across the sparkling Mediterranean sea. Within minutes came confirmation: […]
Africa / Nigeria
An election that symbolises change across a continent
Published by CapX (6th April, 2015) The message to his country is simple: ‘Don’t expect miracles.’ These are wise words from Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s septuagenarian new leader surveys […]
Africa / Libya
Was it wrong to support the overthrow of Gaddafi?
Published by The Independent (9th March, 2015) There are few historic sites more wondrous than the ruins of Leptis Magna, a Roman city once home to 80,000 people, […]