It should be some consolation, too, that the shadow of Iraq can be detected behind much of what he has said. The debacle in Iraq was one reason, if not the main reason, why the British public was so sceptical about the value of intervening in Libya, ...

It was perhaps understandable, in the smoke of battle, that the rebels seemed to claim greater control of Tripoli than the situation on the ground warranted. But the announcement by the rebel Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC) that it had cap...

Historically the most successful prime ministers have enjoyed that level of trust – Thatcher, Blair, Wilson, Macmillan. The failures have not – Major, Brown, Eden. It's not a guarantee of electoral success but its importance cannot be overlooked. As ...

Before his arrest, he was the favoured, though still undeclared, Socialist candidate for the French presidency, as the one politician who might be able to beat Nicolas Sarkozy. The charges against him in New York ended those ambitions, both because o...

Since DSK's arrest, a trail of stories confirming his profile as a sexual predator have been made public, most of them stories that were, according to that unique French journalistic tradition, known but not reported. One of them, recounted five year...

Terrorists of the towpath take no notice of us Your article and comment on the resurgence of cycling (22 August) speak of it in terms of unalloyed benefits. In this part of the world we are privileged in the variety of waterside walks which it ha...

Regardless of what details emerge as to News International's usual severance agreements, the revelation that Mr Coulson was still on the (very generous) Murdoch payroll after he started as the Tory head of communications in 2007 looks bad for the Pri...

As one of a generation that grew up under Gaddafi's repressive and brutal dictatorship, I know what it feels like when the basic goal of your existence becomes survival. Libyans like me who opposed his regime (whether subtly or overtly) had to develo...

Statistically, the latter was much more likely: it is only 10 years since 9/11, but not for 70 years has so strong a quake struck the Atlantic seaboard. When it came, it was an oddly comforting reminder that the capital of the most powerful country o...

For example, I am absolutely determined to drink a glass or two of wine a day as this will help stave off Alzheimer's (Daily Mail, 19.08.11) while, simultaneously, I shall be giving up wine completely as it is "damaging to older people's brains" (Dai...

An imposta di soggiorno is being added to hotel stays in Venice by the local council. In return for the extra €10 (£6), tourists get a sticker on their bill reading "Thank you for being a sponsor of the splendour of Venice". It is, of course, one of ...

Of course Richard then ruined this amazing tale of bravery by saying something about how obviously his mother can walk really but this did help speed things up a bit and nobody was hurt and stuff, thereby ruining my dramatic visions of a helpless Mis...