Britain, meanwhile, is busy lobbying against European legislation to curb gambling on food prices. Will the lords stop the controversial lobbying bill, deemed unfit to prevent the underhand practices described here by Tamasin Cave of Spinwatch?
Elsewhere, the story of a young Asian man attacked by police points to a hardening state. But what do we mean when we say 'Britain'? Adam Ramsay takes us through the many parliaments of the North Atlantic archipelago.
Local surveillance, it turns out, is just as important as the NSA. Brazil is fighting back against online spying, while Britain keeps tabs on anti-racist campaigners. Surveillance on undocumented migrants, we hear, is not the answer. Neither is leaving an old man to die in handcuffs, as Clare Sambrook reports in the UK.
Egyptians vote on their second constitutional referendum since the revolution, but is the west listening to people power? And could the potential election of General El Sisi re-vivify the revolution? Paul Rogers finds a glimmer of hope in the conflict in Syria, which is engulfing Lebanon and altering the foreign policy and soft power of Iran. Meanwhile, in Turkey, it may be the end-game for Erdogan, while the rule of law can no longer be trusted. In Bahrain, an anti-corruption effort attracts serious threats.
A young Thai activist reflects on the protests. We interview Wang Hui, luminary of the Chinese New Left, on the cultural revolution and labour unrest. In Russia, the labour movement is growing in importance as trade unions are no longer tied to the state. And the world should be watching India’s new Aam Aadmi party.
We also hear from the 'Robin Hood' of the anti-austerity movement, and from a feminist working with a prisoner who murdered his wife. An exhibition gets Jeremy Fox reflecting on artists and honours. A former drug "addict" dissects what that word really means, and we hear how a US reality TV star’s homophobia defied the teachings of Christ. Finally, the story of a Ghanian deported from Japan, leaving his widow behind, tells us about that state’s approach to intimacy.
Don't miss:
- Al Jazeera documentary on Ariel Sharon.
- Paul Krugman on French President Hollande.
- Dan Hind on Superstition, Finance and Bertrand Russell.
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