The Week V. 1011

What happened Military chiefs warned last week that Britain had entered a new Cold War with Russia – one that defence cuts had left us ill-equipped to fight. “The threat from Russia, and the risk it brings of miscalculation resulting in a strategic conflict, represents an existential threat to our whole being,” said Gen Sir Adrian Bradshaw, Nato’s deputy supreme allied commander in Europe. Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, warned that there was a “real and present danger” that Putin would seek to destabilise the Baltic states on Nato’s eastern flank. Two long-range Russian bombers were spotted off the Cornish coast, the latest in a series of encroachments on UK airspace. In Ukraine, fighting appeared to ease. Having secured the strategic town of Dabeltseve, Moscow-backed separatists indicated that they were…

What happened Two former foreign secretaries were caught up in a “cash-for-access” scandal this week. In meetings with undercover reporters claiming to represent a bogus Chinese firm, Jack Straw, Labour MP for Blackburn, and Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Tory MP for Kensington & Chelsea, offered to use their influence on the firm’s behalf in return for a fee of at least £5,000 per day. Straw boasted that he had operated “under the radar” to change EU rules for a commodity firm. Rifkind said he could give “useful access” to any British ambassador in the world. Both men claimed not to have breached MPs’ regulations. However, Straw was suspended from the Labour Party and referred himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner. Rifkind did the same; after initially defending himself tenaciously, he then…

Controversy of the week For 160 years it has been “as integral a part of British life as the long shadows on cricket grounds, warm beer and cycling to evensong that John Major once invoked”, said The Guardian. Even those of us who didn’t share The Daily Telegraph’s politics admired the accuracy of its reporting. But its reputation suffered a “body blow” last week, when the paper’s chief political commentator went public with a devastating resignation letter. Writing on the website Open Democracy, Peter Oborne claimed that the Telegraph’s editorial judgement was being distorted by commercial considerations. Journalists were obliged to do the bidding of the advertising department, with thinly veiled plugs for films or holidays run as editorial. Worse, genuine news stories had been suppressed to avoid embarrassing advertisers.…

Pensioner benefits All pensioners will continue to get the winter fuel allowance and free TV licences if the Conservatives win the election. At present, such benefits are not means tested, and David Cameron vowed this week that this would remain the case. His plans were criticised by the Lib Dems and Labour, who both argue that richer elderly people should shoulder more of the austerity cuts. Labour has pledged to axe the winter fuel payment for the wealthiest 5% of pensioners. Sex-selective abortion MPs have defeated a proposal to explicitly outlaw sex-selective abortions. The practice of parents choosing to abort their children on grounds of sex is already illegal, but the amendment would have clarified the law. It was proposed by Tory MP Fiona Bruce, who said it provided an…

Paris Church challenge to sex site: Hundreds of posters for a dating website that facilitates extra-marital affairs have been removed from streets in Paris following complaints by residents. Now a Catholic pressure group has begun a legal action against Gleeden, which was started by two Frenchmen who live in the US. The group argues that Gleeden’s slogans – “taking a lover is cheaper than antidepressants”, for example, or “cheating on your husband isn’t the worst thing you can do” – contravene the Napoleonic civil code, the basis of French law. Article 212 of the code states that: “Married couples owe each other respect, fidelity, help and assistance.” Paris End of the presidential bounce: François Hollande’s popularity – which surged from 13% to 40% in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo…

Edmonton, Canada A skate route to work: Plummeting temperatures have caused havoc for commuters across North America, but one Canadian city – where freezing winters are routine – has come up with a potential long-term solution to the chaos. Officials in Edmonton, where winter temperatures average -12°C, are considering flooding an 11km route to create a “Freezeway”, so that residents can skate across the city. The idea was originally mooted by a councillor who suggested the difficulties experienced by commuters in colder months might be solved by “cracking the fire hydrants open, flooding the streets and letting people skate to work”. He was joking, but his remark inspired landscape architecture student Matthew Gibbs to design a Freezeway, which is now being seriously considered by city planners: they are hoping to…