Roger Howard

Monday

Roger Howard

Should Britain send migrants to France’s former African colonies?

From our UK edition

The cross-Channel migrant crisis would perhaps be solved in a single stroke if only French patrols would tow the boats back to their mainland, or allowed their British counterparts to do the same: after all, the Australians have eliminated the problem by adopting the same approach. But how can we, on this side of the Channel, prompt the French authorities to undertake this sensible and obvious course of action, one that would seem to be in everyone’s interest? One way of doing so would be to relocate newly-arrived Channel migrants not just to Rwanda but to some of France’s former colonies. Our own government could reach out to some of France’s former territories in West Africa, for example.

Thursday

Roger Howard

The myth of the White Widow

From our UK edition

Over the past year or so, a determined and fanatical Islamist has been waging a deadly and bloody war against the western world. This enemy is capable of moving unnoticed across continents and inflicting savage violence in each of them; inspires young Muslim men to become suicide bombers and die in their thousands. The enemy is particularly horrifying for being a traitor, born in Britain and a woman to boot. The ‘White Widow’, remember her? Samantha Lewthwaite from Aylesbury, usually described by our tabloid press as one of the most evil and powerful women alive. But is she really evil? Is she really even much of a threat?

Wednesday

Roger Howard

Arctic treasure quest as the sea ice retreats

From our UK edition

For centuries, intrepid explorers went in search of Arctic treasure — but pursued only a mirage. From the time of Marco Polo, numerous expeditions were made to map a mythical Northwest Passage between east and west, but many ended in tragedy and a viable route was never found. Others vainly scoured neighbouring lands for fabulous gems. Martin Frobisher, for example, sailed there in 1577 to find gold but returned only with worthless iron pyrite — infuriating Queen Elizabeth, who lost a large investment. Today, however, hopes are raised that climate change could at last make such dreams a reality. Many scientists are convinced that, as the ice retreats, the region can soon be properly explored and vast natural resources exploited.