David Simon, creator of The Wire, says new US drug laws help only 'white, middle-class kids'

The award-winning creator of The Wire, David Simon, has emerged as a critic of the 'racial bias' in the US debate on the war on drugsDavid Simon surged into the American mainstream with a bleak vision of the devastation wrought by drugs on his home town of Baltimore – The Wire, hailed by many as the greatest television drama of all time. But what keeps him there is his apocalyptic and unrelenting heresy over the failed "war on drugs", the multibillion-dollar worldwide crusade launched by... [continue]

Art Basel fair woos wealthy Chinese with champagne, logos and robots

Western art dealers focus attention on opportunities across AsiaThe branding hits as soon as you leave Hong Kong International airport and spot two huge billboards heralding the Asian debut of the world's most prominent art fair, Art Basel. Amid a PR frenzy that drew the likes of supermodel Kate Moss and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, it seemed that even the torrential rain and 18,000 lightning strikes across the territory hours before the VIP preview on Wednesday were just part of the... [continue]

Peers rumble Sunday newspaper's sting operation

Peers have been warned to beware a newspaper sting operation. The whips of all three main parties were informers earlier this week that journalists from "a prominent Sunday newspaper" had approached members of the House of Lords asking them whether they would ask questions in return for payments.Some members who rumbled what the paper was doing are known to have reported the approaches to Black Rod, David Leakey, the parliamentary official who deals with issues connected to breaches of... [continue]

Poll reveals rising fears of clashes in wake of Woolwich killing

YouGov poll shows rise in proportion of people who believe British Muslims pose a threat to democracyNearly two-thirds of people believe there will be a 'clash of civilisations' between British Muslims and white Britons in the wake of the murder of a British soldier in Woolwich, a new poll shows.The number of those who believe such a clash is inevitable has increased by 9% from last year.There has also been a small increase in the proportion of people who believe British Muslims pose a serious... [continue]

Chuck Hagel: US military must stamp out 'scourge' of sexual assault

US defence secretary tells cadets at West Point that sexual assaults in the military are 'profound betrayal of sacred trusts'Defence secretary Chuck Hagel told cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point on Saturday that they must stamp out the scourge of sexual assault in the military.A day after President Barack Obama delivered a similar edict to US Naval Academy graduates, Hagel's message comes amid a series of widespread incidents of sexual misconduct across the armed services in recent... [continue]

Google defends listing extremist websites in its search results

Eric Schmidt tells Hay festival that legal information 'even if it's despicable, will be indexed', and may help track terroristsGoogle's indexing of extremist websites helps police track their activity and will continue, the company's chief told an audience at the Hay festival.Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, was asked to act to take down terrorist-sympathising websites from his search engines during a question and answer session at the literary festival on Saturday.This weekend MPs,... [continue]

Swedish riots spark surprise and anger

As inequality and segregation start to rise, the spread of youth disorder has shaken ethnic Swedes and older immigrants alikeThe pace of the neighbourhood watch suddenly picks up. "Here's the fire we've been waiting for," grins Samiy, an Iraqi in a bulky jacket.It's half past two in the morning and Samiy, along with dozens of others from local Islamic groups and community organisations, has spent the night patrolling the streets of Husby, the suburb at the centre of riots in Stockholm.Soon... [continue]

Woolwich attack: When killers strike, should we listen to what they say? | Jonathan Freedland

Just as Breivik's views on Islam did not deserve a hearing by the right, so the left should not use Woolwich to make its case on foreign policyThe killers got their bloody hands on the front page first, but they struggled to keep the public's attention. On Friday, the focus moved to Lee Rigby, the man they killed, and the family he left behind. It was his face that stared from page one, the sobbing of his wife heard on the radio news.Even on the previous day, when the victim was still nameless,... [continue]

40 days after Boston bombing: we must stop radical jihad | Karima Bennoune

We must stop trying to make excuses for the Tsarnaev brothers or jihad. It is wrong. Let's support peaceful Muslims around worldIn many Muslim societies, the 40th day after a death is a time to gather and grieve again with loved ones. So, in honor of this the 40th day after the atrocities in Boston, I find myself thinking again about the 264 injured people, some of whom are learning to live without their legs, and about the dead victims: 23-year-old Chinese graduate student Lingzi Lu, who had... [continue]

Attacks on Muslims soar in wake of Woolwich murder

Anti-Muslim incidents, online and in person, increase from a handful to 150 since Wednesday as arrests are made across UKAnti-Muslim attacks in Britain have soared since Wednesday's murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich.Faith Matters, an organisation that works to reduce extremism, said it had been told of about 150 incidents in the last few days, compared to between four to eight cases before Wednesday.Fiyaz Mughal, the director of Faith Matters, said incidents were happening on the streets... [continue]