The Week V. 1013

What happened Labour came under pressure this week to rule out a coalition with the Scottish National Party amid growing concern in Westminster that the SNP will hold the balance of power after the election. It follows a new poll suggesting that Nicola Sturgeon’s party could win as many as 50 of Scotland’s 59 seats on 7 May, all but wiping out Labour north of the border. That would give the SNP huge influence in the likely event of another hung parliament (see page 13). Ed Miliband has so far resisted calls from colleagues explicitly to rule out a pact with the SNP. Party insiders fear such a move would just antagonise voters and increase SNP support. The Tories sought to capitalise on Labour’s predicament this week by releasing a…

What happened Iraqi forces closed in on the strategic city of Tikrit this week in their biggest offensive yet against Islamic State (Isis) militants. With heavy support from local Shia militias, they captured the town of al-Alam, the last jihadi stronghold barring the way to the city itself. If successful, the assault on Tikrit, home city of Saddam Hussein, would mark a first victory for the Iraqi army and the Iranianbacked militias as they attempt to roll back the Islamists’ advance. The victory was overshadowed, however, by mounting controversy over Iran’s pivotal role in the conflict. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal warned that Iran was being allowed to “take over” Iraq. In the US, meanwhile, 47 Republican senators infuriated President Obama by writing an open letter to the “leaders…

Controversy of the week “Here’s a list of things that you wouldn’t want to be called if you were a party leader facing an election in 60 days’ time,” said Andrew Rawnsley in The Observer. “Scared. Arrogant. Cynical. Hypocritical. Cowardly. Calculating. High-handed. Feeble. Duplicitous. Undemocratic. Chicken.” These are the insults being flung at David Cameron, over his “final offer” to appear in only one TV election debate, featuring seven party leaders – instead of the three proposed by the broadcasters, which would have included one head-to-head with Ed Miliband. It has been clear for months that, while claiming to support them, the Tories were doing whatever they could to stop the debates – stalling repeatedly and throwing various “spanners in the works”. Cameron is now blaming the BBC, ITV, Sky…

Brussels Call for an EU army: The president of the European Commission has called for the creation of an EU army to help defend the continent from Russian aggression. In an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Jean-Claude Juncker said pooling the defence resources of the 28 EU nations would send a warning message to Vladimir Putin that the bloc is serious about defending its borders and its values. It would have other advantages, too. “Such an army would help us to build a common foreign and national security policy, and to collectively take on Europe’s responsibilities in the world,” he said. The UK Government’s response was immediate and unambiguous. “Our position is crystal clear that defence is a national, not an EU responsibility,” said a spokesman. But…

Madison, Wisconsin Police shooting: A police officer shot dead an unarmed mixed-race teenager, Tony Robinson, in Madison last Friday night, prompting days of protests in the state capital. Officer Matt Kenny, 45, was responding to reports of an assault in Madison when he shot Robinson (pictured). Police say Kenny only opened fire after the 19-year-old assaulted him. Days later, residents of Atlanta, Georgia, reacted in disbelief to the fatal police shooting of an African-American US Air Force veteran, who was not only unarmed but also naked. Anthony Hill, 27, had been behaving erratically and may have suffered from a mental illness. Washington DC Email controversy: Hillary Clinton has sought to quell the controversy over her use of a private email address during her years as secretary of state by claiming…

Agassi’s stubborn father Andre Agassi started playing tennis before he could walk, says Matthew Syed in The Times. His father – an Iranian immigrant who was determined to give his children a better life in the US – hung a mobile made from tennis balls over his cot, taped a ping-pong bat to his hand and urged him to hit, hit, hit. During the course of his childhood, Agassi estimates he hit one million practice balls per year, with his father screaming at him every time he missed. All of which helps to explain how he became a world champion – but also why his relationship with his father has often been strained to breaking point. “He just couldn’t stop himself pushing, pushing, pushing.” For years they hardly spoke –…