I鈥檓 not one of nature鈥檚 optimists at the best of times, and a rash of media headlines predicting a doomsday scenario for Labour on June 8 aren鈥檛 exactly good for the spirits. But how far are their gloomy predictions born out by the facts of the May 4 local election results|聽鈥 in which the governing Tories won 38% (up eight points from last year's vote) and Labour just 27% (down 4 points)?
Wales
Vendors salvage goods from ruins of their shops following Saudi airs strike.
Civilians and hospitals are being targeted deliberately in Yemen by the Saudi-led Arab coalition airstrikes against the rebels in the country, officials from the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) medical charity said on July 30.
Pride
Directed by Matthew Warchus
Written by Stephen Beresford
Starring Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West & Ben Schnetzer
In Australian cinemas now
If you haven't seen the recently released Pride yet, you need to get to a cinema. It'll moisten your eyes, swell your heart, make you tap your feet and inspire you to join the next pride parade.
If you were in Newport and Cardiff in south-east Wales during the first week of September, you might have thought you鈥檇 entered a warzone. Instead, it was simply the September 4 and 5 NATO Summit.
As NATO warships drifted ominously into the harbour and US Osprey and Nighthawk helicopters thundered in the sky, above mile after mile of steel fencing, disgruntled residents were left taking to Twitter to complain about their desks shaking at work.
鈥淭he amount of helicopters I have heard today makes it sound like we鈥檙e at war,鈥 one said.
The barriers are going up across south Wales. Huge steel fences block off buildings, including Cardiff castle. Roads are closed. Children are promised a shorter school day or maybe no school at all. Rail services are disrupted.
All so that a group of politicians and military men can meet in a country hotel outside Newport for a September 4 and 5 NATO summit to plan more of the military interventions that have contributed to a world now more seriously threatened by major wars than at any time since 1945.
British Olympics chiefs are reported by the media to be 鈥渇urious鈥 after Welsh and Scottish players with the 鈥淭eam Great Britain鈥 soccer squads did not sing 鈥淕od Save the Queen鈥 in official ceremonies before kick-off.
Welsh players Craig Bellamy, Joe Allen, Neil Taylor and team captain Ryan Giggs all remained tight-lipped during the anthem ahead of the July 28 match with United Arab Emirates.