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By Alan Fisher in Europe on February 21st, 2010
Photo by AFP
Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, might be about to surprise us all. 
 
For months most people have thought that he'll cling on to power until the last possible moment and only go to the country when he has to. So that points firmly towards early May being the polling date.
 
So why might he go earlier? Let's outline the case.
 
Firstly the big interview he did last week. 
 
Here the father who famously dismissed using his children to help him politically by annoucing "they're people not props" told us about the loss of his baby daughter, his son's ongoing illness and how he rather clumsily proposed to his wife.
 
By Haru Mutasa in Africa on January 28th, 2010
Photo by Getty Images

Tendai Mtawarira is the BEAST.

His unfortunate nickname is because of the aggressive way he plays rugby – not his looks.

He’s 24 years old, Zimbabwean and a fantastic rugby player (in my opinion).

His crime seems to be playing for the South African Springboks. Some politicians have serious problems with that.

In fact they want him dropped from the Springboks because he is a “kwerekwere” – a foreigner.

Some like Butana Komphela, chairman of the South African national assembly sports committee, want him thrown out of South Africa and deported to Zimbabwe.

Is this fair?

Emmanuel Adebayor is from Togo, plays for Manchester City in the United Kingdom BUT he does not play for England national team.

Michael Essien is Ghanaian, plays for Chelsea in the United Kingdom and he does not play for the English national side.

So why should Beast be treated differently?

By Alan Fisher in Europe on January 2nd, 2010
Photo by AFP

In a business where we live on the unexpected, there is one thing we can guarantee in 2010 - there will a general election in the United Kingdom.

The actual date is in the gift of the British PM, Gordon Brown, but constitutionally it must be held by June 3rd at the latest.

There are some who believe the most likely date for the poll is May, but there is a growing number that think March is now a real possibility. The thinking behind that is all based on the global financial crisis.

Britian is expected to come out of recession early in 2010. Good financial figures will give the Government a bounce in the opinion polls and rather than risk a sudden downturn, the ruling Labour party will go to the polls seeking a new five year mandate.

By Ayman Mohyeldin in Middle East on December 15th, 2009
Picture by EPA

It's one of those stories that comes out of nowhere and few actually know what happened.

It began when Al Jazeera reported that a British court had issued an arrest warrant for former Israeli foreign minister and Gaza war architect Tzipi Livni.

For hours, Israeli and British officials denied the report. Then British and Israeli media got wind of the story and began to report it. By the end of Monday, it was irrefutable. 

Livni had cancelled a speaking engagement at the Jewish National Fund in the UK, but why and when were there still unanswered questions? 

After a British court issued - then withdrew - the arrest warrant for Tzipi Livni, the Israeli government, after first denying the reports - suddenly shifted gears, going into damage control and launching a scathing criticism of the British government.

By Hamish Macdonald in Europe on November 18th, 2009
Photos by AFP

We've spent the day wading through the murky waters of European politics. Leaders from across Europe arrive here in Brussels on Thursday to choose the first ever President of the European Council.

But we really have no idea who they are going to choose. The process has already been described as "secretive" - so much so, the former Latvian President Vaire Vike-Freiberga (herself a candidate) told the Times newspaper that the EU should:

"stop working like the former Soviet Union"

There is much debate about whether to choose a tough, high profile leader in order to affirm Europe's role on the world stage, or alternatively appoint a low key consensus politician from one of the smaller EU states. Both options have their critics. 

By James Bays in Asia on November 6th, 2009
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

I watched the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s speech from my office in Kabul. Much of it was predictable, although the language was strong, keeping up the pressure on President Karzai, which has come in recent days from President Obama, and UN Representative Kai Eide.

I think his suggestion that a figure “of international stature” should lead a new anti-corruption agency is likely to ruffle feathers in Kabul. He proposes that the new supremo be given the title of “adviser”, but this will be portrayed by some people here as foreigners again meddling in Afghan internal affairs.

It was no surprise that Mr Brown also talked once again about handing over more security responsibilities to the Afghan authorities.  I am surprised however that he used the phrase “Afghanisation”, echoing Nixon’s “Vietnamisation”.

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on November 2nd, 2009
Photo by Getty Images

I'll be in Germany this week to report on the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The amazing events of November 9th, 1989, were the highpoint of a largely peaceful revolution that swept across Eastern Europe that autumn, and changed our world. Twenty years on, Europeans are looking back, and wondering how it all happened.

I was a student in England in 1989.  The day the Wall fell, a group of my friends set off to Berlin, "to see history being made". Stupidly, and to my enduring regret, I chose not to go with them. Somehow, finishing my weekly essay, or playing in a football match, (I can't even remember the exact reason), seemed to be more important at the time.

By Hamish Macdonald in Europe on October 22nd, 2009

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The dramatic scenes outside the BBC studios in London today highlight the strength of feeling many people in the United Kingdom have against the British National Party (BNP). Some describe the party as "racist", others describe the party's leader Nick Griffin as "a facist".

But the real question today is whether the party should be prevented from airing its views on prime-time television.

There is a fierce debate here about the BBC's decision to offer the BNP a spot on its flagship political talk program. The broadcaster says it must remain impartial. But when so many people object so fiercely to the party's agenda and policies, isn't the British broadcaster just offering the BNP enough prime-time rope to hang itself?

By Hamish Macdonald in Europe on October 20th, 2009

I always know there's an interesting news story somewhere in the world when I get texts in the early hours of the morning. Today was no different. I woke to a blast of SMS beeps telling me there may be another deportation flight for failed asylum seekers.

According the text, it would fly to Afghanistan. The flight would include refugees picked up in both France and Britain and would depart Lille later on Tuesday. The truth is that my source probably didn't know the full story. Very few people actually do. These deportation flights are conducted under a thick veil of secrecy.

By Samah El-Shahat in Business on October 12th, 2009
Photo by AFP

My Labrador, Lucky, is unhappy! He keeps giving me funny looks. No, I am not going crazy, but I know him. This morning when we went out for our walk, for the first time in 6 years ( he is 6 years old), he didn’t pull at the lead, or take me for the walk, but instead, walked perfectly at my side. He didn’t even jump at the newspaper man, Jack,  as he usually does to get his daily biscuit from him.

Usually Lucky would run like a maniac towards Jack, leaping manically at him, usually taking him down, licking him profusely, tail wagging, until Jack gives him a biscuit. Releasing Jack from under my 35-kilo dog takes tact and a miracle, but it happens every day! No wonder he's known as “loony Lucky” in the neighbourhood.

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