Demolition work at Maze prison in 2006. A new centre will retain a number of the prison’s buildings. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA The Maze prison, which once housed some of the most dangerous paramilitary killers in the western world, is to be turned into a global conflict study centre, it was confirmed last night. As plans [...]

Lord Ashcroft: a major donor to the Conservative party. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images The Tories outspent Labour by more than £12m in 2009 as the parties geared up for the general election, according to party accounts published today. The accounts released by the Electoral Commission showed that Conservatives spent £37.1m in 2009 compared with the [...]

David Cameron inspects a guard of honour at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi. Photograph: Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images David Cameron today launched a strong defence of his attack on Islamabad in which he claimed that elements of the Pakistani state are responsible for exporting terrorism abroad. Amid deep anger in Pakistan, the prime minister said [...]

Demonstrators protest against Vedanta in London on 28 July. Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters Anger erupted at mining company Vedanta’s annual shareholder meeting today as protesters attacked its management for alleged human rights abuses and “crimes against the environment”. While campaigners chanted slogans against the company outside the London gathering, senior executives faced criticism from shareholders, celebrity [...]